Monday 27 September 2010 Feast of St Vincent

Monday 27 September 2010 Feast of St Vincent de Paul

Jesus and The Poor Jesus stood up in the synagogue at Nazareth and read from the prophet Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour. ” Jesus invited the rich young man to sell all of his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. He also told his disciples: “When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. ” This is the message that St Vincent de Paul proclaimed with his life.

The Life of St Vincent de Paul was born in France in 1581 As a young priest he was kidnapped by pirates and sold as a slave. He converted his owner to Christianity and was released. He was chaplain to a wealthy man, the Comte de Joigny, but this meant he came into contact with the poor people who worked for Joigny as servants and farm labourers. He founded a society of priests (called the Vincentians) dedicated to helping the poor. Fashionable and wealthy people came to him and Vincent sent them to care for the poor and the sick in hospitals and home visits in the slums.

In 1833, another wealthy young man, a student called Frédéric Ozanam, formed a group of his friends together to visit the poor and the sick and to provide for their material needs. The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) was born. Today the SVP in Britain has over 10, 000 volunteers in 1, 100 parishes. The SVP also is the largest Catholic Youth Movement in the UK.

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Almighty God, who called your servant Vincent de Paul to serve You in the person of those in need. Help us to fulfil your commandments by defending and supporting the poor, and by loving you with all our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen