St. Vincent Pallotti

St. Vincent Pallotti was born on 21 April 1795 in Rome and was ordained a priest there in 1818, spending his whole life in the service of the city as a tireless confessor, spiritual director, and friend of the poor. A man of deep humility and boundless charity, he founded schools for tradesmen, cared for the sick and the imprisoned, and was known for his readiness to help anyone in need.

His lasting gift to the Church was a vision far ahead of his time: he taught that the apostolate belongs not to the clergy alone but to all the baptized, and in 1835 he founded the Union of Catholic Apostolate to draw priests, religious, and lay people together in spreading the faith and reviving charity. From it grew the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, the Pallottines. Because of this teaching he is often called a forerunner of the modern lay apostolate championed by the Second Vatican Council. He died in Rome on 22 January 1850 and was canonized in 1963.