(Article in Catholicisme, Vol. XV, columns 1157 – 1164)

Bernard Koch, C.M.

Vincent de Paul belonged to a society quite different from our own and quite complex, and his era, though troubled, was very dynamic. He had contacts with many people, both clergy and lay. To understand him, therefore, it is recommended that the reader consult various works concerning the 17th century. These will help understand his complex personality, his human and Christian context, and the currents of the world in which he lived.

Vincent was born at Pouy, near Dax, in the spring of 1581, in a family of notable country people. The material situation of his time was precarious, since the region was only gradually recovering from the ravages of the Protestant bands of Jeanne d’Albret, mother of Henry IV. Dax alone had been able to resist them behind its ramparts. Vincent never alluded to these events and always preached a humble dialogue with Protestants. His father came from a family of notable country people, and his mother was the daughter of the owner of a small rural domain; the countryside was slowly recovering from destruction. A paternal uncle, [1158] a canon, was prior of a local hospice for travelers and poor pilgrims. His maternal uncles were magistrates, and his mother’s father owned a noble domain. His parents cultivated a modest property, but Vincent never mentioned this aspect of being a peasant. Were they poor? The answer must be yes, when compared with the townspeople of the large cities, but they were landowners and moved among their relations in various social levels.

This family property awaked his spirit and accustomed him to move easily among all sorts of people. His family had a simple faith in God’s providence, and they remained confident despite various calamities.

His father sent him to study to be able to secure an ecclesiastical benefice, as his uncle had. His protector, an attorney at the presidial court of Dax, inspired in him the idea of the priesthood. He later stated that at that time he understood neither the greatness of this ministry nor its responsibilities. After his secondary studies at Dax, which lasted four years, he entered the university. He started probably at Zaragoza at the end of 1596 and then moved to Toulouse, from the end of 1597.