author

Father Vincent de Paul

1768–1853

Driven by revolution, exile, and faith, this French Trappist monk spent decades building a difficult missionary life in Atlantic Canada. His memoirs preserve a firsthand account of monastic endurance, travel, and work among Indigenous and Acadian communities.

1 Audiobook

Memoir of Father Vincent de Paul; religious of La Trappe

Memoir of Father Vincent de Paul; religious of La Trappe

by Father Vincent de Paul

About the author

Born Jacques Merle in Chalamont, France, on October 29, 1768, he was educated by the Jesuits and lived through the upheaval of the French Revolution before entering the Trappist monastery of La Valsainte in Switzerland in 1805. As a monk, he took the name Father Vincent de Paul.

He became one of the Trappists who helped carry their strict monastic life across Europe and into North America. In the early 19th century he worked in what is now Nova Scotia, where he was associated with missionary efforts among Mi’kmaq communities and Acadian Catholics, and he later served as superior of the Trappists in Nova Scotia.

Father Vincent de Paul is remembered both as a religious leader and as a memoirist. Memoir of Father Vincent de Paul, religious of La Trappe offers a rare personal window into the hardships, travels, and religious purpose that shaped his long life. He died at Tracadie, Nova Scotia, on January 1, 1853.