St. Vincent de Paul (d 9/27 1660) was the definition of a worldly priest, chaplain to one of the wealthiest families in Paris. In mid-life, however, he underwent a transformation, dedicating his priesthood to service of the poor.
Conversation
With St. Louise de Marillac, a wealthy widow, he founded the Daughters of Charity: "Their convent is the sickroom, their chapel the parish church, their cloister the streets of the city." As he instructed: "The poor are your masters and you are their servants."
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"We must love God, but let it be in the work of our bodies, in the sweat of our brows. For very often many acts of love for God...although good and very desirable, are yet very suspect when they do not lead to the practice of effective love."--St. Vincent de Paul
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