Feast of St. Vincent de Paul

When ever you visit Paris we encourage you to stop by to see the St. Vincent de Paul Church.    A wax likeness of St. Vincent de Paul is in the church in Paris just around the corner from the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal.  It is a beautiful peaceful church and well worth the visit. The church is located at 95, rue de Sevres.

Born in 1580, Vincent was captured by Turkish pirates in the year 1605 and was taken to Tunis. He was maltreated and eventually sold as a slave; but he escaped two years later with his master, a renegade whom he eventually converted to Catholicism. Vincent dedicated his life to the practice of spiritual and corporal works of charity. He set up many poor houses for the crippled and sick and personally cared for the patients who had the most contagious diseases. He would dress their wounds and nurse them back to health; indeed there wasn’t a poor man that didn’t know of Vincent’s kindness.

Vincent died at the age of eighty, having faithfully served God throughout his whole life. On August 13, 1729, Vincent was declared a Blessed by Benedict XIII; and on June 16, 1737, he was canonized by Clement XII. He is, of course, founder of the Vincentian Order and the St. Vincent de Paul Society continues to do excellent charitable works throughout the world.  He also helped to found another religious order:  The Daughters of Charity.  St. Vincent de Paul's incorrupt heart is kept in a glass reliquary at the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris.