Abstract
Raymond Deville holds that Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac were of the French school of spirituality, but were not totally Berullian. The French school focused on domestic and foreign missions and was concerned with the renewal of parish life, the education of the poor, and the formation of priests. With regard to formation, the French school accepted only what would be called major seminarians today and stressed the necessity of having a vocation for the priesthood, ideas that were both unusual for the time. However, Vincent’s conception of Jesus was simpler and more practical than that of other members of the French school. He placed an even greater importance on carrying out Jesus’s mission, and he paid more attention to serving Jesus through serving persons who were poor. Louise also had points in common with the French school: a concern for God’s will, a deep respect for God, devotion to Mary and the Holy Spirit, and an emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus and on the cultivation of virtues that would “imitate [him] in his mysteries.”
Recommended Citation
Deville, Raymond S.S.
(1990)
"Saint Vincent and Saint Louise in Relation to the French School of Spirituality,"
Vincentian Heritage Journal: Vol. 11:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://via.library.depaul.edu/vhj/vol11/iss1/3