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St. Vincent de Paul
Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul; Paris, France |
My husband and I spent an amazing month in France last September/October. Because Chad is a St. Vincent de Paul Society member at our church, we decided to visit the Chapel of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris. We both looked forward to getting to know this great saint better through the visit ... and through the stained glass windows illustrating highlights of his life. The windows in the chapel are displayed below. They are presented in the order that they are arranged in the chapel (not in strict chronological order). Some of the windows were pretty tricky to identify. But, I found one St. Vincent de Paul story that seemed to match each frame nicely.
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Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul
95 Rue de Sèvres
75006 Paris, France
www.cmission.fr
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Window #1
A Promising Farm Boy
Although a poor farm boy, young Vincent de Paul's parents made large financial sacrifices so he could attend school. He was known in his hometown of Pouy (now Saint-Vincent-de-Paul) as a very bright boy. His house name was "Ranquines" (RON-keen), which in the regional Gascon dialect means, "the farm of the lame.“ Evidence from St. Vincent de Paul's writings indicate that his father indeed had some sort of a physical disability.
“I remember when I was a young boy my father took me to town ( Dax ). Because he was poorly dressed and lame, I was ashamed to accompany him and that one could think that he was my father.” (From a speech addressed to colleagues in 1659.)
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Window #2
A Slave in Tunisia; 1605-1607
24-26 years old |
After his schooling and ordination, St. Vincent de Paul had cause to travel from the port of Marseilles on a ship. The ship was captured by pirates, and Fr. Vincent was sold into slavery in Tunisia. His slaveholder was a former Franciscan who had previously been sold into slavery, but bought his freedom by converting to Islam. One of his wives befriended Vincent and, learning about Catholicism, admonished her husband for having left his Faith. The former Franciscan became remorseful and made arrangements for himself and Vincent to escape back to France.
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Window #3
The Daughters of Charity & St. Louise de Marillac |
It was years of reacclimating and additional trials for Fr. Vincent when he returned to France. After some time, he was assigned a poor rural parish in Châtillon-les-Dombes (now Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne). While there, Fr. Vincent felt inspired to organize a group of wealthy ladies (later known as Ladies of Charity) to assist poor families of the parish. Later, young women wanted to help in this mission. St. Louise de Marillac (top left, in black headpiece) assisted St. Vincent de Paul with this group of young, unmarried women. They did not create a new order right away, because nuns were required to live in cloistered monasteries at the time; St. Vincent de Paul wanted them to be free to serve the poor. A group of random priests had also started assisting St. Vincent de Paul with his work for the destitute.
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Window #4
Inspiring Generosity |
St. Vincent de Paul wrote leaflets explaining the deeds of the Daughters of Charity and his comrade priests. Many people were inspired by his works and were very generous to the cause. Fr. Vincent de Paul was often affectionately called: Le Bon Monsieur Vincent.
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Window #5
Weekly Conferences |
St. Vincent de Paul recognized the need for better preparation and continuing education for priests, and the Daughters of Charity, so conducted weekly conferences; teaching, encouraging, and guiding. St. Vincent de Paul urged all of his followers to teach the tenets of the Faith in addition to serving the material needs of the impoverished. He felt strongly that Christian teaching was of equal importance to helping the destitute improve their circumstances.
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Window #6
Mission Retreats at St. Lazare
50+ Years Old |
There were no proper seminaries at the time, and many priests had become rather lax. Fr. Vincent started giving two-week-long retreats to encourage, advise, and give hope to aspiring priests. The Archbishop of Paris, impressed with the Mission Retreats, ordered that all men hoping to become priests would attend one of these retreats at St. Lazare* given by Fr. Vincent de Paul. The noble-looking couple in the window might represent a wealthy couple who paid for much of the retreat expenses, or Queen Anne and King Louis XIII who also gave financial support.
*"St. Lazare" is the informal name of what became the motherhouse of the Vincentians; the site was once a former leper hospital called St. Lazare; after that, it was an Augustinian Priory with the same name; it later became the headquarters of the priests working with Fr. Vincent de Paul.
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Window #7
Refuting Jansenism |
Jansenism was an heresy of the era. At first, Fr. Vincent was impressed with the theories of Jansenism, but as he came to understand its principles further, he realized that it undermined the true Catholic Faith. St. Vincent de Paul then strove to expose the many errors of Jansenism; it had rigid and debilitating assertions, and instructed that most people were unworthy to receive Communion. St. Vincent de Paul did not approve of the fear-laced teachings; he strove to offer comfort to the needy of France, but more importantly, he hoped to lead people to God—without fear.
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Window #8
The Congregation of the Mission Recognized by Pope Urban VIII
1632; 51 Years Old |
St. Vincent de Paul’s good friend, Madame di Gondi, had encouraged Vincent to start a new order of priests. She deeply admired his work for the poor. St. Vincent was a bit wary of this idea, his group had simply been a number of priests working for a similar cause. By January 8, 1632, this like-thinking group of priests moved into the former Leper Hospital/Augustinian Priory of Saint-Lazare in Paris. The priests continued to assist the destitute in Paris, and in hundreds of missions in rural France. Due to the name of their headquarters in Paris, Fr. Vincent de Paul and his company of priests were often called the: "Lazaristes." In 1632, Pope Urban VIII recognized this group of priests.
