Part of a Series on Vincentian Heritage Places

Montmirail

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Montmirail is a small village in north-eastern France.

From 1617 on, Vincent’s mission was focused on offering missions on the de Gondi estate and establishing confraternities of charity modeled on the foundation in Châtillon. Rural missions and confraternities to assist the sick poor would become the axes of his priestly ministry.

The fourth Confraternity of Charity was established at Montmirail.

The Congregation of the Mission house at Montmirail was founded in 1644 by the Duke de Retz (Pierre de Gondi, the eldest son of Philip Emmanuel de Gondi, and a former student of Saint Vincent). Monsieur Toublan, his secretary, contributed some of his inheritance to this foundation.

While Vincent was preaching in Montmirail Madame de Gondi sent him three Huguenots hoping that he would convince them to once again embrace the Catholic faith. A few days later, one of them presented objections: he could not believe that the Catholic Church was guided by the Holy Spirit because the poor were not cared for. Only later, when this individual was able to see the care and dedication of the missionaries as they instructed the poor in their faith did he come to Saint Vincent and confess. “I now see that the Holy Spirit guides the Roman Church, since such great care is taken to instruct and serve poor villagers. I am ready to enter the Church whenever you are pleased to receive me.”

This experience was engraved on the mind of Saint Vincent and appears to be implied in what he repeated to the priests of his Company: “How blessed are we, missionaries, to be able to demonstrate that the Holy Spirit guides his work, working as we work for the instruction and the sanctification of the poor.”

After the significant events in Folléville and Châtillon, the lived experience in Montmirail-Marchais confirmed that the poor are abandoned and that the Church could only reveal God to the degree that she serves the poor. Priests are called to be concrete expressions of the Church and to be her effective voice with the poor.