Saint Vincent de Paul

Saint Vincent was born of poor parents in France c.1580.

He was chosen as a tutor for the the children of a rich man, and was thus able to pay for the continuation of his studies.
Starting in 1596 he studied Theology at the University of Toulouse, and was ordained a priest in 1600.

On a sea voyage he was captured by African pirates, and spent two years as a slave in captivity in Tunis. After escaping he returned to France and became a tutor in the family of the Count of Joigny.

In 1617 he began to preach missions.

Charity was his dominant virtue, charity to all regardless of age, from young children to the elderly. Though honoured by the great ones of his day, he remained always a model of humility.

He died in Paris aged 80, on September 27, 1660, and was canonised in 1737 by Pope Clement XII (1652-1740)