Biographical Sketch

By | January 17, 2016

Biographical sketch: St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) was a Roman Catholic priest who was renowned throughout his native France for his compassion, humility, and generosity in serving the poor. As a young man, he was abducted by pirates in 1605, and spent two years as a slave before escaping with his master to France. In addition to serving as a parish priest and missionary, he founded a society of apostolic life called the Congregation of the Mission, and the charitable organizations Daughters of Charity, Confraternities of Charity, and Ladies of Charity. A man of deep faith, keen intellect, and enormous creativity, he has become known as the “The Apostle of Charity” and “Father of the Poor.” His contributions to the training of priests and organizing parish missions and other services for the poor helped shaped our Church’s role in the modern world. (sources: Catholic Online, Wikipedia, www.svdpusa.org)