“IF God is the centre of your life, no words are necessary. Your mere presence will touch hearts.”
God was at the centre of St Vincent de Paul’s life, and today no words are necessary as his name remains synonymous with charity and helping the poor across the world.
Born into peasantry, St Vincent would eventually become a priest, funding his studies at the University of Toulouse and the University of Paris by tutoring other students.
Soon after this the course of St Vincent’s life was set off kilter, as he was abducted by Barbary pirates on the Mediterranean and sold into slavery.
His enslavement saw him sold between masters and took him across the Islamic world.
St Vincent was eventually sold to Guillaume Gautier, a former Franciscan priest from Nice who had converted to Islam to escape slavery himself.
It was here that through God’s grace, St Vincent’s mere presence began to touch hearts.
One of Gautier’s wives was drawn to St Vincent, often questioning him on his faith as he worked in the fields.
St Vincent’s display of humility and compassion in the face of abject evil and suffering led to the wife’s conversion, who then convinced her husband to return to the faith.
The trio escaped back to France and St Vincent was a free man again after two years of captivity.
But the story does not end here.
St Vincent would continue his ministry through France, where he heard the confession of a dying peasant, a pivotal moment that led him towards a life of an unadulterated love and service to the poor.
He was then a chaplain to the galley slaves in the depths of warships, and through his growing influence within the French aristocracy and noble families, St Vincent established the Confraternities, Ladies and Daughters of Charity, as well as the Congregation of the Mission.
Vincentian organisations for the poor would become the lasting legacy of St Vincent.
During this time St Vincent also served a Parisian convent for nearly 30 years, also acting as the spiritual advisor to Queen Anne of France.
Now there are 238 Vincentian organisations globally, all inspired to lead lives of charity by the work of St Vincent.
This includes the St Vincent de Paul Society, which provides aid to over two million Australians doing it tough.
For Austrlians, “Vinnies” is synonymous with charity, helping our countries’ most vulnerable.
God was the centre of St Vincent de Paul’s life, from peasantry to priesthood, enslavement and the French monarchy, and now across the world, St Vincent touches the hearts of millions.
