Our Mission
“A network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.”
Who We Are
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA is a Catholic lay organization inspired by Gospel values. We join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to neighbors in need, and keep in the tradition of our founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.
The National Council supports our local Councils and Conferences throughout the United States by providing Vincentian members with resources, spiritual formation, and best practices as they assist millions of neighbors in need.
How Does the Society Differ From Other Charities?
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is composed of women and men who seek personal holiness through works of charity. In this essential way, the Society differs from organizations whose principal objective is not the spiritual advancement of their members but the doing of good for someone else.
We don’t provide transactions; we create and nurture relationships.
The Society’s mission is clear: our ministry is a means for acquiring holiness.
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam
Founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Like that of our founder, Frédéric Ozanam, the vision of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul “is to embrace the world in a network of charity.”