St. Vincent de Paul - The Champion of God's poor.

Sometimes a person can be best described by their own words. Vincent de Paul has written: "Even though the poor are often rough and unrefined, we must not judge them from external appearances nor from the mental gifts they seem to have received. On the contrary, if you consider the poor in light of faith, then you will observe that they are taking the place of the Son of God who chose to be poor. It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible.

If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer. Do not become upset or feel guilty because you interrupted your prayer to serve the poor. God is not neglected if you leave for such service."

Vincent was a man who ministered to the poor in France during the seventeenth century. He was the founder of the Congregation of the Mission (priests) also known as the Vincentians. He also "established confraternities of charity for the spiritual and physical relief of the poor and sick of each parish. From these, with the help of St. Louise de Marillac, came the Daughters of Charity, "whose convent is the sickroom, whose chapel is the parish church, whose cloister is the streets of the city."

He organized the rich women of Paris to collect funds for his missionary projects, founded several hospitals, collected relief funds for the victims of war and ransomed over 1,200 galley slaves from North Africa. He was zealous in conducting retreats for clergy at a time when there was great laxity, abuse and ignorance among them. He was a pioneer in clerical training and was instrumental in establishing seminaries." (American Catholic)

The most distinguishing legacy of this saint is the society that bears his name. Today, countless parishes have a Saint Vincent de Paul society that stands ready to assist those in need. "The Society of St. Vincent de Paul offers tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. It is this personalized involvement that makes the work of the Society unique.

This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or often through direct dollar or in-kind service. An essential precept of the Society's work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served. The Society recognizes that it must assume, also, a role of advocacy for those who are defenseless or voiceless. Some 12 million persons are helped annually by Vincentians in the United States. "