Get to Know St. Vincent
St. Vincent de Paul
Vincent de Paul (April 24, 1580 – September 27, 1660) wasn’t born a saint, but rather a man who was transformed through a lifetime of experience and encounter. Though initially seeking the priesthood in 1600 for the financial benefit of his family, God had a far different plan. Through prayer, reflection, and an openness to the needs around him, Vincent was led to discover the presence of God in the poor, transforming him into the person who inspires millions to “Go about doing good” (Acts 10:38).
Organizing Charity:
The Three Foundational Experiences
Vincent’s transformation led to a powerful insight: Charity must be organized. This realization was born out of three profound experiences that compelled him to found three distinct organizations.
The Confraternities of Charity
The Call to Organized Lay Service (1617)
While assigned as a pastor in Châtillon-les-Dombes, Vincent was alerted to a family who were all ill, without food or medicine. He preached on their great need, and the response was overwhelming—a parade of people brought provisions. However, Vincent quickly realized the food would spoil before the family could consume it.
This led him, along with some parishioners, to write a rule establishing the Confraternities of Charity. This lay organization was rooted in parishes, dedicated to lovingly and sustainably providing for the essential needs of poor neighbors within their own communities. For Vincent, charitable service was an essential part of the spiritual life itself.
The Congregation of the Mission
The Call to Spiritual and Material Ministry (1625)
Later, while serving the wealthy Gondi family, a dying man confessed to Vincent, profoundly unburdening his soul. This experience, and the man’s subsequent recovery and open testimony, concerned Vincent’s employer, Madam de Gondi, about the spiritual health of all the workers on her vast lands.
At her request, Vincent preached a powerful sermon on the importance of making a general confession. The response was so immense that Madam de Gondi had to call on other priests for assistance. Moved by the spiritual hunger of the poor, Vincent, with support from the Gondi family, founded The Congregation of the Mission in 1625. This community of priests and brothers is dedicated to meeting both the material and spiritual needs of people, with the mission of preaching the Gospel to the poor and educating clergy.
The Company of the Daughters of Charity
The Call to Active Women's Service (1630)
During this time, many people were moving from the countryside to Paris, especially during wartime, creating a new dimension of urban poverty. In response to this need, Vincent, along with St. Louise de Marillac, formed The Company of the Daughters of Charity in 1630.
This pioneering group was the first congregation of women in the Catholic Church permitted to serve outside their convent. Their active ministry revolutionized healthcare, brought charity to the urban poor, cared for foundlings and injured soldiers, and ministered to countless marginalized people.
Apostle of Charity
In Vincent’s world view, no one was left out. He saw the presence of God in marginalized people and invited all—lay people, vowed men and women, and clergy—into a life of holiness through service.
Vincent died on September 27, 1660, and was canonized in 1737. He is known as the “Apostle of Charity,” a title formally declared by Pope Leo XIII in 1885. This designation was a direct response to the dehumanizing effects of the Industrial Revolution, a circumstance similar to the social upheaval Vincent lived through. Pope Leo sought to inspire a “new movement of charitable zeal” for those moving to cities and new countries, ensuring Vincent’s influence expanded globally and inspired movements like the Catholic Charities in the United States.
St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us!
Ways to Support Our Mission
Inspired by St. Vincent de Paul, we strive to meet the most urgent material and spiritual needs in our community today.
See a need that moves you?
Explore Our Causes
Vincentian priests and brothers around the world staff parishes, seminaries, schools, health clinics, job training centers, and other kinds of service centers so that all God’s children, all our brothers and sisters can live in greater dignity. Like St. Vincent himself, we invite the people we serve to join us in our service so that everyone grows, learns, heals, and rejoices. Our ministry focuses on the presence of God in each person and builds from there.
Choose from one of our specific, life-changing projects below to see your donation in direct action.
Seminarian Support Fund
Dear to the heart of St. Vincent is the high-quality education, formation, and training of future priests. We have many seminarians and need your help providing them the basics: food, clothing, prayer books, school books.
Maison Mère
This project is a major renovation of the Maison Mère in Paris, the international and spiritual home of the Congregation of the Mission since the early 19th century. The goal is to preserve this historical treasure and legacy of St. Vincent de Paul, while also making it accessible and comfortable for the priests, brothers, and the many groups who visit, study, and hold retreats there. Donations ensure the house has a long future of service for another 400 years.
We have 10 seminaries in Africa and South America that are filled to overflowing with a long line of men waiting for admission. We need your help to renovate and enlarge the seminaries so that we can prepare more men for service as Vincentian priests and brothers.
More Ways To Give
You can support the mission in a way that best fits you. Give general fuel for our work through one of the options below, or explore our specific causes to target your gift to a particular project.
Where Needed Most
Your immediate gift provides critical resources where the need is greatest, right now. A general donation is the most powerful way to support the full breadth of our work—from feeding the hungry and educating children to providing clean water and supporting our missionaries. Your flexible funding ensures we can respond instantly to emergencies and sustain our long-term, life-changing projects around the world.
Recurring Giving
Vincent’s Visionaries is a program for recurring donations to support the full range of the Vincentian mission. These gifts fund crucial initiatives in areas with few resources, including food programs, job training centers, education access (including building schools), clean water projects (digging wells), medical care, and seminary support for future priests.
Planned Giving
By including VIMS in your will or estate plan, you create a lasting legacy that will sustain the Vincentian mission for generations to come. A planned gift is a profound act of faith and love that continues to fuel essential services—feeding, housing, and educating those on the margins—long after your lifetime. It allows you to make a significant impact without affecting your current financial well-being.