XI. Path to Sainthood: Beatification and Canonization

After Vincent de Paul’s death in 1660, the fame of his sanctity spread rapidly. People already called him “Monsieur Vincent” with affection and essentially treated him as a saint in popular devotion. The Church, however, has a careful process for officially recognizing saints, one that in Vincent’s era typically took decades or even centuries. In Vincent’s case, it took 77 years from his death to his canonization – a relatively swift timeline for the period, indicating the strong reputation and evidence of holiness that accompanied his cause.

Initial Veneration: Immediately after his death, favors began to be reported through his intercession. Meanwhile, the Vincentian priests and Daughters of Charity preserved everything of his (his letters, personal items, etc.) as relics, anticipating that one day he would be canonized.

However, the Church required a formal process. It started at the diocesan level with gathering evidence of Vincent’s heroic virtues and any miracles. In 1661, the Archbishop of Paris, with encouragement from Vincent’s successor René Alméras, initiated the informative process. This involved interviewing numerous witnesses who had known Vincent personally – members of the Congregation of the Mission, Daughters of Charity, clergy, nobility, common folk – anyone who could attest to his life and virtues. They collected testimony about his daily habits, his virtues in action, and any popular devotion. These records were compiled and sent to Rome.

Writings and Biographies: A key biography of Vincent was published by Bishop Louis Abelly in 1664, just four years after Vincent’s death. While hagiographic in style, it provided a wealth of firsthand anecdotes and a portrayal of Vincent’s virtues. This helped spread his story across Europe. Vincent’s own writings (especially letters and conferences) were carefully copied and archived by the Vincentians; these served as crucial evidence in Rome that he had taught sound doctrine and lived what he preached.

Suspension and Resumption: Initially, Vincent’s cause progressed steadily. In 1705, the official apostolic process was introduced in Rome (under Pope Clement XI). However, an unexpected complication arose: Vincent’s name became entangled in the Jansenist controversies in France. Some opponents (Jansenists or their sympathizers) spread slanders implying Vincent had been too cozy with the controversial Abbé Saint-Cyran (a Jansenist leader) or that some miracles attributed to Vincent were exaggerated. The “devil’s advocate” (Promoter of the Faith) in Rome raised these as objections, which slowed things down. Additionally, the War of Spanish Succession (1701–1714) between France and others made some political tension that might have affected how quickly a French cause was handled in Rome.

Nonetheless, evidence of Vincent’s heroic virtue was overwhelming. In 1712, Pope Clement XI declared Vincent Venerable, meaning the Church recognized he had lived virtues to a heroic degree. This was a major step. They also examined his remains that year as part of verifying no illicit cult had been given (one rule was that no one should have been publicly venerated as a saint before the Church approved). They found, as noted, that his body was partly incorrupt (especially the heart and some organs). This was documented as a sign of possible sanctity but not taken as proof by itself.

Beatification: The next step was beatification, which required authenticated miracles due to Vincent’s intercession. Typically, at least two miracles were needed (under current rules, one for beatification, two more for canonization). Numerous miracles were reported; the challenge was to choose those with the strongest evidence.

Under Pope Benedict XIII, known to favor causes of holy priests (he beatified people like John of the Cross and Francis de Sales), Vincent’s cause was picked up with energy. In 1725, the Congregation of Rites validated Vincent’s processes. They examined a list of miracles. Among those accepted for beatification:

• The instantaneous cure of a young man, Philippe Le Grand, who had been crippled. After praying to Vincent and applying a relic, he was completely cured of paralysis, confirmed by doctors.
• The cure of Sister Marguerite Guérin, a Daughter of Charity, from a hemorrhagic condition that medical science of the time could not remedy. She had invoked Vincent in prayer and was healed.
• Possibly the healing of a certain Alexandre Compain from blindness was also considered.

After rigorous scrutiny, Pope Benedict XIII signed the decree of beatification. On August 13, 1729, Vincent de Paul was beatified in a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It was a grand event attended by cardinals, ambassadors (especially French) and many faithful. The bull of beatification praised Vincent’s immense charity and his work for reform of clergy and relief of the poor.

