Vincent Ferrer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Saint Vincent Ferrer | |
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| Born | 1350 |
| Died | April 5, 1419 |
| Canonized | 1458 |
| Feast | April 5 |
| Attributes | pulpit, cardinal's hat, trumpet, captives |
| Patronage | construction workers, plumbers |
| A short hymn or prayer If you truly want to help the soul of your neighbor, you should approach God first with all your heart. Ask him simply to fill you with charity, the greatest of all virtues; with it you can accomplish what you desire. |
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Saint Vincent Ferrer, (In Valencian Sant Vicent Ferrer) (January 23, 1350 – April 5, 1419) was a Valencian Dominican missionary and logician; born in Valencia, Kingdom of Valencia (modern day Land of Valencia, Spain), as one of the sons of William Stuart Ferrer, an Anglo-Scottish nobleman descended from the English (de) Ferrer family and the Scottish Stuart family, and his Spanish wife, Constantia Miguel.
Ferrer was professed in the Order of Saint Dominic at the age of 18, and after studying, became Master of Sacred Theology. He was commissioned to deliver lectures on philosophy. He was sent to Barcelona and received his doctorate at Lleida, the main university city of Catalonia at the time.
He was depressed because of the Great Schism and was very ill at the age of forty.He claimed that God healed him and instructed him to go out and convert many sinners.For twenty-one years, he was said to have traveled to Aragon, Castile, Switzerland, France, Italy, England, Ireland, and Scotland, preaching the gospel and converting many sinners. Ferrer is also said to be responsible for converting many Jews to Christianity, with one Rabbi becoming Bishop of Cartagena.
He is also well known in Spain for his intervention during the political discussion known as the Caspe Compromise, a debate by which the succession of the King of Aragon was solved giving the throne to a Castilian prince: this would later help the union of the crowns of Castile and Aragon, approximately corresponding to today's Spain's territory.
Saint Vincent died on the April 5, 1419 at Vannes, Brittany, France and his relics are buried in the Cathedral of Vannes. He was canonized by Calixtus III on the June 3, 1455. His feast day is celebrated on the 5th of April.
