July 26, 2025 • 10 mins
Explore the extraordinary life of St. Vincent De Paul, a man of humility, compassion, and generosity whose impact resonates even today. Born around 1581 and living until 1660, Vincents early life was shaped by his own experience of slavery, having been captured by Turkish pirates and sold in Tunis. His escape in 1607 led him to a life of service, becoming a priest and devoting his ministry to the poor. In 1625, he founded the Congregation of the Mission, a society of missionary priests known as Vincentians or Lazarists. Alongside Louise de Marillac, he established the Daughters of Charity, a group dedicated to nursing the sick, whose work in hospitals during several plagues is well-documented. Listen to the tale of this remarkable individual, and discover the lasting legacy of his profound spiritual journey.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter seven of Life of Saint Vincent de Paul. This
is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
LibriVox dot org. Life of Saint Vincent de Paul by
Francis Alice Forbes, Chapter seven, The Foundlings. Monsieur Vincent was
(00:25):
passing one day through the streets of Paris on one
of his errands of mercy, when he saw a beggar
mutilating a new born baby in order to expose it
to the public as an object of pity. Snatching the
poor little creature out of the hands of its tormentor,
Vincent carried it to the Couche Saint Landry, an institution
which had been founded for the care of children left
homeless and deserted in the streets. The state of things
(00:47):
in that household filled him with horror. The couche was
managed by a widow, who, helped by two servants, received
about four hundred children within the year. These unfortunate little creatures,
in a state of semi starvation and utter neglect, were
crowded together in two filthy holes, where the greater number
died of pestilence. Of those who survived, some were drugged
(01:09):
with laudanum to silence their cries, while others were put
an end to by any other method that suggested itself
to the wretched women into whose hands they had fallen.
The sight of the couche was one that could not
fail to rouse any mother's heart to indignation. Vincent took
one or two of the Ladies of Charity to the
place and let them judge for themselves. The result was
(01:29):
a resolve to rescue the little victims at any cost.
It was not difficult to get possession of the babies.
Their inhuman guardians were in the habit of selling them
for the modest sum of one franc each to anyone
who would take them off their hands, but the cost
of maintenance was a more serious matter. A house was
taken near the College des BoNT, France, and twelve of
(01:51):
the miserable little victims were ransomed and installed there under
the care Louise le Gras and the Sisters of Charity.
But this was only a beginning. The work appealed all
the more strongly to the Ladies of Charity for the
reason that most of the babies were unbaptized. It was
a question of saving souls as well as bodies, and
every effort was made to empty the couche. The Ladies,
(02:14):
often at the cost of real self denial, gave every
penny they could afford. Louis the thirteenth and his Queen
Anne of Austria contributed liberally. In ten years time, Vincent's
institution had grown to such an extent that it was
able to open its doors to all the foundlings. In Paris.
Four thousand children had been adopted and cared for, and
(02:36):
the numbers were still increasing. Finances had been stretched to
the breaking point. There came a moment when it seemed
impossible to meet the expenses any longer. The Thirty Years
War was raging, and the eastern provinces of France, which
had served as a battle field for the Nations, were
reduced to the utmost misery. There were many other claims
(02:56):
on the purses of the Ladies of Charity. The time
had come when it looked as if there was nothing
to be done but sorrowfully give up an undertaking that
was altogether beyond their power. But the very thought of
such a possibility nearly broke Vincent's heart. He determined to
make one last effort, and, gathering the ladies together, laid
the case before them in all simplicity. I ask of
(03:19):
you to say only one word, he said to them,
Will you go on with the work or no? You
are perfectly free. You are bound by no promise. Yet
before you decide, reflect for one moment on what you
have done and what you are doing. Your loving care
has preserved the lives of a very great number of children, who,
without your help, would have been lost in time as
(03:41):
well as eternity. For these innocent creatures have learned to
know and serve God as soon as they were able
to speak. Some of them are beginning to work and
to be self supporting. Does not so good a beginning promise,
Yet better results. Ladies, It was pity and charity that
moved you to adopt these little ones as your chane children.
You were their mothers by grace when their mothers by nature,
(04:03):
had deserted them. Are you going to abandon them now?
If you cease to be their mothers, you become their judges.
Their lives are in your hands. I will not ask
you to give your votes. It's time for you to
give sentence. And to make up your minds that you
have no longer any mercy to spare for them. If
in your charity you continue to take care of them,
they will live. If not, they will certainly die. It
(04:27):
is impossible to deny what your own experience must tell
you is true. Vincent paused, his voice was trembling with emotion.
