In his Angelus message today, as part of his reflection on service to others, the Pope recalled that Monday is the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, a priest whom he said 350 years ago in France knew how to organize stable forms of service to marginalized people http://xrl.in/6f5d (link no longer active)
Pope Benedict said that this saint “touched with his own hand the strong contrast between the richest and the poorest.” He added that providing for the poor of the world takes precedence over providing for one’s own comfort. Their “eternal destiny,” he said, depends on the conduct of all people and it is in everyone’s hands to make the decision to live a “path of love,” in service and charity to others.
He also remembered the influence of St. Louise of Marillac, with whom St. Vincent founded the “Daughters of Charity,” the first women’s congregation to live out their vocation outside of the convent and among the sick and needy of the world.
Tags: Pope Benedict XVI, Vincent
