Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Louise de Marillac Played a Central Part in the 17th-Century French Church by Fr. Raymond Deville, S.S.

1. by RAYMOND DEVILLE, S.S.
Saint Vincent and Saint Louise Played a Central
Part in the Seventeenth-Century French Church

2. In this present
a
tion, Fr. R
a
ymond
Deville, S.S. invites us to "situ
a
te"
S
a
int Vincent de P
a
ul
a
nd S
a
int
Louise de M
a
rill
a
c
a
t the he
a
rt of
the spiritu
a
l
a
nd mission
a
ry
renew
a
l in seventeenth-century
Fr
a
nce.
M
a
ny persons, writings,
a
nd
events in
f
luenced S
a
int Vincent
a
nd S
a
int Louise on their journey
to conversion
a
nd holiness,
a
nd to
mission
a
ry
a
nd ch
a
rit
a
ble
commitment.

3. The lifesp
a
n of St. Vincent
corresponds to
a
golden er
a
in the
history of the French Church. Vincent
w
a
s involved in
a
lmost
a
ll the gre
a
t
events of his time, politic
a
l
a
s well
a
s
religious. He knew or he met most of
the spiritu
a
l
a
nd
a
postolic le
a
ders of
the seventeenth century in Fr
a
nce.
We
a
re
a
m
a
zed
a
t the number of
people he knew when we look, for
ex
a
mple,
a
t the index of Pierre Coste's
Life
a
nd Works of S
a
int Vincent de
P
a
ul,
a
t the end of volume 3, with
forty p
a
ges consisting m
a
inly of
proper n
a
mes. I sh
a
ll pick only
a
few.

4. He knew m
a
ny of the people who met
with M
a
d
a
me Ac
a
rie even if he did not
frequent her circle:
• André Duv
a
l,
a
professor
a
t the
Sorbonne, who bec
a
me his confessor
a
nd
a
confessor to the D
a
ughters of
Ch
a
rity
• Michel de M
a
rill
a
c (uncle of Louise)
• Pierre de Bérulle, who helped
Vincent
a
lot (cousin of M
a
d
a
me
Ac
a
rie)
• M
a
ybe Benedict of C
a
n
f
ield, whose
Rule of Perfection he re
a
d
a
ssiduously
A bit of trivi
a
: At S
a
int-L
a
z
a
re, Vincent
commissioned two pictures, one of St.
Fr
a
ncis de S
a
les, the other of André Duv
a
l.
C
a
rdin
a
l Pierre de Bérulle
Benedict of C
a
n
f
ield
André Duv
a
l
Michel de M
a
rill
a
c

5. I would
a
dd
a
few words
a
bout M
a
d
a
me
Ac
a
rie. She might be considered
a
s the mother
or the gr
a
ndmother of our spiritu
a
l
a
nd
a
postolic renew
a
l.
A few months
a
go, I h
a
d the gre
a
t joy of giving
a
retre
a
t to the C
a
rmelites of Pontoise, where
M
a
d
a
me Ac
a
rie lived
a
nd died. Be
a
ti
f
ied in 1791,
she is vener
a
ted not
a
lso by the C
a
rmelite nuns
but
a
lso by m
a
ny other people. It is interesting
to know th
a
t the C
a
rmelite mon
a
stery in
Pontoise w
a
s founded by Bérulle in 1605,
a
nd
the present Community h
a
s been living in the
s
a
me mon
a
stery since 610. It w
a
s very moving
for me to spend
a
week in th
a
t mon
a
stery
a
nd
to visit the cell where M
a
d
a
me Ac
a
rie died.

6. S
a
int Vincent w
a
s
prob
a
bly
a
member of the
Comp
a
ny of the Blessed
S
a
cr
a
ment which pl
a
yed
a
prominent role in Fr
a
nce
in th
a
t period, even if th
a
t
is very controversi
a
l.*
*Coste, Life
a
nd Works,
3:271-85
Ch
a
rles de Schomberg
At right:
Some Members of the
Comp
a
ny of the Blessed
S
a
cr
a
ment
Guill
a
ume de L
a
moignon
Al
a
in de Solminih
a
c
Je
a
n-J
a
cques Olier J
a
cques-Bénigne Bossuet

7. I would emph
a
size the rel
a
tionships th
a
t St.
Vincent h
a
d with Bérulle
a
nd the
f
irst
Or
a
tori
a
ns like Ch
a
rles de Condren
a
nd
Fr
a
nçois Bourgoing. Vincent lived
a
while
in their community without joining the
Or
a
tory. Bérulle helped him
a
t the
beginning
a
nd sent him to the de Gondi
f
a
mily. A few ye
a
rs l
a
ter, Bérulle objected
to the found
a
tion of the Mission
a
s
a
congreg
a
tion. But the in
f
luence of C
a
rdin
a
l
de Bérulle
a
nd Condren c
a
nnot be denied:
concern for the renew
a
l of the Church,
especi
a
lly by the missions, the form
a
tion of
the clergy,
a
nd the Christocentrism of the
te
a
ching. You will be interested to know
th
a
t S
a
int Vincent's f
a
mous st
a
tement
“Jesus is the rule of the Mission" most
prob
a
bly c
a
me from Condren.
Bérulle
Condren

