Feast of Saint Vincent de Paul

IN THE NEW calendar, today is the feastday of Saint Vincent de Paul, co-patron of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. In the calendar of 1962, his feast is on July 19^th.

Born into a peasant family, he got a good education, and was ordained a priest at age 20. He was captured by pirates and enslaved, and gained his freedom by the conversion of his owner to Christianity. Saint Vincent served the sick, poor, imprisoned, and unemployed.  He founded the Congregation of the Mission and, with Saint Louise de Marillac, co-founded the Daughters of Charity. His patronage includes hospitals and prisoners.

The U.S. National Council of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society is based in Saint Louis.  Saint Vincent's churches in this Archdiocese are located in Saint Louis, Dutzow, and Perryville.  Here is a 2005 photo of the Saint Vincent de Paul Chapel at the Cardinal Rigali Pastoral Center (the former Kenrick Seminary):