Conversions Brought About by Saint Vincent de Paul

When Saint Vincent became a slave he had several different masters in succession, and was finally sold at Tunis to a renegade who was originally from Nice. This master employed Saint Vincent in field labour, and naturally the Saint must have thought he was far from regaining his liberty. Nevertheless the moment was nearer than he thought, for it was the conversion of his master and mistress which would restore it to him. The latter was a Moslem woman, but, perceiving in the modesty and patience of the slave something great, to which she was not accustomed, she often went to see him in the fields, where he was working, and she addressed a thousand questions to him about the Religion of the Christians, their customs, and their ceremonies. One day she commanded him to sing the praises of the God whom he adored. As a scholar he was fully acquainted with the Psalms; he had no trouble in remembering those touching words dictated by sorrow to the Israelites when they were prisoners in Babylon. He sang the Psalm "Super flumina Babylonia," then the "Salve Regina," and other similar songs, which made an extraordinary impression on the mind of the Moslem woman. From that time he talked to her about the excellence of the Christian Religion.

This woman, who was surprised and enchanted with all she had heard, told her husband he had done very wrong in abandoning his religion, which, according to the explanations given by Saint Vincent, appeared to her to be the best; and therefore, she added, the God of the Christians does not deserve to be abandoned. Such a speech was not flattering for an apostate, for if a man is master of himself to abandon his religion he is not master enough to stifle the cries of conscience, and the sinner hears in the interior an importunate voice which speaks to him much louder than the sound which strikes his ear. The man was quite confused and answered nothing, but the next day he declared to Saint Vincent his firm intention of escaping with him. However, the hour of departure was not to strike for another ten months. Then the master and his slave embarked on a little boat, which was equally incapable both of resisting the fury of the waves as of defending itself against the pirates. If once they were discovered and pursued they could not escape death. In those days, the trial of two men, one of whom had induced the other to abjure Mohammedanism, would be quickly dispatched; they would both be impaled without any other formality. All these dangers did not impede our travellers; they confided their fate into God's Hands; they invoked Her whom the Church calls "The Star of the Sea." Their hope was not deceived, and on June 28th they landed in France, and started for Avignon. There the renegade, after having given proofs of the most sincere conversion, was publicly reconciled by the Vice-Legate, Peter Montorio, who also received him in the Hospital of Saint John of God, which he had vowed to enter in order to do penance. He made a perpetual vow to serve the sick there. This conversion had been the work of the holy priest.

On another occasion Saint Vincent was called to confess a peasant who was dangerously ill. This unfortunate man had his conscience laden with a great number of mortal sins, which a false shame had always prevented him from declaring in Confession; however, being encouraged by the sweetness with which this new Director treated him, he grew braver and confessed his secret faults, which he had never had the courage to declare to anybody. Being relieved of the enormous load which had weighed upon his mind for years, he cried out openly in transports of joy: "I should have been damned without that general Confession on account of the enormous sins which I had never dared to confess." He owed these sentiments to the Servant of God, and his death greatly edified all those who witnessed it.

Amongst the conversions of all kinds which were brought about by our Saint the most striking was that of a nobleman from Savoy. Having retired to France, he passed all his life at Court and, as usually happens in such cases, he had adopted its sentiments and maxims. Duelling was just at that time the most fashionable passion with persons of quality, and the means most likely to gain for them a false reputation for bravery, of which they were very jealous. Our military man therefore, who knew not how to pardon or pass over any offence, had the reputation of being one of the first duellists of his time. The homicides which he had committed amounted to an incredible figure. On the other hand, the reputation of Saint Vincent being rapidly spread abroad, he wanted to see with his own eyes a man of whom such wonderful things were told. The words of Saint Vincent were to him the two-edged sword spoken of in Holy Scripture; it penetrated into the secret of his soul, and this man, who had caused so many others to tremble, now began to tremble himself. His conscience was a horror to him, and in order to calm the remorse he felt, he placed himself under the direction of the Saint. His return to God was so sincere that Saint Vincent had some trouble in moderating his fervour. The whole province where he dwelt was astounded to see such a vindictive man, one so carried away by passion, and who knew no other law than the prejudice of that century, embracing in less than four days the strictest practice of a perfectly Christian life. He immediately sold some of his lands, and used the price of them for founding monasteries and helping those who were in need. He would have sold the whole of his possessions if Saint Vincent had not prevented him for legitimate reasons. The rest of his life was absolutely exemplary, and in the end, some time before his death, he was clothed in the humble habit of Saint Francis. This dress appeared to him more precious than the insignia of all the high honours with which he had formerly been invested. Nobody doubted but that his death was precious in the sight of the Lord.