8. Like Bérulle, St. Vincent w
a
s
a
close friend of S
a
int-Cyr
a
n until
1642, but he then withdrew from
the J
a
nsenism of S
a
int-Cyr
a
n's
group. Vincent
a
lso esteemed
F
a
ther Adrien Bourdoise
a
nd
F
a
ther Olier very much. Much
h
a
s been written in th
a
t respect.
On
a
nother level he h
a
d
rel
a
tionships with C
a
rdin
a
l
Richelieu, C
a
rdin
a
l M
a
z
a
rin,
Queen Anne of Austri
a
,
a
nd
Ch
a
ncellor Seguier.
Je
a
n du Vergier de H
a
ur
a
nne
Abbé de S
a
int-Cyr
a
n
By Oxxo - tr
a
v
a
il personnel (photo d'une gr
a
vure),
CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedi
a
.org/w/
index.php?curid=2779645
Adrien Bourdoise

9. Through the de Gondi f
a
mily who
g
a
ve three bishops to the diocese
a
nd
a
rchdiocese of P
a
ris, he met
m
a
ny import
a
nt people in high
society
a
nd the Church. During
the ten ye
a
rs
a
fter the de
a
th of
Louis XIII in 1643, he w
a
s
a
member of the Council of
Conscience which w
a
s
a
kind of
n
a
tion
a
l ministry for religious
a
nd
soci
a
l
a
ff
a
irs, He h
a
d to de
a
l with
m
a
ny questions, especi
a
lly
a
bout
the
a
ppointments of bishops.

10. We h
a
ve to emph
a
size the strong
in
f
luence of Fr
a
ncis de S
a
les
a
nd
J
a
ne Fr
a
nces de Ch
a
nt
a
l on S
a
int
Vincent de P
a
ul
a
nd S
a
int Louise
de M
a
rill
a
c. For inst
a
nce the
emph
a
sis on the will of God th
a
t
we
f
ind in S
a
int Louise
a
nd S
a
int
Vincent seems to me to be rooted
in S
a
int Fr
a
ncis de S
a
les. In
a
ll
S
a
int Louise's writings—letters
a
nd
person
a
l writings—we
f
ind th
a
t
theme. She w
a
s
a
lw
a
ys
preoccupied with knowing God's
design for her. An in
f
inite number
of texts could be quoted here. Th
a
t
re
a
lity—not just
a
theme—is rooted
in the gospel. "Thy will be done"...
"my food is to ful
f
ill my F
a
ther's will."

11. In the Fr
a
nce of seventeenth-century in
gener
a
l there w
a
s
a
strong emph
a
sis on the
Will of God. The Rule of Perfection,
a
f
a
mous
book written by
a
C
a
puchin, Benedict of
C
a
nfeld, w
a
s very popul
a
r. Both Vincent
a
nd
Louise re
a
d it. And Benedict insisted very
much on ful
f
illing God's will. But I think th
a
t the
in
f
luence of Fr
a
ncis-de S
a
les w
a
s still strong in
th
a
t respect. Both in the Introduction to the
Devout Life
a
nd the Tre
a
tise on the Love of
God, Fr
a
ncis spe
a
ks of
a
b
a
ndonment to
Divine Providence
a
nd ful
f
illment of God's will.
I
a
dvise you to look
a
t the index
a
t the end of
the spiritu
a
l writings of S
a
int Louise under the
words "will of God."' You m
a
y
a
lso comp
a
re
Louise's
a
ff
irm
a
tions with simil
a
r
a
ff
irm
a
tions
of Fr
a
ncis de S
a
les, for ex
a
mple, Tre
a
tise on
the Love of God, Book 9, ch
a
pter 9,
a
ch
a
pter
often quoted by Vincent.

12. St. J
a
ne Fr
a
nces de Ch
a
nt
a
l
(right), who w
a
s under St.
Vincent’s spiritu
a
l direction for
m
a
ny ye
a
rs, put him in
rel
a
tionship with m
a
ny
Visit
a
ndines, even before
S
a
int Fr
a
ncis de S
a
les' de
a
th.
I could go on enumer
a
ting
m
a
ny other people.

13. Now I want to show you a picture made after Saint Vincent's
beati
f
ication which represents a meeting of the Tuesday Conference.

14. Although created probably in 1753, it is very interesting. In the middle there is Saint
Vincent pointing to "Charity" with his
f
inger. On the right side we see some bishops.

