Birth: 24-04-1581
Death: 27-09-1660
Native Place: Pouy
Country: France
Place of Vision: France
Vincent de Paul was one of the missionaries who profoundly impacted humankind by demonstrating the Gospel through his practical life. Born into a peasant family in Pouy, France, and was educated by Franciscans at Dax. In the pursuit of fame and wealth, he chose the priesthood as a career that would help better his family fortune. He studied theology at the University of Toulouse, was ordained a priest at the age of 19. He spent most of his early priesthood mingling with members of the elite.
However, Vincent’s life changed when he was captured by pirates and was sold as a slave in Africa. There he came face to face with absolute poverty. He made a commitment to God that he would leave his ambitions and serve the poor if he ever escaped slavery. Eventually, he made it back to France and stood true to his commitment. He made evangelization of the poor his focal point of the ministry.
He went to Paris and assisted hundreds of thousands of poor people, and rescued thousands of children from a situation that appeared to be certain death. Since spiritual poverty was also no less severe among the people, Vincent also began to preach the Word of God and organize missions. There he served as parish priest for some time and then became a chaplain for the imprisoned galley slaves. According to him, evangelization cannot be limited to announcing the Word but must be realized in deeds. Therefore, he started a religious group called the Congregation of the Mission, which primarily worked to feed the hungry while simultaneously teaching them about Christ.
Vincent was particularly worried about the growing laxity and ignorance among the priests and ministers. Hence zealously conducted retreats and organized seminaries to train the future spiritual leaders of the church. He encouraged the participation of the women in the charitable endeavors that lead to the formation of ‘Daughters of Charity.’
