Seventeenth-century portrait of Vincent de Paul, painted by Simon François de Tours

Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660) was a French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor and is best known for founding the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity.

After being ordained a priest in 1600, de Paul was kidnapped and enslaved for two years in Tunis and returned to Europe after escaping in 1607. He then served as a parish priest and in the French royal court before dedicating himself to the poor, founding the Ladies of Charity in 1617. In 1622, de Paul was appointed as chaplain to the galley slaves in Paris. (Full article...)
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Patronage: charities; horses; hospitals; leprosy; lost articles; Madagascar; prisoners; Richmond, Virginia; spiritual help; Saint Vincent de Paul Societies; Vincentian Service Corps; volunteers