Monsieur Vincent by Henri Daniel-Rops

This was a quick read which told St. Vincent de Paul's story in manageable pieces. That's no small feat since he had an extremely full, action-packed life, such as when he was captured by pirates, sold into slavery, and convinced his owner to escape with him to Europe. As his eyes were opened to the plight of the poor, especially the countryside peasants, he began working to alleviate their distress, recruiting the wealthy to be Christ's hands. His realization of the overwhelming lack of catechesis for priests, and consequently their ignorance of the faith, led to a series of educational efforts which gradually turned into the first seminaries.

Henri Daniel-Rops* is one of my favorite authors, albeit largely forgotten nowadays, and he does full justice to this great saint. Despite the efficient story telling, there are moments where the story slows down for greater detail. I was often inspired and greatly moved.  It was fascinating to see how St. Vincent's path occasionally criss-crossed with that of the great St. Francis de Sales. He often wound up inadvertently  developing programs which de Sales was trying to get approved in Geneva but couldn't get permission for. Clearly, Christ's plan for the Church was headed in the direction that we see St. Vincent treading. 

As a member of The St. Vincent de Paul Society, I was also struck by threads which Frederic Ozanam picked up 200 years later to incorporate in the society's organization. And that doesn't even begin to cover such things as how groundbreaking it was to begin the Ladies of Charity, Daughters of Charity, and other groups which revolutionized the course of women serving the poor.

This is a wonderful stepping-stone which will have me looking for other in-depth books about this great saint.

* I see that I haven't reviewed any other of his books and must remedy that. However, here are some quotes I have featured which may give you a sense of his writing.