St. Vincent de Paul

Born to French peasant farmers in the 16th century, St. Vincent de Paul displayed a talent for academics prompting his enrollment in the seminary. He was ordained a priest in 1600, but quickly was forced to resign because he was considered under age. His life was then turned upside down when he was kidnapped by Barbary pirates and sold into slavery. In another turn of events, his owner, a former priest, granted him freedom, and Vincent resumed his calling as a priest. Motivated by his mission to alleviate suffering, Vincent began working alongside the Daughters of Charity to help feed and cloth the poor. He later organized financial backers to fund hospitals, victims of war and free galley slaves from North Africa. He is the patron saint of charities. Today, 500 years after his death, numerous charities pay tribute to his legacy by bearing his name "St. Vincent De Paul".