Feast of St. Vincent de Paul

 

St. Vincent de Paul was a Franciscan Friar from France in the late 1500s. He was ordained in 1600, but unfortunately for him, was kidnapped by Turks (that is, Muslims) and sold into slavery. After two years of slavery he converted his master and was released.

Back in Paris, he began working to improve the poor in general and the galley prisoners in particular. He founded the Daughters of Charity to help in his mission. They should not be confused with the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or with the Sisters of Charity of Hopital General du Montreal (the Grey Nuns - see photo above). There's a bunch more, like the Sisters of Charity of New York, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, the Sisters of Charity of Elizabeth, NJ, and the Sisters of Charity of Nevers. As Wikipedia says, "While most Sisters of Charity communities refer to the Vincentian tradition, and in America to the tradition of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton those links are by no means universal. It is important to recognize that there may be no "family" or historical relationship between groups having the phrase Sisters of Charity as part of their name."

But I KNOW these Sistahs are the real deal!