23 Facts About Vincent Ferrer

Vincent Ferrer, OP was a Valencian Dominican friar and preacher, who gained acclaim as a missionary and a logician.

Vincent Ferrer is honored as a saint of the Catholic Church and other churches of Catholic traditions.

Vincent Ferrer's mother is said never to have experienced pain when she gave birth to him.

Vincent Ferrer was named after Vincent Martyr, the patron saint of Valencia.

Vincent Ferrer began his classical studies at the age of eight, and his study of theology and philosophy at fourteen.

Four years later, at the age of eighteen, Ferrer entered the Order of Preachers, commonly called the Dominican Order.

Vincent Ferrer prayed and practiced penance to overcome these trials.

Vincent Ferrer published a treatise on Dialectic Suppositions after his solemn profession, and in 1379 was ordained a Catholic priest at Barcelona.

Vincent Ferrer eventually became a Master of Sacred Theology and was commissioned by the Order to deliver lectures on philosophy.

Vincent Ferrer was then sent to Barcelona and eventually to the University of Lleida, where he earned his doctorate in theology.

Vincent Ferrer is described as a man of medium height, with a lofty forehead and very distinct features.

Vincent Ferrer's eyes were very dark and expressive; his manner gentle.

Vincent Ferrer's voice was strong and powerful, at times gentle, resonant, and vibrant.

Vincent Ferrer was convinced that the election of Urban was invalid, although Catherine of Siena was just as devoted a supporter of the Roman pope.

Vincent Ferrer worked for Benedict XIII as apostolic penitentiary and Master of the Sacred Palace.

Nonetheless Vincent Ferrer labored to have Benedict XIII end the schism.

Vincent Ferrer later claimed that the Western Schism had had such a depressing effect on his mind that it caused him to be seriously ill.

Vincent Ferrer preached to Colette of Corbie and her nuns, and it was she who told him that he would die in France.

Vincent Ferrer is said to have been responsible for the conversion of many Jews to Catholicism, often by questionable means according to the Jewish Encyclopedia; for instance, he is said to have made their lives difficult until they converted and to have "dedicated" synagogues as churches on the basis of his own authority.

Vincent Ferrer is alleged to have contributed to anti-Semitism in Spain, as violence accompanied his visits to towns that had Jewish communities.

Vincent Ferrer attended the Disputation of Tortosa, called by Avignon Pope Benedict XIII in an effort to convert Jews to Catholicism after a debate among scholars of both religions.

Vincent Ferrer participated in the management of a significant political crisis in his homeland.

Vincent Ferrer was chosen as one of the representatives of Valencia, and he voted for the Castilian prince Ferdinand of Antequera, who became the next King of Aragon.