15. It has been possible to identify some of them: facing us down below is Jacques
Benigne Bossuet and at the right Alain de Solminihac, a very good bishop and
friend of Saint Vincent and Father Olier. He was beati
f
ied by Pope John Paul II.
Bossuet
Solminih
a
c
J
a
cques-Bénigne Bossuet Al
a
in de Solminih
a
c

16. du Tour
Above Alain de Solminihac, Henri Maupas du Tour, who was a good friend of Saint
Vincent. He was bishop of Le Puy, then of Evreux. He preached at Saint Vincent's
funeral mass. He wrote a life of Jane Frances de Chantal in 1653.
Bossuet
Solminih
a
c
Henri M
a
up
a
s du Tour

17. Antoine Gode
a
To his left is probably Godeau, a famous bishop who was at the court and became—
afterwards—a holy man. We do not know who the bishop is who is near to Saint Vincent.
du Tour
Bossuet
Solminih
a
c
Gode
a
u
Antoine Gode
a
u

18. du Tour
Bossuet
Solminih
a
c
Gode
a
u
Antoine Gode
a
On the other side we can see some priests. Right next to Saint Vincent is Father
Olier. And then, with the Maltese cross, Louis de Chandenier, abbot of Tournus
who lived at Saint Lazare for some years and joined the Congregation of the
Mission, before his death. Saint Vincent held him in great esteem.
Olier
de Ch
a
ndenier
Je
a
n-J
a
cques Olier

19. du Tour
Bossuet
Solminih
a
c
Gode
a
u
Olier
de Ch
a
ndenier
The man at the left is probably Father Bourdoise, who was bald, and
below, perhaps Saint John Eudes.
Bourdoise
Eudes?
Antoine Gode
a
By Oxxo - tr
a
v
a
il personnel (photo d'une gr
a
vure),
CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedi
a
.org/w/
index.php?curid=2779645
Adrien Bourdoise
St. John Eudes

20. A picture like this illustrates the opinion of Henri Daniel-Rops, who said
that Saint Vincent was at the center of this era of Church renewal.
Olier
de Ch
a
ndenier
Bourdoise
Eudes?
du Tour
Bossuet
Solminih
a
c
Gode
a
u

21. As for S
a
int Louise, it is worth
mentioning
a
few points:
(1) Louise belonged to
a
typic
a
lly
a
ristocr
a
tic f
a
mily of seventeenth-
century Fr
a
nce. Although she h
a
d
m
a
rried
a
m
a
n who did not belong
to the
a
ristocr
a
cy, Antoine Le Gr
a
s,
a
nd so she w
a
s c
a
lled M
a
demoiselle,
she w
a
s quite
a
t e
a
se with the higher
cl
a
ss of the society, more
a
t e
a
se
th
a
t Vincent sometimes. She knew or
met m
a
ny import
a
nt people of the
period in P
a
ris. She received
a
very
good educ
a
tion
a
nd w
a
s well-re
a
d.

22. (2) Louise w
a
s perfectly informed
of the soci
a
l
a
nd politic
a
l
situ
a
tion or th
a
t period. Two of
her uncles, Michel de M
a
rill
a
c
a
nd Louis de M
a
rill
a
c, who h
a
d
very import
a
nt responsibilities in
the kingdom, h
a
d some
di
ff
iculties with Richelieu,
a
nd
they were imprisoned,
a
nd
f
in
a
lly
they died in 1630
a
nd 1631.
Louise
a
lso w
a
s
a
w
a
re of the
b
a
d situ
a
tion of the poor people
in the countryside
a
nd the cities.
Louis de M
a
rill
a
c
Michel de M
a
rill
a
c

23. As L
a
cord
a
ire once s
a
id, “Big-
he
a
rted persons h
a
ve the
gr
a
ce of being
a
w
a
re of the
di
ff
iculties
a
nd p
a
ins of their
contempor
a
ries,
a
nd they
receive the mission of doing
much for them."

24. So Louise w
a
s immersed in
the society of her time, she
w
a
s immersed in the gre
a
t
movement of the Church in
Fr
a
nce,
a
nd she h
a
d eyes
a
nd
a
he
a
rt open to sh
a
re in the
su
ff
erings of the poor, for
Jesus’ s
a
ke.

25. (3) She knew S
a
ints Fr
a
ncis de
S
a
les
a
nd J
a
ne de Ch
a
nt
a
l
a
nd m
a
ny other Visit
a
ndines
very well. She re
a
d Fr
a
ncis'
books very often.

27. Source
Deville, Raymond S.S. (1993) "The Role of Saint Vincent de Paul
and Saint Louise de Marillac as Architects and as Moving
Spirits behind the Spiritual and Mission Renewal in
Seventeenth-Century France,”
Vincentian Heritage Journal: Vol. 14: Iss. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol14/iss1/1
F
a
ther R
a
ymond DEVILLE,
former Superior Gener
a
l of
the Society of S
a
int Sulpice
(1923-2010)
Link to obitu
a
ry