The zeal of the holy priest was exercised not only with regard to his brethren, whom Saint Paul calls those of the household of faith; it reached even those who were cut off from the Church because of their heresies. One of the first heretics whose conversion he undertook was a man called Regnier, with whom he had stayed for some time. He was a young man whose parents had bequeathed to him a considerable patrimony together with their vices; he had all he needed with which to pander to his vices, and he restrained himself in no way. Saint Vincent, after the example of Our Lord, Who sought out sinners and took greater care of the weak than of the strong, worked his way tactfully into the soul of this man; he made him understand how he was endangering his eternal salvation by his bad habits and his attachment to heresy. Little by little he separated him from the society of the libertines who besieged him, and at last he made clear to him in striking terms that, if debauchery agrees well with a Religion that makes God the author of sin, it does not agree with the Religion of Jesus Christ. The sudden change which took place in his conduct inspired the heretical ministers with uneasiness; a rich man is precious to the sectarians, his hard cash is useful to the sect, and his name attracts recruits. Therefore all means were employed to retain as a Protestant a man who had become suspicious by the mere fact of his growing better; but reproaches and solicitations all were useless. Grace was doing its work, and the new proselyte, after having renounced his disorderly life, abjured heresy and passed the remainder of his days in works of Christian piety.

The conversion of Regnier was followed by many others, but none made more stir than that of the children of a certain Garone, because none met with more opposition. Their father was one of the most zealous partisans of the so-called Reformation; the conversion of Regnier, who was a relation of his, irritated him keenly, but when he saw the mist also clearing away from the eyes of his own children he no longer kept within bounds. He used all his paternal authority to overawe them; he threatened to disinherit them; he summoned Saint Vincent before the Court of Justice at Grenoble; he appealed to all his friends and all the Protestant Ministers. All was in vain, because there is no force nor power which can prevail against the designs of God. All his children were converted. The unhappy father died of grief, but his death only made the faith of his family more ardent than ever; his eldest son entered the Order of Saint Francis; his daughter became a Religious; the others remained in the world and gave great examples of charity and detachment, and especially of zeal for the Glory of God.

A little later our holy priest entered into discussion with three heretics. He explained to them the dogmas of Holy Church in all their simplicity. He listened patiently to their objections, and settled them with that precision which was the peculiar property of his mind; and his mind, as shown in his letters and Conferences, absolutely compels admiration. At his sixth Conference two of his adversaries surrendered, and, happy in knowing the truth, were generous enough to embrace it and to make a public profession thereof. The third man became more obstinate in his resistance. In spite of a certain amount of ability, he was one of those men who are bent on collecting all that seems to favour their prejudices and will not condescend to listen to what might open their eyes. They are clever in multiplying objections, but they are short-sighted in distinguishing what is false even when it is put most clearly to them. In fact he was of that type which imagine that their own conduct is above all suspicion, purely because they manage to see whatever is defective in the conduct of others. Such was the man with whom Saint Vincent had to deal; he thought himself clever and classed himself as a theologian, but morally he led an extremely loose life. Nevertheless he made the most of the bad conduct of certain Catholics, as if it were a proof in favour of his sect, and every day he returned to the Conference with fresh objections. Here is one of them, which shows clearly how terrible the judgments of God will be upon bad priests, and with what justice, according to the words of Ezekiel, He will attribute to the indolence of pastors the loss of the sheep confided to their care.

"You pretend, sir, that the Church of Rome is guided by the Spirit of God," said the heretic to our Saint, "but that is precisely what I cannot believe; for on the one hand one sees the Catholics in the country abandoned to the care of vicious and ignorant pastors, who are not instructed in their duties, not knowing, most of them, the very meaning of the Christian Religion; and on the other hand, one sees towns full of priests and monks who have nothing to do, and nevertheless they leave these people in frightful ignorance, which is the cause of many being lost daily. And you would have me believe that such conduct is directed by the Holy Ghost? I will never believe it."

