27 September: St Vincent de Paul

Today is the feast day of St Vincent de Paul. Here are some things you might not know about him.

1. He was born in Gascony, France in 1581. His father's name was Jean and his mother's name was Bertrande. He was the third of six children. The family were peasant farmers.
2. Although he was a bright child who showed a talent for reading and writing at an early age, he didn't go to school until he was 15. He spent his childhood looking after his family's livestock. His father had to sell the family's oxen in order to send him to school. He was somewhat of a snob in those days, refusing to see his father when he came to visit because he was ashamed of how shabby he was.
3. At first, his motivation for becoming a priest was to support his family, retire early and live in comfort. He studied theology at the University of Toulouse, paying for his tuition by teaching others. He was ordained in 1600 when he was 19, which was against the rules of the Council of Trent, which stated 24 was the minimum age. He was appointed a parish priest, but people objected on the grounds of his age, so he resigned rather than go through a lengthy court case, and went back to university.
4. He may have spent two years as a slave. There are letters he wrote describing his experiences, but historians have cast doubt on how genuine they are. If they are true, the story goes as follows: Vincent went to Castres in 1605 to sell some property a wealthy patron had left him. On the return journey, he was captured by pirates and taken to Tunis, where the pirates sold him as a slave. The first person to buy him was a fisherman, but since Vincent suffered from sea sickness, that didn't work out and the fisherman sold him on to a distinguished alchemist/physician. That worked out better, with Vincent learning herbal medicine. However, this master died during a passage to Istanbul, so Vincent was sold again. His new master was a former priest who had converted to Islam and had three wives. Vincent converted one of the wives to Christianity and due to her influence, her husband decided to go back to France, escaping in a small boat and landing in France in 1607.
5. Vincent went back to his studies until 1609, and in 1612, became a parish priest. However, he wasn't in that job very long, either, because he was sent to become the chaplain to the Gondi family, a family of Florentine bankers. It was while preaching to the peasants on their estates that Vincent realised his vocation was working with the poor. With financial help from the Gondis, a mission was set up to help poor people in rural areas.
6. He is remembered for his kindness, but it's said he had a bad temper, too, and often prayed to God to help him overcome it.
7. Vincent had several more jobs during his lifetime including spiritual advisor to Queen Anne, the widow of Louis XII; chaplain to imprisoned galley slaves; and spiritual director of a convent.
8. St Vincent de Paul is patron of a number of things, including charities, horses, hospitals, prisoners and volunteers. He is patron saint of Madagascar and Richmond, Virginia, USA.
9. He was canonised by Pope Clement XII in 1737.
10. A number of charitable organisations sprang up, inspired by his life and work. Possibly the best known is the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, founded in 1833 by Blessed Frederic Ozanam. Dedicated to the service of the poor, the charity operates in 132 countries.

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Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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