Quite a number of years ago a confrere, in conversation, pointed out something which has stuck in my mind ever since. He remarked that Vincent was always the senior confrere in the community, apart from … Read More
Louise de Marillac, a portrait. Part I: The mystery of her ancestry and youth (2)
The mystery of her birth THE FACTS are as follows: Louis de Marillac, lord of Ferrieres en Brie and later also of Farinvilliers, spent his youth in the army and carried out with competence the … Read More
The Moderation of Vincent De Paul
In a book of dazzling intuition about St Francis of Assisi, GK Chesterton memorably remarked that Francis and Thomas Aquinas had saved us from spirituality. You may well blink. If you didn’t, you haven’t really … Read More
Louise de Marillac, a portrait. Part I: The mystery of her ancestry and youth (1)
Part I: The mystery of her ancestry and youth Marillac family origins IT is HARD today to appreciate the role played by the great families of France in the seventeenth century; they stood between the … Read More
How St Vincent Ferrer influenced St Vincent de Paul
When I was reading about the life and works of Vincent Ferrer, whom I admire enormously, I was surprised to find that some of his biographers mentioned that he had a significant influence on St … Read More
Louise de Marillac, a portrait. Introduction
SOME SAINTS, although they lived perhaps centuries ago, are well known to us. Others are bound up inseparably with a great achievement in the Church in connection with which their names have become household words; … Read More
Saint Vincent and Discernment
1. Discernment Within the entire span of religious consciousness and commitment there is a central conviction that God himself can and does direct our lives. A key exercise of the spiritual life is to experience … Read More
Blessed Frederic Ozanam Biography (V)
“The New Era” – Political Commitment Frederic had no natural taste, nor any particular competence for politics. However, he agreed under pressure from his friends, but without any illusions, to run in the election in … Read More
Blessed Frederic Ozanam Biography (IV)
Faith and Science A Thirst for culture Frederic Ozanam was a scholar in the full sense of the Word. His thirst for knowledge was however inseparable from his wish that it serve Christian Truth, and … Read More
Blessed Frederic Ozanam Biography (III)
Faith and Charity The poor: The face of Christ In Frederic Ozanam’s eyes, faith without charity had no meaning. That is why his advice turned quickly into an entreaty when he spoke to his young … Read More