Saintly Saturday - St. Vincent Ferrer



St. Vincent Ferrer was born in Valencia, Spain on January 23, 1350. He was the fourth child of a knight, William Ferrer, & Constantia Miguel, whose family was also of nobility. He completed courses in philosophy at the age of 14. He entered the Dominican order in 1367 & was sent to Barcelona, where he stayed until 1370 when he taught philosophy in Lerida, a famous university city in Catalonia. He received his doctorate here as well.

After three years, he returned to Barcelona. It was during this time that a severe famine occurred. St. Vincent was a compassionate priest towards those who suffered. One day, while preaching, he predicted that a ship full of wheat was approaching. Indeed it was.

He briefly accompanied Cardinal Pedro de Luca to France, but was called back home to lecture & preach. Cardinal de Luca later became Pope Benedict XIII & appointed St. Vincent as confessor and Apostolic penitentiary. In this position, he became a missionary priest traveling the Spanish provinces, France, England, & other European countries to preach on sin and the need for repentance and preparation for the final judgement. People filled the open areas where he preached & many were converted by his teachings. 

Because of the success of his missionary works & the building up of the Catholic faithful, St. Vincent Ferrer is the patron saint of builders. He died in 1419 and the church celebrates his feast day on April 5. He was canonized on June 29, 1455.

"During his life Saint Vincent freed more than seventy people from the Devil and many more were freed at his tomb. He raised more than twenty-eight people from the dead and four hundred sick people were cured by resting on the couch where he had lain during his illness. The change of a sinful heart is even a greater miracle than wondrous temporal benefits. Saint Vincent was not wanting here as we have seen; thousands of sinners became penitent, including Jews and Moors."

(https://www.olrl.org/lives/ferrer.shtml) 


St. Vincent Ferrer, Pray for Us

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