St. Vincent de Paul

By Ashley Lahr

St. Vincent de Paul is virtually a well-known saint in the Catholic realm. Quite honestly, all I knew is that he was a saint and there is a thrift store named after him on South Congress and other various places around town. When I looked up saints for either yesterday or today, I was pleasantly surprised to find his day on September 27. I was excited about researching to find out who he was and what he did.

De Paul was born on April 24, 1581 and died September 27, 1660. He was born into a peasant family in Landes, France and had three brothers and two sisters. He graduated from Toulouse with a degree in Theology and was ordained in 1600 at the mere age of 19. De Paul stayed in Toulouse until he went to Marseille to collect inheritance. In 1605, he was captured by Turkish pirates who brought him to Tunis and sold him into slavery. By 1607, he converted his owner to Christianity and was freed. De Paul is the founder Daughters of Charity and Congregation of the Mission. Congregation of the Mission was founded in 1625 and works towards the evangelization of the poor and formation of the clergy. Daughters of Charity were founded with Louise de Marillac in 1633. They are a group of women who work to help the “poorest of the poor.”

De Paul is most venerated for his continual service to the poor. Catholic Charities works to do the same exact thing. We may not be under the Saint Vincent De Paul Society or organization but we work toward the same goals. As Catholics, we work together as a team to help bring self-sufficiency to those we assist. It is so much more than giving out food each week or meeting with people to help them figure out how they are going to pay next months rent. Our goal is to instill confidence in each client we serve. We work to strengthen individuals, families and communities. It is not about helping only Catholics or religious people. It is because we are Catholic that we are able to have the faith, spirituality and love behind all we do here at Catholic Charities.

If you are interested in volunteering or working to help the poor, please check out our website www.ccctx.org. Be sure to check out the St. Vincent De Paul website at http://www.svdpusa.org/. Help us spread the good word.