Saints and Blessed of the Vincentian Family

A wife, mother, lay leader, and president of the Conferences of St. Vincent de Paul in Pozoblanco, Teresa Cejudo made the Eucharist, Marian devotion, and discreet service to the poor the center of her life. Arrested during the turbulent summer of 1936, she faced imprisonment and death with serenity and forgiveness. She was beatified in 2007.

St. Vincent de Paul recognized that a key to Church renewal was reforming and educating the clergy, so he pioneered priestly retreats, helped establish seminaries, and created spiritual support networks like the Tuesday Conferences. His efforts shaped a generation of well-formed, compassionate priests, becoming a cornerstone of the 17th-century Catholic revival in France.

Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac co-founded the Daughters of Charity in 1633, creating a groundbreaking community of women dedicated to serving the poor through active ministry in the world. Their model redefined women’s roles in the Church, enabling them to work outside cloisters, in hospitals, streets, and schools.

On September 20, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. José María de Yermo y Parres, a Mexican priest who for a time belonged to the Congregation of the Mission, a living example of charity and a faithful follower of the example of St. Vincent de Paul.

Vincent de Paul founded the Congregation of the Mission in 1625 to evangelize the rural poor and train priests. He also led groundbreaking efforts to help galley prisoners, abandoned children, and the sick, becoming a driving force of organized charity in 17th-century France.

Vincent de Paul, originally motivated by personal ambition, experienced a profound transformation in 1617 that led him to dedicate his life to serving the poor and revitalizing the Catholic Church. His experiences in Folleville and Châtillon inspired the founding of organized charitable work, laying the groundwork for lasting religious and social reforms.

Born into a poor farming family, Francesco Paleari found his vocation in Turin’s Little House of Divine Providence. Priest, teacher, preacher, spiritual director, and servant of the sick, he transformed ordinary duties into a path of holiness. His humility, gentleness, Eucharistic devotion, and trust in Providence made him a living reflection of Christ the Good Shepherd.

Join us from September 18 to 26 for a special 9-day series leading up to the feast of Saint Vincent de Paul, exploring his inspiring life, virtues, and legacy of charity. Each post includes a daily reflection, and at the end of the series, a downloadable compilation to support retreats or formation sessions.

Manuel Martínez Jiménez, an attorney and farmer from Almería, made the Eucharist the center of an intense lay vocation and turned his possessions into lasting works serving people in poverty, priestly vocations, and the Church. A member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, he was murdered in 1936 amid the violence of the Spanish Civil War and beatified in 2017 with 114 other martyrs of Almería.