SCHOOL LIFE

The third of six children of Jean and Bertrande de Moras, Vincent was born on 24 April 1581 in Pouy, a village near Dax in Gascony, in the southwest of France. The peasant origins of the boy soon led him to the care of the family sheep, cows and pigs until the parents, becoming aware of his intellectual capacities, decided in 1595 to send him to study, entrusting him to the Franciscans of the nearby Convent of Dax.

THE FIRST HORIZONS.

Vincent studied with the Franciscans for only a few months. Possibly because of the recommendation of the friars, he earned the unexpected interest of a patron, Mr.de Comet, a lawyer in 1596. He studied theology at Toulouse in 1600, yet before finishing his studies, he was ordained as a priest. That same year, he looked in his diocese for an ecclesiastic benefice. With the support of Mr. de Comet, he was appointed parish priest of till by the vicar general but had to abandon it and devote himself only to study because the same appointment was already in possession of another priest who disputed the legitimacy of that benefit. In 1604, he completed his studies with a Bachelor’s degree.

1609-1617: A JOURNEY OF CONVERSION

The period from 1605 to 1607 is one of the most discussed phases of the biography of the Saint. It is a dark period of which there is little historical evidence. He went of Marseilles to collect the inheritance of a will in his favor, but on his return to Toulouse, the boat on which he was travelling was attacked by Turkish seapirates and Vincent recounts that he was taken prisoner and sold as a slave. It was nothing sort of a miracle and intervention of providence of God that he escaped to freedom after a couple of years of his capture. Back in France, he went to Paris in search of a benefice, essential for his financial stability. From the French capital in 1610, he wrote to his mother of his struggles and his plans hoping still to “retire honorably”. In this context of projects, ambitions, dreams and disappointment, some incidents and characters entered the life of the Saint which eventually led him to a “conversion”. In 1609, during his stay in Paris, Vincent lived one of the most bitter humiliation of his life – being

Be careful to give no credit to yourself for anything; if you do, you are stealing from God, to whom alone every good thin is due. Vincent de Paul accused of theft -to which he reacted, contrary to what one might expect, wiht great virtue and humility. During this period, he met Cardinal Pierre de Berulle, a leading man in the French spirituality at that time. After a few years, Vincent chose him as his spiritual director. In the court of Queen Margaret, Vincent met a doctor in theology who was experiencing great doubt in faith to the point of wanting to commit suicide. Vincent calmed him down and at the same time, offered himself to God to let him experience in his own soul the tribulations of the theologian. The theologian regained his faith in God, but Vincent fell in the whirlwind of a profound spiritual crisis that lasted approximately four years. He came out of it only when, following the impulses of grace, he made the decision to devote his life to the service of the poor, for the love of Jesus Christ. In 1612 Berulle, being in need of a curate for the parish of Clichy, on the outskirts of Pairs, proposed the appointment of Vincent who accepted with great enthusiasm. He took possession of the parish on 2nd may of the same year. he preached with enthusiasm and persuasion, visited the sick, the afflicted and the poor. In 1613, Cardinal de Berulle invited him to leave Clichy to become a tutor, in one of the most illustrious families of France: the Gondi family -a family of bankers from Florence, who had made their fortune with catherine de Medici. Vincent accepted the new post while maintaining the parish of Clichy until 1616. As a token of gratitude for his spiritual favours and, now certain of his abilities, Immanuel de Gondi, the head of the Gondi family, nominated Vincent Chaplain for their fiefs. Finally, his much cherished dream was achieved: an ecclesiastical office amont the French nobility which ensures a comfortable life devoid of problems. But Vincent had changed.

1617: YEAR OF THE BIG BREAKTHROUGH

In January of 1617, during a visit of Folleville, he was called to the bedside of a farmer of the nearby village of Gannes. Vincent encouraged him to make a general confession. The outcome was astonishing. The farmer began to confess very serious failing, never disclosed in previous confessions. After the confession, that poor man felt liberated from all guilt that had accompanied him until then and was invaded by an overwhelming joy. On 25th January, 1617 a few days after that confession, on the feast of the conversion of Saint Paul, Vincentn

Lord, help me to make time today to serve you in those who are most in need of encouragement or assistance. Vincent de Paul preached a sermon in which he taught the congregation how to make a General confession. It was a Tuesday, but there were a lot of people who come to Vincent thought he could not hear the confession of all. The Jesuits of Amiens were called to help. This was a sign that the sermon had really touched those souls. For vincent, it was a revelation. He felt that this was his mission, the work that God wanted from him: to bring the Gospel to the poor people of the countryuside. Eight years later, he founded the congregation of Mission with this specific charism and always considered January 25th, 1617 as the Company’s Foundation day and the sermon preached on that day as “the first sermon of the mission.