In France, the news of beatification was met with jubilation. In Paris, the Congregation of the Mission at Saint-Lazare held a solemn triduum of thanksgiving. They brought Vincent’s body out for public veneration (it had been lightly embalmed and placed in a lead coffin; when opened in 1712, it was found to be mostly incorrupt but later deteriorated). People flocked to pray before his remains. Because his body had begun decaying once exposed to air (due to prior flood damage), they took major relics like the heart, some muscle tissue, and bones and preserved them separately as relics, so that parts could be sent to Rome or other places if needed.

With beatification, Vincent was given the title “Blessed” and his feast day was allowed to be celebrated in certain places (Paris and within the Vincentian communities). But the faithful at large already considered him a saint and clamored for canonization.

Canonization: The final step, canonization, typically required two more miracles (post-beatification miracles, showing God’s continued favor). The Vincentians didn’t at first push for immediate canonization, perhaps due to costs (the canonization process entailed significant expense for ceremonies and documentation). But two remarkable miracles after 1729 turned the tide, that were intensively investigated by ecclesiastical authorities and medical experts. The evidence was deemed solid: sworn testimonies, physician attestations that there was no natural explanation, and that the cures were instantaneous and complete.

Thus, on June 16, 1737, Pope Clement XII canonized Saint Vincent de Paul in Rome. The canonization ceremony was magnificent, held at the Lateran Basilica (the Pope’s own cathedral) with huge crowds. Clement XII, though elderly and gout-stricken, attended part of the ceremony and read aloud the solemn decree that listed Vincent among the saints, to be venerated by the universal Church. The date was chosen as it was the feast of the Holy Trinity that year – a fitting day because Vincent’s entire life had glorified the Trinity through charity.

In Paris, once news arrived, an elaborate celebration was organized in October 1737. Saint-Lazare’s chapel couldn’t hold the throngs, so services were held at multiple churches. The Lazarists took Vincent’s relics in procession through the streets (his skeletal remains, minus the heart and some parts, had been encased in a wax effigy for viewing).

At Saint-Lazare, an octave of festivities included orations by famous preachers, describing Vincent’s virtues for the public. One said, “He transformed the face of the century by his works of mercy,” which the audience apparently heartily agreed with.

After canonization, Vincent’s feast day was inserted into the Roman Calendar. Originally it was assigned to July 19, because September 27 (the day of his death) was already the feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian in the general calendar and there was a rule then not to duplicate dates. In the 20th century reforms (1969), the Church officially moved St. Vincent de Paul’s feast to September 27, his dies natalis (birthday into heaven), which is where it remains.

Legacy in Sainthood: St. Vincent’s canonization had a ripple effect: it cast a spotlight on the importance of active charity in the path to holiness. Up to then, most canonized saints were founders, mystics, martyrs, or those in cloistered religious life. Vincent, though a founder, was very much in the public square doing social ministry. His canonization (followed by others like St. Louise de Marillac in 1934, St. Francis de Sales earlier, etc.) helped broaden the Church’s recognition that sanctity can be achieved in serving the poor and reforming society in accord with the Gospel.

The canonization also inspired new generations to follow in his footsteps. For example, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, cited Vincent as a major influence for starting the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. In modern times, Mother Teresa often referenced Vincent de Paul as a model (her Missionaries of Charity share a similar mission and have a statue of Vincent in their motherhouse).

St. Vincent de Paul’s elevation to the altars essentially confirmed what the faithful had long believed: that this humble priest who so loved the poor lived and died in odor of sanctity and now intercedes for us in heaven. The Church gave her highest stamp of approval to his life and virtues, holding him up as an example for all believers.

His life’s story – from a small Gascon farm to the halls of royalty and ultimately to the glory of the altars – demonstrates that wherever one begins, a life given fully to God and neighbor will be exalted by God in due time. Vincent never sought honors, but honors followed him, culminating in this recognition as a saint.

(To be continued…)