Vincent was born in 1851 to a peasant family at Ranquine, Gascony near Dax in southwest France. The town is now known as Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Landes

      A highly intelligent youth, Vincent spent four years with the Franciscan friars at Acqs getting an education. He was also a tutor to children of a gentlemen in Acqs and then began divinity studies in 1596 at the University of Toulouse. He was ordained at age 20.

      Vincent was made captive by Turkish pirates, taken to Tunis and sold into slavery. He was freed in 1607 when he converted one of his owners to Christianity.

      Returning to France, he served as parish priest near Paris where he started organizations to help the poor, nurse the sick and find jobs for the unemployed.

      He served as chaplain at the court of Henry IV of France. With Louise de Marillac, he founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity and instituted the Congregation of Priests of the Mission (Lazarists). He always worked for the poor, the enslaved, the abandoned and the ignored.

      Vincent died in 1660 at Paris, France. He was beatified on Aug. 21, 1729 by Pope Benedict XIII . He was canonized on June 16, 1737 by Pope Clement XII.