As his apostolic zeal grew, his discomfort as tutor of the difficult children of family of De gondi also increased: his spiritual father, Berulle, entrusted to him the pastoral care of the parish of Chatillon les Dombes (today Chatillonsur Chalaronne), a town near Lyon which had recently passed to France and strongly resented the Calvinist influence in nearby Geneva. He departed immediately, without even informing the Gondis of his new intention. It was lent of 1617. He moved quickly in his parish. The founding experience of the company of Charity took place in this parish on August 20th, 1617. On the insistence of the family of De Gondi, he returned to their house on 23rd December 1617, no longer as a tutor but simply as chaplian of their possessions. He was determined to devote himself entirely to the salvation of poor people through preaching and evangelization. Since then, Vincent never missed an opportunity to instill the importance of the practice of charity in all people who went to him for spiritual direction and he continuously committed himself in establishing “charities” everywhere that the parish Missions were preached.

1617-1633: FROM DAMES OF CHARITY TO DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY

In a short time, the confraternities reached the large French cities. Numerous ladies joined these confraternities and everywhere it received appreciation from bishops and priests on one hand, and from officers and municipal authorities on the other. In 1629, the Confraternities of charity reached Paris and within a few years, there wasn’t a parish in the capital that didn’t have one, engaged with the foundlings, prisoners, galley slaves, beggars and so on. However, because the ladies were mostly of noble birth that did not allow them to perform the low and

Extend your mercy towards others, so that there can be no one in need whom you meet without helping. Vincent de Paul mean chores necessary in the exercise of charity, “Vincent founded the Daughters of Charity (1633). Their way of life, was similar to that of female religious communities but their charism was linked to a whole new concept of feminine consecrated life. It avoided every distinctive canonical sign that could qualify them as religious: no longer “noun”, “women living alone” but “sisters”, sister of all, open to the needs of other, not only spiritually, but in the practical needs of everyday life, travel companions of the most wretched, a constant incentive towards solidarity and fraternity and in search of the essential things that enable people to be neighbors to one another.

1633-1660: THE PERIOD OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY

With the year 1633, the life of Vincent had yet another turn, the third. He was 53 years old and: by now, the eagerness of ambition was history. Vincent collaborated in the monastic reform. In 1633, he initiated the “conference of Tuesday” for the betterment of the clergy, At the death of Louis XI II in 1643, when Queen Anne of Austria passed on the power of France, he was appointed as a member of the Council of Conscience. In this part of his life, the story of Vincent becomes a part of the history of the universal church and of the history of France. His life is intertwined with the story of post-war France : in 1632-the invasion of Lorena, in 1649- the war of the Fronde.

The Congregation of the Mission expanded more and more (in 1660, it was composed of 426 priests and 196 brothers) : in 1636, the missionaries took care of the Paris seminaries, they spread all over the world (Italy : in 1642, Tunis : in 1645, Algiers and Ireland in 1646, Madagascar in 1648m Poland in 1651), preaching parish mission in a continuous rhythm (between 1625 and 1632 about 140 missions, from 1642 to 1660, only in the House of St.Lazarus about 700)

The Daughers of Charity were required everywhere schools, hospitals, parish…. The Ladies of Chairty no longer limited themselves only to visiting the sick; they took care of the wounded during the war, of the galley slaves, of the beggars… Many were the categories of the poor with whom he was involved first through direct commitment, and then, through the works that the Lord had, through him wanted to accomplish. Despite such a hectic rhythm, he was not a tense or irritating person. Although he was gifted with the genius of organization, what is striking

However great the work that God may chieve by an individual, he must not indulge in self-satisfaction. Vincent de Paul is not so much the method as the spirit of his work. He was conscious of doing God’s work. The internal consistency of his thought and action was born from the unity of charity drawn form the Gospel. He discovered that he was searched by God, reached by him. He felt loved and wanted to love. His zeal and his passion for souls, was solely an expression of his love for God.

Vincent died on 27th September, 1660. His last word was : “Jesus”. He was dressed, sitting on a chair near the fire… as if, he was waiting for someone. A witness tells us, “At the moment of his death, he surrendered his beautiful soul into the hands of the Lord, and seated there, he was handsome, more majestic and venerable to look at than ever.”

It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible. Vincent De Paul

DEPAUL SCHOOL AT A GLANCE

De Paul School, Kolkata, is named after St. Vincent De Paul, one of the pioneers of social reformation. The objective of the school is to impart to the students a sound education under the guidance of the Vincentian Fathers. The school was founded by the Vincentian Orissa Society in 2007, under the guidance of Fr. Mathew Kallan Maekal C.M., with Rev. Fr. Jose Chacko C.M. as its first principal, who shouldered this responsibility until 2010 with great dedication and enthusiasm, which made the school one of the most popular school in the locality.

From 2010 to 2016 the school had a dynamic and progressive growth under the efficient leadership of Rev. Fr. George Joseph C.M. as the principal.

De Paul School also was fortunate to have Rev. Dr. Fr. Naresh Chandra Nayak, C.M. as the Principal who rendered his service with utmost sincerity and care.

On October 20th 2019 Rev. Fr. Subhasis Mandal C.M. took over the charge of the office of the Principal, and is steering the great vessel of ‘De Paul School’ with dedication, sincerity and discipline.

The school had a humble beginning with 35 children and over the years it grew in size and popularity and has the strength of over 1400 students today. Dedicated service of the teachers under an able administration and perfect management has paved the way for the success of this institution.

We aspire that, De Paul School, continues to be a power-house of knowledge, light, love and harmony. We say to God THANKS for all that He has done to this institution and all that comes from Him, YES.