Vincent de Paul

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vincent de Paul

Vinzenz von Paul or Vinzenz Depaul ( French Vincent de Paul , born April 24, 1581 in Pouy, today Saint-Vincent-de-Paul near Dax in Gascony , † September 27, 1660 in Paris ) was a French priest and is due to his work in the field of poor relief and sick care as the founder of modern charity . On August 13, 1729, Vincent was by Benedict XIII. beatified and on June 16, 1737 by Clemens XII. canonized. In 1885 Leo XIII appointed him the patron saint of the Order of the Sisters of Mercy of St. Vincent de Paul ("Vincentian Sisters "). Vincent von Paul had the motto: "Love is action."

biography

Vincent de Paul studied in the southern French towns Dax (1594-1597) and Toulouse (1597-1604) theology . He was ordained a priest on September 23, 1600 and spent years looking for lucrative ecclesiastical benefices - even in an adventurous way . Among other things, he was captured by Turkish pirates in 1605 and sold as a slave in Tunis . After three years of imprisonment, he was freed in 1607 and came to Paris via Rome in 1608. Through the encounter with the poorest in society, personal crises and the spiritual accompaniment of the later Cardinal de Berulle , a change took place in him. He became a devoted pastor in Clichy (1612–1613), later Margaretes von Valois' house chaplain (divorced wife of Henry IV ) as well as tutor and house chaplain to the noble family de Gondi. He accompanied this family on their property and got to know the religious plight of the rural population. To remedy this, he began preaching missions in the parishes. He soon found helpers, and in 1625 the Congregation of the Mission, also known as the Lazarists or "Vincentians", emerged from this .

In the first parent company, Saint Lazare , there were sections for retirees, one for hard-to-educate young people and one for the mentally ill. Paul was considered a psychiatric authority and was referred to as the “reformer of the insane” with regard to the systematic care exercised in his institution.

In 1617, Vincent de Paul founded the first Confrérie des Dames de la Charité , the "Brotherhood of Ladies of Christian Love", a charitable women's association in the parish of Châtillon-les-Dombes (today Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne ) , a charitable women's association that cares for the poor and the sick cared. It was the predecessor of today's Association Internationale des Charités . For the women, the work in the Caritas groups, especially in Paris, soon became too much and too difficult, so that young country girls were employed as helpers. Louise de Marillac , a close collaborator of Vincent de Paul, took on these helpers, and the community of the Daughters of Christian Love gradually emerged . The daughters of Christian love consciously saw themselves as an alternative to the strict enclosure of the nuns . A statement made by Vinzenz von Paul in this regard was incorporated into the sisters' rule of life: “As a monastery you have the houses of the sick, as a cell you have a renting room, as a chapel the parish church, as a cloister the streets of the city, as a cloister obedience, as a grille Fear of God and holy modesty as a veil . ” The young women did not make a religious profession, but a promise that was valid for a year and could or could not be renewed until death.

In 1619 Vincent von Paul met Franz von Sales in Paris , with whom he developed a close friendship that lasted until his death in 1622.

Afterlife

Vincentians

Today, with around 24,000 members under the name AIC ( Association Internationale de Charité ), they are the largest women's community in the Catholic Church. In addition, there are many other women's communities all over the world who also follow the rule of St. Vincent de Paul and are known as "Vincentian Sisters" or "Sisters of Mercy of St. Vincent de Paul ”apply. The Vincentine Sisters were also the model for the religious community Missionaries of Charity founded by Mother Teresa . In 1840, Anna Weißebach founded the Elisabeth associations in Germany, following the example of Vincent von Paul, from which today's Caritas conferences in Germany arose.

Canonization

Vincent de Paul was canonized in 1737 . His commitment to the sick, beggars, foundlings, neglected young people, the mentally ill, convicts, refugees and displaced persons was honored. In this context, Dom Hélder Câmara once spoke of his “antennae of love”, which made every emergency situation clear to him. This enabled him to become a social champion of the 17th century.

funeral

Reliquary

His body was exhumed for the first time in 1712, 53 years after his death. An eyewitness said that "... only his eyes and nose showed signs of rot." However, when his body was exhumed again after his canonization in 1737, it was found that the body had decomposed due to the action of water. The bones were placed in a waxy image and in 1830 this figure was exhibited for veneration in a glass coffin in the new chapel of the Lazarists , Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul , on Rue de Sèvres in Paris . The transfer of the relics was arranged by the Lazarist Order General Dominique Salhorgne .

The heart of the saint is kept in the motherhouse chapel of the Vincentine Sisters in Paris ( Rue du Bac ).

Naming

The charitable Vinzenzgemeinschaft , founded in the 19th century by Frédéric Ozanam , bears his name. The Vincentine Congregation of Malabar , founded on July 19, 1927, also invokes the saint.

Remembrance day

Until the beginning of the 20th century, July 19th was celebrated as a day of remembrance . Today is the day of his death, September 27th, the official Protestant, Anglican and Roman Catholic memorial day of the founder of the order.

Patronage

Vincent de Paul is the patron saint of all associations, in particular:

In addition, he should next to St. Help Antony find lost things.

literature

Movie

Web links

Commons : Saint Vincent de Paul  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Axel Wellner: Vincent de Paul. In: Werner E. Gerabek , Bernhard D. Haage, Gundolf Keil , Wolfgang Wegner (eds.): Enzyklopädie Medizingeschichte. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , pp. 1444 f .; here: p. 1444.
  2. ↑ Axel Wellner: Vincent de Paul. 2005, p. 1444.
  3. ^ Wilhelm Hünermann: Vincent von Paul. Theresia-Verlags AG, Lauerz 2005, page 60ff
  4. ↑ Magdalena Frühinsfeld: Brief outline of psychiatry. In: Anton Müller. First insane doctor at the Juliusspital in Würzburg: life and work. A short outline of the history of psychiatry up to Anton Müller. Medical dissertation Würzburg 1991, p. 9–80 ( Brief outline of the history of psychiatry ) and 81–96 ( History of psychiatry in Würzburg to Anton Müller ), here: p. 36.
  5. ^ Mary Elizabeth O'Brien, Spirituality in Nursing (Sudbury [Massachusetts, USA] 2011, ISBN 978-0-7637-9650-1 ) p. 45.
personal data
SURNAME Vincent de Paul
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French priest and founder of modern Caritas
DATE OF BIRTH April 24, 1581
PLACE OF BIRTH Pouy (now Saint-Vincent-de-Paul )
DATE OF DEATH September 27, 1660
Place of death Paris