He was answered by the tears of the assembly. It
was decided that at any cost, the Foundling Hospital must
be supported. Their work was saved. The practical question of expenses, however,
remained yet to be faced, and although the King increased
(04:50):
his subscription, the funds were still insufficient. But the ladies
made still greater sacrifices. The sisters of Charity limited themselves
to one mere the day, and Vincent, who had already
reduced himself to the direst poverty, strained every nerve to help.
The Foundling Hospital was thus kept going until some years
after Vincent's death, when the state took over the responsibility
(05:14):
and the work ceased to depend on voluntary support. Of
all the good works in which he had spent himself,
this was the one, it is said, that appealed to
him the most strongly. He knew every baby in the
foundling hospital by name. The death of any one of
them caused him a very real sorrow, and he would
appear among them at the most unexpected hours. Their innocence
(05:36):
and happiness rejoiced him, and he delighted in watching their
pretty baby ways. At the sight of his kind, homely face,
they would gather round him, clinging to his hands or
his cassock. Certain of a smile or a caress, he
came across much that was neither innocent nor attractive. In
his dealings with the world. He was one who never
(05:57):
judged harshly, and who could always see in man, however
depraved the image of his maker. Yet the innocence and
purity of his own soul found their best solace in
the company of these little creatures whom he had rescued
from a double death. They were his recreation in the
moments of depression, which all who work for the welfare
of mankind must experience, and which are more intense in
(06:19):
proportion as the zeal is stronger. He was blamed one day,
when the difficulty of providing for the foundings was at
his height, for having spent upon them alms destined for
the support of the mission. Ah, he cried, do you
think our Lord would be less good to us because
we put the welfare of these poor children before our own?
Since that merciful Savior said to his disciples, suffer the
(06:42):
little children to come unto me, Can we who wish
to follow him reject these babies when they come to us?
But if the Foundings had a large share of Vincent's heart,
it was great enough for all who were in suffering
or distress. The misery in the provinces of Lorraine and
Picardy was hardly to be described. The people were literally
dying of hunger. The ladies of charity had at first
(07:05):
come nobly to the rescue, but the Foundling hospital was
now absorbing all their funds and they could do no more.
Then Vincent conceived the idea of printing leaflets describing the
sufferings of the people and what was being done to
help them by the mission priests. These were sold at
the church doors, in the public squares, and in the streets,
and people bought them with such avidity that Vincent soon
(07:28):
realized a steady little income. In days when there were
no such things as newspapers, regular tidings from the provinces
were as welcome as they were unexpected. God showered such
blessings on the work, says Vincent, that the greater number
of those who read these narratives opened their hands for
the relief of the poor. The next step was to
(07:48):
institute in all the regions where famine was prevalent, public
soup kitchens, where nourishing soup made at the lowest possible cost,
was portioned out among the poor. Vincent himself gave my
anute directions for its making, prescribing the ingredients, so that
the greatest number of people might be maintained at the
least expense. In many places laid waste by fire and sword,
(08:10):
the dead remained unburied for days or even weeks. Heaps
of filth and garbage were left to rot at the
doors of houses, and in the streets. Pestilence and fever
reigned supreme. Here again, the priests of the mission and
the sisters of charity devoted themselves to the work that
no one else would do. Organizing themselves into bands, they
went about burying the dead, nursing the sick, and cleansing
(08:34):
the streets, many of them dying of the pestilence. It
was very necessary moreover, to take steps to bring back
some kind of prosperity to the devastated country. Seeds and
grain were distributed among the peasants, who were encouraged to
cultivate the land and taught the best methods of doing so.
All these different undertakings were carried out with the regularity
(08:56):
and practical common sense that were characteristic of the sons
of San Vincent de Paul, accustomed as they were, to
brave hardship and danger, without a thought of their own safety.
If their superior asked much of others, he himself set
the example in generosity. It was said of him that
he never could keep anything for his own use, either
(09:17):
clothes or money. Everything that came into his hands went
straight to the poor. There were days at Saint Lazare
when it seemed uncertain where the daily bread was to
come from, or whether it was to come at all.
But Vincent put his trust in God, who never failed him,
and he gave while there was anything to give. Several times,
(09:37):
when he was organizing relief for the Eastern provinces, his
heart almost failed him at the magnitude of the work
he had undertaken, and it was at one of these
moments that he dared to face the terrible Richelieu to
demand peace in the name of the suffering people. Monseigneur,
he cried, appearing before the great cardinal with tears streaming
down his cheeks. Give us peace, have pity on France,
(10:01):
and give us peace. Monchelieu's heart was certainly none of
the softest, but even he seems to have been touched
by this earnest appeal. At all events, he showed no anger.
