What is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul?
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international lay organization, Catholic in character, where all are welcomed, who through personal contact seek to relieve those in need without regard to wealth, position, social status or ethnic origin. In promoting human dignity and integrity, the Society works to redress situations which adversely affect peoples’ lives and their basic rights. It consists of almost 900,000 Catholic lay persons, and is currently established in 131 countries and on all 5 continents.
Established in France in 1833, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international organization established by Frederic Ozanam, a law student at the Sorbonne University. Named after St. Vincent de Paul, the patron saint of Christian charity, the Society was founded to alleviate human suffering and aid the poor in meeting their basic needs.
“The Society of St. Vincent de Paul offers tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. It is this personalized involvement that makes the work of the Society unique. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or often through direct dollar or in-kind service. An essential precept of the Society’s work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served. The Society recognizes that it must assume, also, a role of advocacy for those who are defenseless or voiceless. Some 12 million persons are helped annually by Vincentians in the United States. “The list of services of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States is endless. No work of charity is foreign to the Society. To quote our patron, St. Vincent de Paul: “Charity is infinitely inventive.” President-General Adolpe Baudon, in his Circular Letter of January 1, 1877, writes: “It is laid down in our Rule, and it has been always und
