Saint Of The Day (April 5)
St. Vincent Ferrer –
Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
St. Vincent Ferrer was born at Valencia, Spain, on January 23, 1357. Before his birth his vocation was announced to his parents in a miraculous way. The whole city of Valencia celebrated his birth and went to his baptism.
He entered the Dominican Order at age 18, soon revealing great gifts for preaching. He was sent to Cataluña to study, and then Lerida, where he studied under Cardinal Peter de Luna. Later, this Cardinal was elected pope and became Benedict XIII at the time when the Great Western Schism divided the Church. This pope invited Vincent to be his auxiliary, but he refused.
Vincent started a great work of evangelization as a preacher. He preached all over France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and England, the latter by special request of King Henry IV. The most hardened sinners could not resist his words. He converted countless Catholics from their bad lives and customs, as well as brought numerous Jews, Muslims and Schismatics to the Catholic Faith.
The corruption of customs, during the Hundred Years’ War and the Schism, made the apostolate of St. Vincent indispensable. What was needed was an apostle with a terrible message who could shake the conscience of sinners delivered to their excesses. His sermons were about the most frightening themes of Catholic doctrine: the terrible responsibility of sinners, the Judgment of God, Hell, eternity, etc. He had the gift to speak with a great energy, always using a language accessible to his audience. He also became noted for the great miracles he worked wherever he went.
The fame of his sanctity reached the Moorish King of Granada, who invited him to his kingdom to preach. However, he converted so many that some of the ministers of the King, fearful for the future of the Muslim religion, asked the sovereign to send the great missionary away.
During the sorrowful exile of the Popes in Avignon, St. Vincent condemned Benedict XIII, who was one of the three ecclesiastics simultaneously claiming the Papacy at that time, and gave his complete support to Pope Martin V, who had been elected in the Council of Constance.
In 1419, he died in Bretagne, France at 62 years of age.
