St Vincent de Paul

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA is a Catholic lay organization that leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering, in the tradition of founder Blessed Frédéric Ozanam and patron St. Vincent de Paul. Its National Council supports 4,000+ local Councils and Conferences throughout the United States. Members, known as Vincentians, serve more than 5 million people annually in rural, suburban, and urban communities across the United States, and SVdP of the United States provides more than $1.7 billion in aid to more than 5 million people every year. Its works include rental assistance and homelessness prevention, thrift stores and food pantries, disaster recovery, and charitable pharmacies.

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. 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. 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. Just 12 years after its founding in France, the Society 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." Father John Timon, an American Vincentian priest from Pennsylvania, brought copies of the Rule of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul from Dublin, Ireland, to St. Louis, and spoke with various people about the Society's work with the poor, including Bishop Peter Richard Kenrick.

A Catholic lay organization providing person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering, believing everyone deserves a fair chance at a bright future regardless of income or life circumstances.

Product categories. thrift stores · food pantries · rental assistance · homelessness prevention · disaster recovery · charitable pharmacies

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