Vincent de Paul

Vincent de Paul was born on 24 April 1581 in the village of Pouy, in the province of Guyenne and Gascony, Kingdom of France, to peasant farmers. His father was Jean de Paul and his mother was Bertrande de Moras. There was a stream named the "Paul" in the vicinity, and it is believed that this might have been the derivation of the family name. He wrote the name as one word, Depaul (possibly to avoid the inference that he was of noble birth), but none of his correspondents did so. He was the third child and demonstrated a talent for literacy early in life. He also worked as a child, herding his family's livestock. De Paul was auctioned off as a slave, and spent two years in bondage. His first master was a fisherman, but Vincent was unsuitable for this line of work due to sea sickness and was soon sold. His next master was a spagyrical physician, alchemist and inventor. Vincent became fascinated by his art and was taught how to prepare and administer his master's remedies. The fame of Vincent's master became so great that it attracted the attention of men who summoned him to Istanbul. During the passage, the old man died and Vincent was sold once again. ==Return to Europe==

After returning to France, Vincent went to Rome. There he continued his studies until 1609, when he was sent back to France on a mission to King Henry IV. Once in France, he made the acquaintance of Pierre de Bérulle, whom he took as his spiritual advisor. André Duval, of the Sorbonne introduced him to Canfield's Rule of Perfection. Vincent was by nature a rather irascible person, but he slowly learned to become more sensitive to the needs of others. It was the Countess de Gondi who persuaded her husband to endow and support a group of able and zealous missionaries who would work among poor tenant farmers and country people in general. On 13 May 1643, with Louis XIII dead, Queen Anne had her husband's will annulled by the Parlement de Paris (a judicial body comprising mostly nobles and high clergymen), making her the sole Regent. Anne appointed Vincent de Paul as her spiritual adviser; he helped her deal with religious policy and the Jansenist issue. ==Foundations of the Vincentian Family==

Vincent is the patron of all works of charity. A number of organisations specifically inspired by his work and teaching and which claim Vincent as their founder or patron saint are grouped in a loose federation known as the Vincentian Family. The 1996 publication The Vincentian Family Tree presents an overview of related communities from a genealogical perspective. Confraternities, Ladies of Charity, and Daughters of Charity In 1617, Vincent began serving poor families in Paris, bringing them food and comfort. He organised wealthy women of Paris as the Confraternities of Charity to assist with this work, collect funds for missionary projects, found hospitals, and gather relief funds to assist victims of war and ransom 1,200 galley slaves from North Africa. This participation of women would eventually result in, with the help of Louise de Marillac, the founding of the lay-led Ladies of Charity and the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul (), == Death and veneration ==

File:Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, 95 rue de Sèvres, Paris 6e 5.jpg|The Saint Vincent de Paul Chapel,The Chapel at 95 rue de Sevres, 6th arrondissement File:Tomb of Saint-Vincent @ Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul @ Paris (32274197136).jpg|The tomb of the saint File:Wincenty à Paulo (relikwie).jpg|The waxen mask and hands encasing Vincent's bones Vincent died in Paris on 27 September 1660. ==The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul==

of Vincent by Marius Penin, obverse The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, a charitable organisation dedicated to the service of the poor, was established in 1833 by French university students, led by Frédéric Ozanam. The society is today present in 153 countries. In 1705, the Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission requested that the process for Vincent's canonisation be introduced. On 13 August 1729, he was declared Blessed by Pope Benedict XIII. He was canonised some eight years later by Pope Clement XII on 16 June 1737. on the reverse of the medal The 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar transferred his memorial to 27 September, moving Saints Cosmas and Damian to 26 September to make way for him, as he is now better known in the West than they are. Vincent is honored with a Lesser Festival on 27 September in the Church of England. The Episcopal Church liturgical calendar honors him together with Louise de Marillac on 15 March. One of the feasts celebrated by the French Deist Church of the Theophilanthropy was dedicated to Vincent. ==Legacy==

Niagara University in Lewiston, New York, St. John's University in New York City, and DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, were founded in 1856, 1870, and 1898, respectively, by the Congregation of the Mission in the United States. Many high schools are named after Vincent. Parishes are dedicated to Vincent in Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.; Omaha, Nebraska; Mays Landing, New Jersey; Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Houston, Texas; Delray Beach, Florida; Wheeling, West Virginia, Coventry, Rhode Island, Churchville, New York, Peryville, Missouri, Lenox Dale, Massachusetts, Girardville, Pennsylvania, Arlington, Texas, Denver, Colorado, Malang (Indonesia), Philippines and elsewhere. Countless books, films, and monuments have been dedicated to his memory around the globe. ==See also==