Who Was St. Vincent de Paul?
Vincent de Paul, "the Father of the Poor," had a life so varied and rich in the experience of charity that he has been the model for all kinds of good within the Church. There were three foundations that would express his life's work for the Poor. One was the Confraternity of Charity (Ladies of Charity) begun in 1617, which enlisted lay women in serving the Poor in the parishes. The second was the Congregation of the Mission (priests and brothers), founded in 1624 with a mission to preach the gospel to the rural Poor and to form men for the priesthood. The third was in 1633, when Vincent co-founded with Louise de Marillac the Daughters of Charity, a community of women consecrated by vow to serve the Poor. St. Vincent de Paul is the patron saint of all charitable works.