St. Vincent de Paul – the formator of diocesan clergy for the good of the community.
This essay intends to highlight a specific trait of St. Vincent as the clergy
formator. This characteristic is often downplayed and unnoticed, for Vincent is
primarily known throughout history as the founder of charity works and is generally
invoked as the patron of the poor. I draw exclusively on Spanish sources and
my intention is to present Vincent as a man fully plunged in the work of clergy
reform that bore fruit not only for the church in France in the 17th century but for
many generations of priests in many parts of the world where the missionaries of
st. Vincent still toil in the clergy formation today.