HUBY, VINCENT. - Popular missionary and ascetical writer, b. at Hennebont in Brittany on 15 March 1608, d. at Vannes on 22 March 1693. Having entered the Society of Jesus in Paris (1625), he became the companion of the ven. Maunoir (v.), whom he emulated in virtue and zeal.
After serving as professor of letters and moral theology, he directed the College of Quimper (1649–52) and was finally devoted to the missions in Brittany. Convinced of the need to extend to the laity as well the benefits of the Esercizi spirituali (v.) of s. Ignazio di Loyola, he founded and directed the first house for closed retreats, established for this purpose at Vannes. It soon saw retreatants of every class flock to it, among the most regular being the bishop of Tréguier, Granger de Liverdis.
The example of H. was followed by Maunoir, who opened another house at Quimper, then grafted the work of retreats onto that of rural missions, giving retreat sermons to the people. H. continued to promote the foundation of similar houses, so that at his death almost every principal city in France possessed one. He left several spiritual writings and an account, La retraite de Vannes ou la façon dont la retraite se fait dans Vannes sous la conduite des Pères de la C. d. J., et les grands biens que Dieu opère par elle (Vannes 1678), as well as a work of formation for the clergy, Le bon prêtre (ibid. 1683).