Vincent, was born in a town in Southwest France and was the son of poor French peasants. Today the town is called Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Landes, France.

When he grew up and became famous, he loved to tell people how he had taken care of his father’s pigs. Because he was intelligent, his father sent him to school to study under the Franciscan friars at Acqs. And after finishing his studies from the University of Toulouse, Vincent became a priest at the age of 20.

At first, he was given an important position as the teacher of rich children, and he lived rather comfortably. But while he was traveling by sea from one city to another, he fell into the hands of Turkish pirates who sold him as a slave in Tunis.

Two years later after he was finally set free by one of his owners, who he converted to Christianity, he returned to France where he served as a parish priest.

Then one day, he was called to the side of a dying peasant. In front of many people, this man declared that all his past confessions had been bad ones.

Suddenly Father Vincent realized how badly the poor people of France needed spiritual help. When he began to preach to them, crowds went to confession. He finally decided to start a congregation of priests to work especially among the poor.

The charities of St. Vincent de Paul were so many that it seems impossible for one person to have begun so much.

· He took care of criminals who worked on the sailing ships

· He started the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity

· He opened hospitals and homes for orphans and old people

· He collected large sums of money for poor areas

· He sent missionaries to many countries

· and bought back prisoners from the Mohammedans

Even though he was such a charitable man, however, he humbly admitted that he was not so by nature. “I would have been hard, rough and ill-tempered,” he said “were it not for God’s grace.”

“It is not sufficient for me to love God if I do not love my neighbor. I belong to God and to the poor.” Vincent de Paul died in Paris on September 27, 1660.

Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are called “saints” because they are holy. But they are different from the rest of the saints because they were not human but spirits.

They are angels and the word “angel” means Messenger of God. Angels who deliver messages of lesser importance are just called Angels; and those who proclaim important messages are called Archangels. They are our protectors and we know something about each of the three Archangels from the Bible.

Michael’s name means “who is like God?” St. Michael is mentioned in three books of the Bible: Daniel, Revelation and the Letter of Jude. In the book of Revelation or the Apocalypse, chapter 12:7-9, we read of a great war that went on in heaven.

Michael and his angels battled with Satan (or the fallen angel Lucifer). Michael who was the leader of God’s army became the champion of loyalty to God.

We can ask St. Michael to make us strong in our love for Jesus and in our practice of the Catholic religion.

Gabriel’s name means “the power of God.” He is mentioned in the book of Daniel and more importantly in Luke’s Gospel.

This archangel announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of our Savior. Gabriel announced to Zechariah that he and St. Elizabeth would have a son and call him John.

Gabriel is the announcer, the communicator of the Good News. We can ask him to help us be good communicators as he was.

Raphael’s name means “God has healed.” We read the touching story of Raphael’s role in the Bible’s book of Tobit. He was also the Angel mentioned in John 5:1-4 as the power behind the healing at the sheep pool.

He brought protection and healing to the blind Tobit. At the very end of the journey, when all was completed, Raphael revealed his true identity. He called himself one of the seven who stands before God’s throne.