tumultuous period of seventeenth-century France, demands high historical skills for any potential biographer. Bernard Pujo more than adequately rises to that challenge. This book was a joy to read." —Lawrence S. Cunningham, University of Notre Dame "Set amidst the French Catholic Reformation, Bernard Pujo introduces the reader to a star-studded cast of political, religious, and social leaders of the age. Kings, queens, popes, ministers, bishops, and habitués of salons become associates of St. Vincent de Paul as he sets out to recruit an army of elite to minister to the poor and marginalized. In the process, one discovers the complex personality, comprised of both human and saintly qualities that characterized Vincent de Paul. Vincent de Paul, the Trailblazer portrays the age and the man in rich detail." —Joan L. Coffey, Sam Houston State University Vincent de Paul, the Trailblazer opens a bright window into the turbulent world of a renowned saint who lived during a time of great unrest. Bernard Pujo details how politics, war, and Vincent’s own charismatic personality served as essential elements in his construction of a vast and lasting web of charitable works. Pujo introduces readers not only to the fascinating life of Vincent, but also to the cultural, political, social, ecclesiastical, and economic life of France during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Pujo’s rich portrait reveals that Vincent played an active and prominent part in shaping this period of French history. In his quest to minister to the needs of the poor, Vincent counseled and challenged some of the key figures in French politics. Vincent de Paul, the Trailblazer describes Vincent’s childhood, his education, his life as a young priest, his skills as an organizer and manager, and his commitment to serving the physical and spiritual needs of the poor. This authoritative biography is lively enough to interest general readers and detailed enough to appeal to scholars of French and church history.

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