S. Vincent De' Pauli
« La carità quando dimora in un'anima occupa interamente tutte le sue potenze; nessun riposo; è un fuoco che agita continuamente: tiene sempre in esercizio, sempre in moto la persona una volta che ne è infiammata » (Vincenzo de' Paoli)
Vincenzo de’ Paoli, nome originale Vincent de Paul (Pouy, 24 aprile 1581 – Parigi, 27 settembre 1660), è stato un presbitero francese, fondatore e ispiratore di numerose congregazioni religiose come la Congregazione della Missione i cui membri sono comunemente denominati “Lazzaristi”, le “Dame della carità” e, poco più tardi, anche le Figlie della carità, di estrazione sociale più bassa rispetto alle Dame. È stato proclamato santo il 16 giugno 1737 da papa Clemente XII. È considerato il più importante riformatore della carità della Chiesa cattolica.
Dio ama i poveri, e, per conseguenza, ama quelli che amano i poveri.
Vincent de Paul was born in the village of Pouy in 1581. As a boy he lived among the poor and experienced the conditions under which they lived. In 1600 he became a priest. For a time he sought to escape from the poverty of his origins, but with the help of spiritual directors he felt himself called to deeper holiness and, through the events of his life, was finally led by divine providence to a firm determination to dedicate himself to the salvation of the poor. While he was exercising his ministry in Gannes and, on the 25th of January 1617, in Folleville, he saw that the evangelization of the poor was an urgent need. He himself held that this was the origin of his vocation, and of the Congregation of the Mission.
Vincent de Paul lived 40 years longer than most of his contemporaries. Born to peasant farmers, he became a well-educated Parisian. Irascible and moody as a youth, he became gentle and warm as an adult. Ambitious and money-seeking as a newly-ordained priest, he came to be proclaimed as “Father of the Poor” and “Light of the Clergy”. He was the counselor of kings and queens and friend of most of the great spiritual leaders of the day. When he died on Sept. 27, 1660, all Paris mourned. They mourned because they loved him. So striking were his works that the preacher at his funeral stated: “He just about transformed the face of the Church.”[1]
Why do I tell you all this? Because Vincent’s human journey was very varied, as will be that of your students at DePaul. They will live through a wide variety of experiences. They will change as events and their own inner resources interact. As educators, we hope that they will grow as their lives unfold and that we can now offer them some of the tools that will enable them to adjust to life’s challenges. Shakespeare expresses the steps our pilgrimage quite graphically.
[1]This text is cited by André Dodin in op. cit., 103: “Il a presque changé la face de l’Église.” The text of de Maupas’ funeral discourse is available on the CD-ROM, prepared by Claude Lautissier, containing various Vincentian writings. Read More
- The Journey of Vincent – video
- Charity’s Saint – Video
- St. Vincent and his social Mission YouTube video
- 350 images of Vincent – YouTube video in honor of the 350th anniversary of his death
In depth arti
- Biographies of Vincent and how to read them – Thomas Davitt, C.M
- Society at the time of Vincent – José María Ibáñez, C.M.
- Vincent and the Church his his time – Luigi Mezzadri, C.M.
- Religious Experience of St. Vincent – José María Román, C.M.
- Faith of St. Vincent and the Midst of an Unbelieving Society – Luis González-Carvajal Santabárbara, CM
- The Holiness of St. Vincent dePaul – Benito Martínez Betanzos, CM
- The Spiritual Journey of Vincent – Vinícius Augusto Ribeiro Teixeira, CM
- Vincent as Pastor at Clichy – José Manuel Villar Suárez, CM
- The Political Context at the Time of Vincent – Jean Pierre Renouard, C.M.
- Mary in the Spiritual Experience of Vincent – Jean Pierre Renouard, C.M.
- Monsieur Vincent – A man of balace – Jean Pierre Renouard, C.M.
- Vincent the Saint – Jean Pierre Renouard, C.M.
- St. Vincent and the Laity – José María Román, C.M.
- Vincent and Peace – David Carmona
- St. Vincent – Councilor to Royalty – Richard J. Kehoe C.M.
- St. Vincent and the Challenge of Poverty –
- St. Vincent dePaul and Money – John E. Rybolt, C.M.
- Chronological history of Vincent’s Life – Rafael Villarroya, C.M