Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest
On September 27, the Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, a priest whose life and mission earned him the title “Apostle of Charity.” Born in 1581 in Gascony, France, Vincent was ordained a priest at the young age of 19. At first, he sought comfort and security in the priesthood, but God redirected his ambitions. Through encounters with the poor and the suffering, Vincent’s heart was changed, and he discovered his true vocation: to serve Christ by serving the poor.
Vincent de Paul devoted himself entirely to works of mercy. He cared for abandoned children, organized aid for the sick and hungry, and ministered to galley slaves and the most forgotten of society. Yet he also understood that charity must be paired with formation. He worked to renew the priesthood by establishing seminaries and founded the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians), whose mission was to preach the Gospel and care for the poor. Alongside Saint Louise de Marillac, he also founded the Daughters of Charity, a religious community of women dedicated to serving Christ in the poor with simplicity and humility.
His vision of charity was not limited to great works or institutions, but extended to everyday acts of love. He urged his followers to see Christ in the poor, saying, “The poor are your masters. You are their servant.” Today, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, founded in his honor, continues his mission across the world by bringing material aid, compassion, and hope to those in need.
As we celebrate his memorial, we are invited to reflect on our own call to charity. St. Vincent’s life reminds us that love of God is inseparable from love of neighbor. To follow Christ is to recognize Him in the hungry, the sick, the lonely, and the forgotten, and to respond with generosity.
May we ask for Saint Vincent’s intercession, that our parish may always be a place where the poor are welcomed, the suffering find comfort, and all of us grow in the charity that flows from the heart of Christ.
Saint Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
In Christ,
Fr. Joe Connelly