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Window #9
Decades of National Strife Strife:1618-1653
37 Years Old - 72 Years Old |
Thirty Years War (1618-1648): One of the deadliest wars in history. Lazarist Priests and Daughters of Charity did work no one else would do. They dealt with filth, unburied bodies, pestilence (disease, plague, contagion), hunger, etc...
The Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659): Between France and Spain; considered to be an offshoot of the Thirty Years' War.
The Fronde (1648-1653): A stretch of civil unrest in France.
Plague: During the 1500s and 1600s, Paris was struck with a plague about every three years.
Cardinals Richelieu & Mazarin: St. Vincent de Paul asked “Cardinals” Richelieu and Mazarin to empathize with the poor; they ignored Le Bon Monsieur and disregarded the unfortunate and downtrodden of France.
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Window #10
Foreign Missions; 1631 50 Years Old |
Before the priests of St. Lazare were fully recognized as a group, Fr. Vincent began to answer requests for missionary Lazariste priests. Foreign missions were established in Madagascar, Tunisia, Italy, Corsica, Poland, Scotland, Ireland. Congregation of the Mission priests arrived in the U.S. in 1818 in Perryville, MO.
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Window #11
Council of Conscience; c. 1643
About 62 Years Old |
Queen Anne of Austria became Queen Regent for her four-year-old son (later to be known as King Louis XIV [the one who built Versailles]) when her husband, King Louis XIII, died in 1643. At this time, the Queen felt a need for advisors and established the Council of Conscience. Because of her deep admiration for Fr. Vincent de Paul, she invited/ordered him to be a member on the council. This was very difficult for Fr. Vincent. He did not like politics, and the self-serving Cardinal Mazarin was also on the council. The council meetings took place at the Louvre, which was then the Royal Palace. Rather than dressing elegantly for the Council of Conscience meetings—like others on the council, Le Bon Monsieur wore his every-day, worn-out cassock.
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Window #12
Visiting King Louis XIII on his Deathbed; 1643
62 Years Old |
King Louis XIII of France asked for St. Vincent de Paul as he approached death; he could've called for the Archbishop of Paris, but preferred the humble and gentle Fr. Vincent de Paul. Le Bon Monsieur stayed with King Louis XIII for three days; on the third day (May 15), the king passed away. Queen Anne went from being Queen consort of France to Queen Regent, as the mother of the young Louis-Dieudonné (later-to-be known as King Louis XIV), and his younger brother, Philippe (note the two children in the window).
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Window #13
Galley Chaplain; 1619
38 Years Old |
In 1619, Louis XIII appointed Vincent de Paul “Royal Chaplain of the Galleys of France.” With enthusiasm, Fr. Vincent went to various port towns, attempting to bring comfort and hope to the despondent galley rowers. The galley rowers would often be slaves trying to earn their freedom, prisoners of war, Muslims, or convicts. Their living and work conditions were deplorable. They were frightened, sad, and hopeless. There was a high suicide rate among these galley rowers. Fr. Vincent strove to ease their spiritual, emotional, and physical pain.
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Window #14
A Painful Leg |
In the later years of St. Vincent’s life, he had many problems with his leg; it had became swollen and inflamed. There are two theories for this:
1) One story asserts that he took the place of a particularly despondent galley rower for a few months and the tether cut too deeply into his leg for too long. This version is depicted in the window above—you can see the galley rower thanking Fr. Vincent for rescuing him from the cruel sentence.
2) Another theory suggests that when Fr. Vincent was captured by pirates as a young priest (see Window #2), he was shot in the leg with an arrow and this injury became worse as he aged.
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Window #15
St. Vincent de Paul, St. Francis de Sales,
St. Louise de Marillac, and St. Jane de Chantel(?) |
These four saints had all come to know each other in various ways. St. Vincent de Paul was friends with St. Francis de Sales and became the Spiritual advisor to St. Janes de Chantal and the Visitation Nuns—the order founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantel (possibly the standing nun). St. Louise de Marillac (the woman in widow attire, kneeling) became like a mother-figure to the young Daughters of Charity. An impressive cluster of great saints! The young lady in the background is a mystery; perhaps a future Visitation Nun, or Daughter of Charity?
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Window #16
St. Vincent de Paul and the Eucharist |
This window is a little tricky. The glowing orbs have been hard to identify. However, because St. Vincent de Paul is facing the altar in a pose of prayer or adoration, this window might be expressing his great love for the Eucharist. He liked stepping into churches he would happen upon; he would then often fall to his knees before the tabernacle. Fr. Vincent de Paul liked to take long pauses before the tabernacle before saying mass. He often even read his mail in front of the blessed sacrament! One way he opposed the Jansenism heresy was by encouraging frequent holy
communion:
Do you not feel, my brothers, do you not feel this divine fire burning in your chest, when you receive the adorable Body of Jesus Christ in communion?
