Walking with the Saints Podcast | Feast of St. Vincent Ferrer, Patron Saint of all Construction Workers l April 5
You must have seen statues of St. Vincent Ferrer with wings. Well, it is just a representation to symbolize his swiftness and eagerness to answer the call of anyone in need. Tradition, however, recalls that one day while he was preaching, the people saw him flew away, with wings like an angel, but at the same time he continued his sermon. Afterwards, it was revealed that he went to a certain place to cure a sick person. Many more miracles are attributed to him even now. St. Vincent was a Dominican friar, born in Valencia, Spain on January 23, 1350. He was brought up as a devout Catholic so much so that even as a child he would fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and distribute alms to the poor. At eight he began his classical studies and at fourteen, he studied philosophy and theology. Then, he entered the Dominican Order when he was eighteen. After religious profession, he dedicated three years in reading and studying the Scripture. He was ordained a priest in Barcelona in 1379. Eventually, he earned his Masters and then Doctorate degrees in theology. For some years St. Vincent preached the word of God and other theological subjects. Many people came to listen to him. As a noted preacher, he travelled to England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Switzerland Italy and other Spanish cities. It was also said that he converted 25,000 Jews to Catholicism. One of the rabbis whom he converted became an archbishop and former Jewish synagogues were transformed into Catholic churches. He also converted Mohammedans and heretics.
During the lifetime of St. Vincent, two scourges devastated the Church. First was the Black Death or Spanish flu which killed many people in Europe including clergy and religious. In order to fill up the needed priests in the parishes, even those with no vocation were admitted into the seminaries. This resulted in so much irregularities and laxities in the practice of religion. St. Vincent worked hard to instruct the people and to reform the clergy and the religious orders. The second scourge was the Western Schism, when the pope moved to Avignon due to political problems and urged by the influence of the King of France. The absence of the papacy from Rome for 67 years is called the “Babylonian Captivity.” St. Vincent worked very hard to influence the pope to end the schism. But all these had negative effects on him that he got seriously ill. His room was suddenly filled with heavenly light and Jesus Himself shining like the sun, surrounded by a multitude of angels, together with St. Dominic and St. Francis, came and made known to him His desire: “My will is
that you preach the Gospel to Gaul and Spain, reprove the sins of men and bid them prepare for the great judgment. Though wicked men will oppose you, fear
nothing. I will be with you.” Thus St. Vincent was miraculously healed and continued to preach in France and Spain and in some parts of Europe for many
more years. When St. Vincent preached to the nuns of Colette of Corbie, Sr. Colette prophesied that he was going to die in France. And indeed, it happened.
While in Brittany, he got very ill and unable to return to Spain, he died in Vannes, Brittany on April 5, 1419 at the age of 69. St. Vincent was buried in the Basilica Catedral de San Pedro, Vannes, France. He was canonized by Pope Callixtus III on June 3, 1455. He is invoked in many difficult circumstances in life.
His outstanding Virtues are: piety, humility, charity, bravery, fidelity, obedience, generosity and fortitude.
“St. Vincent, please assist me in all the works I do, deliver me from all dangers, and help me to love and help the poor and the needy.”