The Beginnings of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
In the midst of the political, social, religious, and economic turmoil of early 19th century France, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul originated. As a young student at the Sorbonne, Antoine Frédéric Ozanam was appalled by the conditions he saw in Paris. At a student meeting, another student challenged Ozanam and other practicing Catholics, admitting that while the Catholic Church had done much good work in the past, he could not see what good the Church was doing currently.
On April 23, 1833, his 20th birthday, Ozanam invited five other students to a meeting, where they founded the first Conference of Charity to assist the poor. This Catholic lay organization was intended to help members increase in holiness by loving service to those in need.
The six students chose Emmanuel Bailly, a married layman, as their first president. Shortly thereafter, they changed their name to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in honor of their patron saint.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States
Just 12 years after its founding in France, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul established roots in the United States. On November 20, 1845, the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul was established in St. Louis, Missouri at the Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, popularly called “The Old Cathedral.”
Several people were instrumental in the Society’s growth and development in the U.S., including Father John Timon, an American Vincentian priest from Pennsylvania who brought copies of the Rule of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul from Dublin, Ireland, to St. Louis. Timon spoke with various people about the Society’s work with the poor, including Bishop Peter Richard Kenrick. Kenrick asked Father Ambrose Heim, known for extraordinary zeal and ministry with the poor, to establish the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and be its spiritual advisor. Father Heim became known as “The Priest of the Poor.”
The Conference was formally recognized by the Society’s International Council in Paris on February 2, 1846, and would never have opened without the dedicated laypeople who accepted the initial invitation to become members and serve the poor.
With nearly 90,000 Vincentian volunteers serving their communities, today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul works in 4,428 parish-based Conferences across the United States. Our founding activity, still practiced today, is the face-to-face Encounter (also known as the Home Visit), in which Vincentians visit the homes of those they serve, to identify both immediate and longer-term needs, including emergency assistance with utilities, rent, food, and clothing.
St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660)
Founder of the Congregation of the Mission, Daughters of Charity, Confraternities of Charity, and Ladies of Charity. A man of deep faith, keen intellect, and enormous creativity, St. Vincent de Paul has become known as the “The Apostle of Charity” and “Father of the Poor.” His contributions to the training of priests and organizing parish missions and other services for the poor shaped the Church’s role in the modern world. The Feast Day of St. Vincent de Paul is September 27th.
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813 - 1853)
Founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul., Frédéric was a husband and father, professor, and servant of the poor. He founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as a young student with others of the Sorbonne in Paris. Frédéric’s writings on social justice anticipated the first social encyclical of our modern times, Rerum Novarum. The Feast Day of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam is September 9th.
St. Louise de Marillac (1591 - 1660)
A contemporary of St. Vincent, St. Louise was inspired and directed by Vincent’s spiritual leadership. She collaborated with St. Vincent in founding the Daughters of Charity and organizing hospitals for the sick poor, asylums for the orphaned, workshops for the unemployed, championing literacy for the uneducated, and establishing standards for local charities. Louise was a wife, mother, teacher, nurse, social worker, and religious foundress. The Feast Day of St. Louise de Marillac is May 9th.
Blessed Rosalie Rendu, DC (1786 - 1856)
The most Blessed Rosalie Rendu was a Daughter of Charity who served for 54 years in the Mouffetard area (the most impoverished district of Paris). Emmanuel Bailly, the President of the Society, sent the founding members of the Society to Sister Rosalie for guidance and direction. Sending the founders on Home Visits, she formed them in the spirit of St. Vincent, teaching them how to serve the poor with respect and compassion. The Feast Day of Blessed Rosalie Rendu is February 7th.
St. Catherine Laboure
St. Catherine Laboure was born May 2, 1806 in Fain-lès-Moutiers, France. When she was nine years old, her mother died, and she looked to the Blessed Virgin Mary to be her mother. She entered the Daughters of Charity on April 21, 1830. While still a novice, the Virgin Mary appeared to Catherine and asked her to have a medal struck in her honor. Because of the many miracles that resulted from devotion to it, it became known as the “Miraculous Medal.” Catherine Laboure was canonized in 1947, and is known as the patroness of seniors. The Feast Day of St. Catherine Laboure is November 28th.
St. Elizabeth Ann (Bayley) Seton
St. Elizabeth Ann (Bayley) Seton was born in New York on August 28, 1774 and was raised in the Episcopalian faith. She married William Seton, bore five children, and was widowed on December 27, 1803. After overcoming many obstacles, she converted to the Catholic faith on March 14, 1805. She dedicated her life to works of charity and education, founding the community of the Sisters of Charity in 1809. Elizabeth died in Emmitsburg, Maryland on January 4, 1821. Part of her community was united with the Daughters of Charity in Paris in 1850, and the others remained the Sisters of Charity in the United States. Elizabeth Seton was canonized as the first American saint in 1975. The Feast Day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is January 4th.
Other Society Feast Days
April (Last Sunday)
Ozanam Sunday: Frédéric Ozanam was born on April 23, 1813 in Milan, Italy. On April 23, 1833 Frédéric and six companions founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Also, St. Vincent de Paul was born on April 24, 1581. To commemorate these events, the Society in the United States celebrates the last Sunday of April as Ozanam Sunday.
June (Friday following second Sunday after Pentecost)
Feast of the Sacred Heart: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been solemnly consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus since February 5, 1872. An Act of Consecration was drawn up at the request of the Society in 1872, and this act of consecration is renewed annually by all units of the Society.
November 27 Feast of the Miraculous Medal
The medal of the Immaculate Conception was manifested to Sister Catherine Laboure in the Motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, France on November 27, 1830.
December 8 Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam had a great devotion to Mary and declared Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception the patroness of the Society.
Special Masses
Parish-based Conferences offer Mass on five occasions annually for the following intentions:
- Four intentions of the Society:
- The Church
- The sovereign Pontiff
- The United States of America
- The Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- Deceased Conference members
- The deceased poor
- The sick and troubled who seek divine help and cure through the intercession of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam
- The canonization of Frédéric Ozanam