Service To The Poor

Perhaps no name is more associated with service to the poor than that of St. Vincent de Paul.  Born of a peasant family in Gascony, France in 1580, he aspired to move upward in society to escape the poverty into which he was born.  A very intelligent and gifts  young man,, he entered the seminary and was ordained a priest at the age of 19.  His status now being elevated, he preferred serving the rich and living their life-style as much as he could.  However, in mid-life, upon hearing the confession of a poor peasant, his heart was turned toward serving the poor to whom he devoted the rest of his life, dying at the age of 80.  He gathered other priests with him (later known as the Vincentian Fathers)  to help with his work with the poor and founded orphanages , hospitals and homes for the mentally impaired. At one point, through the urging and help of the Gondi family, he even ministered to the galley slaves whose plight was deplorable. With St. Louise de Marillac, he founded the Sisters of Charity with their distinctive headgear that always seems to appear in movies depicting Sisters of the pre-Vatican II era. His life and work attracted the attention of the wealthy who competed to endow his projects.  Today most parishes have a St. Vincent de Paul Society which continue his work with the poor. May he touch our hearts to open them to share what ever we can to help those in need, remembering that as Marists, that is also one of our characteristics and objectives.
Bro. Rene