~St. Vincent de Paul
Do you think you would be more capable of drawing close to God by moving away from, rather than by approaching Him? Oh! certainly, that is an illusion!
~St. Vincent de Paul
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Window #17
The Foundlings of Paris; 1638
57 Years Old |
One day, Fr. Vincent happened upon a beggar injuring a baby, presumably to elicit more pity. Horrified, Fr. Vincent took the baby away and carried it to “La Couche St. Landry”—an institution for orphans. He was again horrified! Fr. Vincent was appalled at the living conditions; it was overcrowded, dirty, babies were underfed, some were drugged, many were carelessly sold. Le Bon Monsieur got the Ladies of Charity involved, and along with the Daughters of Charity, they founded a house and rescued as many orphans from the pitiful La Couche as possible.
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Window #18
A Return to Paris; 1649
68 Years Old |
A civil dispute within France called the Fronde War ravaged Paris. Queen Anne fled in fear to the countryside, leaving the frightening chaos behind. St. Vincent de Paul went to see her, to try to convince her to return to Paris and encourage her people. While he was gone, angry rumors flew that Fr. Vincent had also fled, abandoning the Parisians. He was warned not to return, so he spent months traveling about, checking in on his various confraternities in the rural areas of France. This time took a great toll on his health; his food was unpredictable and frequently inadequate, his sleeping conditions were haphazard—sometimes primitive, and the weather was often bitter. When the rebellion died down, Queen Anne returned to Paris, and a Lady of Charity sent a carriage to bring St. Vincent de Paul safely home. The Parisians recognized how the Lazaristes/Vincentians were the only ones in Paris to have offered kind help during the crisis. Their hearts softened towards Le Bon Monsieur and they were joyous to have him back in Paris and at St. Lazare.
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Window #19
Congregation of the Mission Rules; 1655, 1658
74 & 77 Years Old |
In September, 1655, rules were adopted for the Congregation of the Mission Priests (a.k.a. Lazaristes; a.k.a. Vincentians). The primary focus of the rules was to assist the poor, offer them spiritual edification, prepare quality training for clergy, and participate in foreign missions. In the Spring of 1658, printed copies of the rule were distributed to the Congregation. All Mission Priests returned to Saint-Lazare in Paris for the event. The official name of their newfound order was: Congregation of the Mission.
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Window #20
Rules for the Daughters of Charity; 1655
St. Vincent de Paul - 74 Years Old
St. Louise de Marillac - 64 Years Old |
In 1655, permission was granted for a formula of vows for the Daughters of Charity. They would take yearly vows, for there was a fear that perpetual vows might press the order into a cloister arrangement. The vows would be taken each year on the Feast of the Annunciation—March 25. Prayer & religious instruction were emphasized with the Daughters of Charity. As portrayed in the window, Louise de Marillac took vows, but did not dress like the daughters; she continued to wear widow attire. Louise would die five years later in 1660 at the age of 68.
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Window #21
The Last Weeks of St. Vincent de Paul’s Life; 1660
79 Years Old |
Fr. Vincent was very tired and worn, barely able to move during the last days of his life. Some of the Lazaristes (Congregation of the Mission Priests) carried him on his chair into a room adjoining the chapel at Saint-Lazare so he could hear mass. In March of 1660, his dear friend, Louise de Marillac died, however, Fr. Vincent de Paul had been too ill to visit her.
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Window #22
The Death of St. Vincent de Paul; September 27, 1660
79 Years Old |
Le Bon Monsieur peacefully passed away early on the morning of September 27, 1660. Crowds began to arrive at St. Lazare to pay honor to their beloved Fr. Vincent. The good Fr. Vincent de Paul was beatified by Pope Benedict XIII in 1729. He was later canonized by Pope Clement XII in 1737.
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Window #23
Procession of St. Vincent de Paul's Relics
to 95 Rue de Sevres, Paris; 1830 |
1660 - The death of Le Bon Monsieur (St. Vincent de Paul).
1737 - St. Vincent de Paul was canonized.
1789-1799 – French Revolution; St. Vincent de Paul’s relics were hidden; St. Lazare was destroyed.
1830 - April 25, the relics of St. Vincent de Paul were transferred to the new chapel at the new Motherhouse of the Lazaristes at 95 Rue de Sevres, Paris; tens of thousands of people attended; the young Sr. Catherine Labouré was in attendance.
The relics/bones of St. Vincent de Paul are encased in a wax figure in a glass reliquary.
The cross in his wax hand was the one used for Extreme Unction for King Louis XIII.
The heart of St. Vincent de Paul is kept at the Miraculous Medal Chapel.
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Window #24
The Apotheosis of Saint Vincent de Paul |
Let us allow God to act; He brings things to completion when we least expect it.
~St. Vincent de Paul
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Window from Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul
(a.k.a. Chapelle des Lazaristes) |
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Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul
95 Rue de Sèvres, 75006 Paris, France |
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The Reliquary of St. Vincent de Paul
Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul |
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St. Vincent de Paul
Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul; Paris, France |
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