The Servant of God was troubled to see a heretic justifying himself by the conduct of those very men whose life should be so edifying as to attract the infidel and the pagan. It was for him a new light thrown on the needs of the country people, and on the necessity of coming to their aid. However, he must not leave unanswered an objection which had nothing solid at the bottom of it and would be equally conclusive against Protestants as against Catholics. Saint Vincent therefore, hiding the evil as well as he could, answered that there were still in many parishes good rectors and good curates, and that amongst the ecclesiastics and Religious, whom one saw in great numbers in the towns, there were many who consecrated their time to ministering in the prisons and hospitals. Others went to preach and catechise in the country. Amongst those who did not leave their monasteries, some occupied themselves by praying to God and singing His praises day and night; others made themselves useful to the public by composing learned works, by teaching Christian Doctrine to the people, and by administering the Sacraments. He said that the number of priests with lax habits was exaggerated, and if it had to be admitted that a certain number did exist who employed their time badly and did not fulfil their duties, they were simply individuals, frail men, subject to error, members it is true of Holy Church, who includes in her flock the chaff as well as the good wheat. These men did not constitute the Church of Jesus Christ, but on the contrary they resisted the Holy Spirit, which governs Her. He finished by explaining to him what Catholics mean when they teach that the Church is directed by the Holy Spirit, and made him see how this direction concerns not only the whole Body of the Church, but also its head himself, who cannot err in his infallible decisions; so that the faithful cannot go astray or be lost if they walk by the light of Faith and live according to the rules of Christian Justice.

Such a peremptory reply should have satisfied him to whom it was addressed. Nevertheless he did not surrender, and still maintained that the ignorance of the people and the lack of zeal amongst the priests was an infallible proof that the Roman Church was not directed by the Spirit of God. Saint Vincent, to cut short such objections, arranged for a Mission to be given. The news spread through the whole country; the heretic set himself to examine the exercises that were given with all the attention of a man of prejudice; he assisted at the sermons and catechetical instructions; he noticed the care that was taken to teach the ignorant those truths that are necessary for salvation; he admired the charity which adapted the teaching to the weakness of the most uncultured minds, to enable them to understand what they must believe and practise. Finally he witnessed the conversion of a great number of sinners. Being struck by all this, he said to the Saint: "Now I see that the Holy Spirit does direct the Roman Church, since, in this Church, care is taken of the instruction and salvation of poor peasants. I am ready to enter the Church whenever you will be pleased to receive me." Saint Vincent asked him if he had no longer any objections or doubts. "No," he replied, "I believe all that you have told me, and I am ready to renounce publicly all my errors." Our holy priest, in order to be quite certain that his decision was not a mere phase of enthusiasm, questioned him on many points, and especially those to which he had shown most aversion. The Saint was satisfied with his answers and recognized with joy that he had retained his instructions. The day was fixed for his abjuration. The bystanders were numerous, because the ceremony had been announced to the people. Everyone thanked God for the return of this wandering sheep, and thrilled with joy to see him hastening to the Fold, but this joy was troubled by an unforeseen accident.

Saint Vincent having publicly asked this man if he persevered in the resolution of abjuring his errors, he answered that indeed he did persevere, but that one fresh difficulty had just cropped up, regarding a stone statue, the form of which left much to be desired and which was a representation of the Blessed Virgin; he said (pointing with his finger) that he could not make up his mind to believe that any virtue whatsoever was in that shapeless image. The Saint answered that the Church did not teach that any positive virtue was attached to material images; that God could very well operate through them, and did so sometimes, as in the case of the rod of Moses, which worked marvels, but that in themselves they had neither strength nor power. And he also added that this dogma of our Faith was so well known in the Church that even children were able to give a reason for it. The holy priest called up a child on the spot, from amongst the best instructed, and asked him what we should believe with regard to holy images. The child answered that it was good to have them and to render them honour, not on account of the material of which they are made, but because they represent Our Lord, His Glorious Mother, and the Saints who are reigning in Heaven; who, after having triumphed over the world, exhort us by these representations of them to imitate their faith and their good example. Saint Vincent showed the correctness of this answer, and declared to the Protestant that the difficulty which had impeded him carried no weight. The latter then surrendered in good faith, abjured his errors in presence of a large crowd, and persevered in the Catholic Religion until his death. The beginning, the progress and the details of this conversion remained always deeply engraven in the memory of our Saint, because the care expended in instructing the country people had been the principal cause thereof.

Practice - All those who have the care of souls must watch that they be instructed in the truths of Faith. If they remark any negligence on this point, let them be armed with a holy zeal to drive away all ignorance on the truths of Faith, and they will see that the disorders of sin will disappear in the same proportion.

- text taken from Virtue and Christian Refinement According to the Spirit of Saint Vincent de Paul, by Saint John Bosco