I wish for peace, he declared, and I am taking
means to procure it, but it does not depend on
me alone. And he dismissed Vincent with an unwonted urbanity.
(10:24):
He was not the only hard nature that was softened
by contact with Saint Vincent de Paul. The love of
this man for his fellow men was infectious, for it
was born of his love for Christ. End of Chapter seven.
Chapter seven of Life of Saint Vincent de Paul. This
is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the
public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
LibriVox dot org. Life of Saint Vincent de Paul by
Francis Alice Forbes, Chapter seven, The Foundlings. Monsieur Vincent was
(00:25):
passing one day through the streets of Paris on one
of his errands of mercy, when he saw a beggar
mutilating a new born baby in order to expose it
to the public as an object of pity. Snatching the
poor little creature out of the hands of its tormentor,
Vincent carried it to the Couche Saint Landry, an institution
which had been founded for the care of children left
homeless and deserted in the streets. The state of things
(00:47):
in that household filled him with horror. The couche was
managed by a widow, who, helped by two servants, received
about four hundred children within the year. These unfortunate little creatures,
in a state of semi starvation and utter neglect, were
crowded together in two filthy holes, where the greater number
died of pestilence. Of those who survived, some were drugged
(01:09):
with laudanum to silence their cries, while others were put
an end to by any other method that suggested itself
to the wretched women into whose hands they had fallen.
The sight of the couche was one that could not
fail to rouse any mother's heart to indignation. Vincent took
one or two of the Ladies of Charity to the
place and let them judge for themselves. The result was
(01:29):
a resolve to rescue the little victims at any cost.
It was not difficult to get possession of the babies.
Their inhuman guardians were in the habit of selling them
for the modest sum of one franc each to anyone
who would take them off their hands, but the cost
of maintenance was a more serious matter. A house was
taken near the College des BoNT, France, and twelve of
(01:51):
the miserable little victims were ransomed and installed there under
the care Louise le Gras and the Sisters of Charity.
But this was only a beginning. The work appealed all
the more strongly to the Ladies of Charity for the
reason that most of the babies were unbaptized. It was
a question of saving souls as well as bodies, and
every effort was made to empty the couche. The Ladies,
(02:14):
often at the cost of real self denial, gave every
penny they could afford. Louis the thirteenth and his Queen
Anne of Austria contributed liberally. In ten years time, Vincent's
institution had grown to such an extent that it was
able to open its doors to all the foundlings. In Paris.
Four thousand children had been adopted and cared for, and
(02:36):
the numbers were still increasing. Finances had been stretched to
the breaking point. There came a moment when it seemed
impossible to meet the expenses any longer. The Thirty Years
War was raging, and the eastern provinces of France, which
had served as a battle field for the Nations, were
reduced to the utmost misery. There were many other claims
(02:56):
on the purses of the Ladies of Charity. The time
had come when it looked as if there was nothing
to be done but sorrowfully give up an undertaking that
was altogether beyond their power. But the very thought of
such a possibility nearly broke Vincent's heart. He determined to
make one last effort, and, gathering the ladies together, laid
the case before them in all simplicity. I ask of
(03:19):
you to say only one word, he said to them,
Will you go on with the work or no? You
are perfectly free. You are bound by no promise. Yet
before you decide, reflect for one moment on what you
have done and what you are doing. Your loving care
has preserved the lives of a very great number of children, who,
without your help, would have been lost in time as
(03:41):
well as eternity. For these innocent creatures have learned to
know and serve God as soon as they were able
to speak. Some of them are beginning to work and
to be self supporting. Does not so good a beginning promise,
Yet better results. Ladies, It was pity and charity that
moved you to adopt these little ones as your chane children.
You were their mothers by grace when their mothers by nature,
(04:03):
had deserted them. Are you going to abandon them now?
If you cease to be their mothers, you become their judges.
Their lives are in your hands. I will not ask
you to give your votes. It's time for you to
give sentence. And to make up your minds that you
have no longer any mercy to spare for them. If
in your charity you continue to take care of them,
they will live. If not, they will certainly die. It
(04:27):
is impossible to deny what your own experience must tell
you is true. Vincent paused, his voice was trembling with emotion.
He was answered by the tears of the assembly. It
was decided that at any cost, the Foundling Hospital must
be supported. Their work was saved. The practical question of expenses, however,
remained yet to be faced, and although the King increased
(04:50):
his subscription, the funds were still insufficient. But the ladies
made still greater sacrifices. The sisters of Charity limited themselves
to one mere the day, and Vincent, who had already
reduced himself to the direst poverty, strained every nerve to help.
