It shouldn’t have been a long voyage from Marseille to Narbonne—just a quick jaunt down the French coast.
But St. Vincent de Paul was about to learn that pirates have a way of slowing down even the quickest trips…
In the middle of his journey, his ship was suddenly attacked by Barbary pirates. These pirates were notorious for raiding European vessels to capture slaves.
Vincent was not spared. Along with other passengers, he was taken to Tunis and sold into slavery. For nearly two years, he lived under different masters, each with their own impact on him.
One of his masters was a former Christian who had converted to Islam after being enslaved himself. This master, a renegade Frenchman, was a doctor and alchemist, and Vincent often assisted him in his work. The doctor’s wife, who was still a Christian at heart, grew fond of Vincent. She admired his deep faith and the way he held onto it even in his enslavement.
Over time, Vincent’s quiet but strong witness of faith moved the doctor’s wife to encourage her husband to return to Christianity. Eventually, the doctor did come back to his Faith, and together, they planned their escape from North Africa.
In 1607, Vincent and his former master fled. They made their courageous return to France, where the doctor was formally reconciled with the Church.
After returning to France, Vincent committed himself to serving the poor and marginalized, founding the Congregation of the Mission (the Vincentians) and the Daughters of Charity.
His feast day is September 27th (today!) and he is known as the patron saint of charities and volunteers.
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