As the founder of the Confraternities of Charity, St. Vincent wanted its members to be well-formed in the spirituality that was proper to their state in life. He recommended that they read the work of Saint Francis de Sales (whom Vincent knew personally), Introduction to the Devout Life, which is perhaps the most successful spiritual work in the history of the Church. The following year, 1618, Vincent and Francis were both in Paris and they established a relationship of friendship which had a profound influence on Vincent’s spiritual and psychological development. Francis’ writing provided the women in the Confraternities with a solid spiritual vision of their life as Christians.