The Foundling Hospital was thus kept going until some years
after Vincent's death, when the state took over the responsibility
(05:14):
and the work ceased to depend on voluntary support. Of
all the good works in which he had spent himself,
this was the one, it is said, that appealed to
him the most strongly. He knew every baby in the
foundling hospital by name. The death of any one of
them caused him a very real sorrow, and he would
appear among them at the most unexpected hours. Their innocence
(05:36):
and happiness rejoiced him, and he delighted in watching their
pretty baby ways. At the sight of his kind, homely face,
they would gather round him, clinging to his hands or
his cassock. Certain of a smile or a caress, he
came across much that was neither innocent nor attractive. In
his dealings with the world. He was one who never
(05:57):
judged harshly, and who could always see in man, however
depraved the image of his maker. Yet the innocence and
purity of his own soul found their best solace in
the company of these little creatures whom he had rescued
from a double death. They were his recreation in the
moments of depression, which all who work for the welfare
of mankind must experience, and which are more intense in
(06:19):
proportion as the zeal is stronger. He was blamed one day,
when the difficulty of providing for the foundings was at
his height, for having spent upon them alms destined for
the support of the mission. Ah, he cried, do you
think our Lord would be less good to us because
we put the welfare of these poor children before our own?
Since that merciful Savior said to his disciples, suffer the
(06:42):
little children to come unto me, Can we who wish
to follow him reject these babies when they come to us?
But if the Foundings had a large share of Vincent's heart,
it was great enough for all who were in suffering
or distress. The misery in the provinces of Lorraine and
Picardy was hardly to be described. The people were literally
dying of hunger. The ladies of charity had at first
(07:05):
come nobly to the rescue, but the Foundling hospital was
now absorbing all their funds and they could do no more.
Then Vincent conceived the idea of printing leaflets describing the
sufferings of the people and what was being done to
help them by the mission priests. These were sold at
the church doors, in the public squares, and in the streets,
and people bought them with such avidity that Vincent soon
(07:28):
realized a steady little income. In days when there were
no such things as newspapers, regular tidings from the provinces
were as welcome as they were unexpected. God showered such
blessings on the work, says Vincent, that the greater number
of those who read these narratives opened their hands for
the relief of the poor. The next step was to
(07:48):
institute in all the regions where famine was prevalent, public
soup kitchens, where nourishing soup made at the lowest possible cost,
was portioned out among the poor. Vincent himself gave my
anute directions for its making, prescribing the ingredients, so that
the greatest number of people might be maintained at the
least expense. In many places laid waste by fire and sword,
(08:10):
the dead remained unburied for days or even weeks. Heaps
of filth and garbage were left to rot at the
doors of houses, and in the streets. Pestilence and fever
reigned supreme. Here again, the priests of the mission and
the sisters of charity devoted themselves to the work that
no one else would do. Organizing themselves into bands, they
went about burying the dead, nursing the sick, and cleansing
(08:34):
the streets, many of them dying of the pestilence. It
was very necessary moreover, to take steps to bring back
some kind of prosperity to the devastated country. Seeds and
grain were distributed among the peasants, who were encouraged to
cultivate the land and taught the best methods of doing so.
All these different undertakings were carried out with the regularity
(08:56):
and practical common sense that were characteristic of the sons
of San Vincent de Paul, accustomed as they were, to
brave hardship and danger, without a thought of their own safety.
If their superior asked much of others, he himself set
the example in generosity. It was said of him that
he never could keep anything for his own use, either
(09:17):
clothes or money. Everything that came into his hands went
straight to the poor. There were days at Saint Lazare
when it seemed uncertain where the daily bread was to
come from, or whether it was to come at all.
But Vincent put his trust in God, who never failed him,
and he gave while there was anything to give. Several times,
(09:37):
when he was organizing relief for the Eastern provinces, his
heart almost failed him at the magnitude of the work
he had undertaken, and it was at one of these
moments that he dared to face the terrible Richelieu to
demand peace in the name of the suffering people. Monseigneur,
he cried, appearing before the great cardinal with tears streaming
down his cheeks. Give us peace, have pity on France,
(10:01):
and give us peace. Monchelieu's heart was certainly none of
the softest, but even he seems to have been touched
by this earnest appeal. At all events, he showed no anger.
I wish for peace, he declared, and I am taking
means to procure it, but it does not depend on
me alone. And he dismissed Vincent with an unwonted urbanity.
(10:24):
He was not the only hard nature that was softened
by contact with Saint Vincent de Paul. The love of
this man for his fellow men was infectious, for it
was born of his love for Christ. End of Chapter seven.
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