 Blessed Frédéric Ozanam | |
| Named after | St.Vincent de Paul |
|---|---|
| Founded | April 23, 1833; 192 years ago (1833-04-23)[2] |
| Founder | BlessedFrédéric Ozanam[3] Mr. Emmanuel Bailly |
| Focus | Sanctification of members through service of the poor[5] |
Area served | 155 countries[4] |
| Members | 800,000[4] |
Superior General | Fr. Bertin Sanon, R.S.V.[1] |
| Volunteers | 1.5 million[4] |
| Website | ssvpglobal.org |
| Remarks | Slogan:serviens in spe |
TheSociety of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP orSVdP or SSVP) is an international voluntary organization in theCatholic Church, founded in 1833 for the sanctification of its members by personal service of the poor. Started byFrédéric Ozanam andEmmanuel-Joseph Bailly de Surcy and named afterVincent de Paul, the organization is part of the globalVincentian Family of Catholic organizations.
Innumerable Catholic parishes have established "conferences", most of which affiliate with a diocesan council. Among its varied efforts to offer material help to the poor or needy, the Society also hasthrift stores or "op shops" which sell donated goods at a low price and raise money for the poor.[6] There are a great variety of outreach programs sponsored by the local conferences and councils, addressing local needs for social services.[2]
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded in 1833 to help impoverished people living in the slums of Paris, France.[7] The primary figure behind the Society's founding wasBlessedFrédéric Ozanam, a French lawyer, author, and professor in theSorbonne. Frédéric collaborated with Emmanuel Bailly, editor of theTribune Catholique, in reviving a student organization which had been suspended during the revolutionary activity of July 1830. Ozanam was 20 years old when he founded the Society.[8] He was beatified byPope John Paul II in 1997.[9] Emmanuel Bailly was chosen as the first President.
The Society tookSaint Vincent de Paul as its patron under the influence of SisterRosalie Rendu, DC. Sister Rosalie, beatified in November 1999 by Pope John Paul II, was a member of theDaughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, earlier known for her work with people in the slums of Paris. She guided Frédéric and his companions in their approach towards those in need.[10]
SVP gradually expanded outside Paris in the mid-19th century and received benefactors in places such asTours where figures such as the VenerableLeo Dupont, known as theHoly Man of Tours, became collaborators.[11]
The Society is part of theVincentian Family which also includes two congregations founded by St. Vincent de Paul – theCongregation of the Mission with Vincentian priests and brothers and the Ladies of Charity – along with theSisters of Charity in the Setonian tradition and several others, including some religious groups that are part of theAnglican Communion like theCompany of Mission Priests.[10][2]
Venerable Fr.Ignatius Spencer from London came to know the Society during his visits to Paris. ParisianrAdolphe Baudon [fr], who would assume the presidency of the society in 1847, visited London in 1842 and persuaded Spencer to write about the Society in theCatholic Magazine. Then in January 1844 M. Pagliano, a London restaurateur and recent convert to Catholicism, gathered together 13 Catholic men and the first English SVP conference was founded.[12] Early initiatives included the formation of the Catholic Shoe Black Brigade, providing boys with gainful employment and the first home of "the Rescue Society" which under various names still offers child care in many dioceses.[13]
In 2013 there were more than 10,000 members in more than 1,000 Conferences in the United Kingdom, making over 500,000 recorded visits annually to more than 100,000 people.[13]
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The Society's first Conference in the United States was established in 1845 inSt. Louis, Missouri, at theBasilica of St. Louis King of France, or "Old Cathedral".Fr. John Timon, CM, had learned of the Society while visiting with his Vincentian superiors in Paris. FromDublin, Ireland, he brought to St. Louis copies of the SVP Rule. On 16 November 1845, BishopPeter Richard Kenrick dedicated the new St. Vincent de Paul church on South Eighth Street and invited Timon to preach. Timon discussed the Society in his sermon,[14] in the presence of prominent laymen who took hold of the idea and held an organizational meeting on 20 November 1845. The Conference included Moses Linton, founder of theSt. Louis Medical and Surgical Journal, and as chair JudgeBryan Mullanphy who would become mayor of St. Louis.[15] Bishop Kenrick appointed Fr. Ambrose Heim as spiritual advisor to the Conference.[16]
