The Enterprising Priest....

“Vincent de Paul (1581-1660): a French Catholic Priest; worked among the poor and sick, and Galley slaves. Founder of the Order of the Lazarists. Sanctified 1737”. This is all you can read about Vincent de Paul in the encyclopaedia.

This description, however, does not in the least cover, when focusing at the changeable and eventful life he had.

From poverty to priest at the court

Vincent de Paul came from poverty. Born in southern France of poor parents who had a large family to feed, did not give Vincent much of a chance to achieve an education.

The Fathers sale of a team of oxen provided, however, the necessary means so that Vincent in the year 1600 could be ordinated, and thus commence a carrier committed the sick and poor in the 17th century France. After a short period in slavery in Northern Africa, Vincent began his career at the French court and as priest and Confessor for Ladies of the Nobility. But as the time went by he became increasingly concerned with the alleviation of the distress for the less fortunate in the society. For this purpose his connections to the Court and the Wealthy came in handy. He succeeded in collecting means for the establishment of hospitals and hostels, and to procure the large Saint-Lazare area in central Paris, which created the basis for his future activities.

The order of the Lazarist Brothers

The work in Saint Lazare inspired and gave name to the Brother Order, the Lazarists, which Vincent founded in 1625 with support from a Lady of the Nobility. In his long life, Vincent was blessed to see this Order as well as the 1648 founded Sister Order later known as “Saint Vincent Sisters”, grow and expand its activities in a society where systematic charity was rarely practised.

The Saint Vincent Guilds

This Enterprising Priest has inspired many over the years. Also in Denmark, where Vincent de Paul’s work was the exemplary basis for the foundation of the Saint Vincent Guilds in the parish of Birkerød in 1959, as well as in many parishes throughout the country. The object was then - and is still today, to collect and forward uncut, support in form of cash to selected missions in the third world. The only thing asked in return is that the recipients report to the sponsors in SVG about their work among the sick and poor. This is made possible by the utilisation of the world wide network of Lazarist Brothers. In the beginning only a few, such as Sister Rose in Vietnam, and the late Father Franz Schlooz in India were among the recipients, but soon more missions joined.

Today SVG has currently contact with 15 receiving missions, who enjoy the 400,000 DKK yearly cash support sponsored by SVG.