Our Heritage

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) is one of many organizations, both lay and religious, whose members throughout the world, together inspired by the spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul, form a single Vincentian Family.

The Vincentian Family marks its beginning in 1617, when St. Vincent de Paul, inspired by receiving the confession of a poor farmer, founded the Congregation of the Mission. That same year he would establish the first Confraternity of Charity, and just a few years later, along with St. Louise de Marillac, the Daughters of Charity.

For more than 400 years, members of the Vincentian Family have dedicated themselves to serving Christ in the person of His poor, and to loving God, in Vincent’s words, “with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brows.” Gratefully remembering the support and encouragement the first Conference received from Blessed Rosalie Rendu, a Daughter of Charity, the Society maintains and develops close relationships with other branches of the Vincentian family.

Through the inspiration and leadership of our Founders: St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marrilac, Blessed Rosalie Rendu, and Blessed Frederic Ozanam our Vincentian Family Tree has a strong foundation and has blossomed for over 400 years.

There are many organizations, perhaps hundreds, that continue the work and charism of St. Vincent de Paul, including:

• Congregation of the Mission was officially founded by St. Vincent in 1625, but dates its birth to the homily he gave at Folleville on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul in 1617. Today, there are some 4,000 missionaries (priests and brothers) serving in 80 countries throughout the world.
• Ladies of Charity, founded by St. Vincent as the Confraternities of Charity in 1617, is an organization of lay women dedicated to serving the poor. Globally, they are organized as the International Association of Charity (AIC) with over 250,000 members.
• Daughters of Charity, founded by St. Louise de Marillac and St. Vincent de Paul in 1633, their motto is: “The charity of Jesus crucified impels us.” Currently there are approximately 17,000 Daughters serving in 90 countries around the world.
• Sisters of Charity, founded by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1809. Overall, the Sisters of Charity Federation counts some 4,000 members in North America.
• Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP), with over 800,000 members in 150 countries worldwide, was founded by Blessed Frédéric Ozanam in Paris in 1833.

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. Shortly thereafter, they changed their name to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in honor of their patron saint.

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.” The Conference was formally recognized by the Society’s International Council in Paris on February 2, 1846, and was opened by the dedicated laypeople who accepted the initial invitation to become members and serve the poor.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) has over 800, 000 members and 1.5 million volunteers operating in more than 150 countries worldwide. In the United States alone, the organization includes about 90,000 volunteer members (known as Vincentians).

Vincentians serve their communities, today in over 5,000 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.