To mark the 350th anniversaries of the deaths of St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660) and St. Louise de Marillac (1591-1660) the Special Collections department will produce a monthly Ex Libris feature (January to September 2010) highlighting a select volume from its collection entitled “St. Vincent’s Reading List.”
“St. Vincent’s Reading List,” represents a variety of rare seventeenth century works that are known to have been read or recommended by St. Vincent (as evidenced by his own written testimony); can safely be presumed to have been read by him; or are political, legal, theological, or spiritual works published during his life that illustrate the major developments that were unfolding in France and thus impacted the saint personally, as well as impacting the development of his many works of evangelization and charity, and the groups he founded for these purposes.
Saint Vincent de Paul, (like many of the great saints of the Catholic Church,) retains his trans-historical significance through the centuries because succeeding generations can find in his life story great insights into how Christian discipleship can be lived today with authenticity and efficacy. This significance is only magnified when distorting mythic elements and remnants of pious hagiography give way to critical biographys establishment of fact and context.
If Saint Vincent is to be more than the romantic subject of a pious holy card, or a statue with babe in arms, and if he is to take his place as a contemporary inspiration to service and advocacy, especially for those in our world who live at the margins, then understanding Monsieur Vincent on his own terms, and through his own “reading list” is of great importance.
Funding for collection purchases is provided by the Office of Mission and Values to support the goal of establishing DePaul University as the premiere international resource for research into Vincentian history, spirituality, and praxis.
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St. Vincent’s Reading List is recurring blog series exploring texts known to have been read and recommended by St. Vincent de Paul, those which can be presumed to have been read by him, and important works published during his lifetime (1581-1660). All materials discussed are held by DePaul’s Special Collections and Archives. The entire series may be viewed here.