St. Vincent Ferrer: Dominican Missionary who converted thousands
April 5 is the feast of St. Vincent Ferrer, a renowned Spanish Dominican missionary who converted thousands of Europeans to Catholicism. He is the patron saint of: builders, plumbers, and construction workers. Vincent was born in Valencia, Spain, in 1350 and entered the Dominican Order at the age of 17. After years of study in Toulouse, in 1379, he was retained by Cardinal Pedro de Luna, legate of the Court of Aragon, who was trying to win the king to the obedience of the Avignon pontiff. When France withdrew from the obedience of Avignon in September 1398 and the troops of Charles VI laid siege to the city, St. Vincent was struck by a fever that nearly killed him. He was miraculously cured after having an apparition of Christ, accompanied by St. Dominic and St. Francis. He began his preaching ministry again in November 1399, and for 20 years was a missionary in Western Europe. He was responsible for the conversion of thousands in the different regions of France, Swit...