Founded in 1833, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a worldwide organization of lay Catholics, following Christ’s call to serve the poor, the suffering, and the deprived.

Our founding activity, still practiced today, is the Home Visit. Through these visits, Vincentian members establish personal relationships with our neighbors in need, not only providing material assistance such as rent, utilities, food, or clothing, but also offering friendship, understanding, and prayer.

The National Council of the United States was established to support local St. Vincent de Paul Conferences and Councils, and to represent them among the global Society’s membership. Today, the National Council provides resources, training, and spiritual formation for nearly 90,000 Vincentians in 4,500 Conferences and Councils across the country.

Because “no work of charity is foreign to the Society,” Vincentians respond to many community and individual needs through programs such as disaster relief services, job training and placement, thrift stores, food pantries, housing programs, prison reentry, medical services, and many others, always seeking longer-term pathways out of poverty and towards the full flourishing of every person.