Gerald Ward was born in London in 1806 and was recruited for theMelbourne mission by the pioneering father, later bishop,Patrick Geoghegan. Ward was familiar with SVP from London and, observing the plight of the poor after theVictorian gold rush, established the Society in Australia in 1854. Ward served as its first president and helped establish the SVP orphanage in South Melbourne.[17]
In March 2023,Mark Gaetani was officially inducted as the 18th National Council President by ArchbishopChristopher Prowse atSt Christopher's Cathedral, Manuka inCanberra, Australian Capital Territory, taking over from Claire Victory.[18]
Fr. Chataigner, SM, established the first Conference in New Zealand in July 1867, but did not affiliate with the Council-General in Paris. The first to affiliate was theWellington Conference founded in 1908 by Fr. Petitjean, SM, and Charles O'Neill, followed by other Conferences out of Wellington.[19][20]
Charles O'Neill was born in Glasgow in 1828. He graduated as a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers. Upon graduation he had joined the Society of St Vincent de Paul. He was secretary at Dumbarton in 1851. He led the St Vincent de Paul Society in the Western Districts of Scotland between 1859 and 1863. By 1863 he was president of the Superior Council of Glasgow and a member of the Council-General in Paris.[21]
The Society was first introduced inIndia by the French Missionaries atPondicherry during the Year 1852–53 as a non-aggregated Conference. The Society was officially started inIndia in 1863 when some conferences inBombay were aggregated and the Bombay Particular Council was instituted. Then onwards the Society continued to grow inIndia. On 09.11.1953 the Superior Council of India was established and instituted with the Council General International. The Superior Council of India was renamed as National Council of India on 06.08.1973. The National Council of India has its Headquarters in Mumbai and the present President’s secretariat is at Chennai, Tamil Nadu with the election of Bro. S. Jude ZR Mangalraj as the 14th National President of India with effect from 28th February 2021.
The National Council of India is registered under the Income Tax Act 1961 with exemption under Sec 80G, FCRA under the ministry of Home Affairs and Societies Regn. Act and Bombay Public Trust Act 1950.
The Society numbers about 800,000 members in some 140 countries worldwide, whose members operate through "conferences".[4] A Conference may be based out of a church, school, community center, hospital, etc., and is composed of Catholic volunteers who pursue their own Christian growth in the service of the poor. Some Conferences exist without affiliating with any local Council, and so are not counted in statistics. Non-Catholics may join and the Society serves all regardless of their personal beliefs.[4]
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded inDublin on 16 December 1844.[22] It is now the largest voluntary charitable organisation in Ireland, making it one of Ireland's best known and most widely supported organisations of social concern and action. It has over 11,500 volunteers, active in every county in Ireland.[23] During its history it has helped people in need through a famine, a civil war, a war of independence, two world wars, and several economic recessions.[24]
In Australia, "Vinnies" workers and volunteers number about 39,000 in 2025,[25] down from 58,000 the decade before.[26] Works include conferences, Special Works, and Vinniesop shops,[27] assisting over 1,800,000 people in Australia each year.[25]
In 1996, Ozcare was established as a special work of the society. It provides aged care and disability centres and services.[28]
In 2018, the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland was named as one of theQueensland Greats byQueensland PremierAnnastacia Palaszczuk in a ceremony at theQueensland Art Gallery on 8 June 2018.[29]
In New Zealand, SVP operates in 23 regions with over 50 shops which serve as centres for welfare service, including food banks and food trucks. Most Catholic schools have Young Vinnies who help with fundraising and with training for dealing directly with the poor. The work is varied, following the Vinnie motto: "No act of charity is foreign to the society."[30]
The national headquarters is in St. Louis. Membership in the United States in 2015 exceeded 97,000 in 4,400 communities. Expenditures to people in poverty were $473,821,563. Programs include visits to homes, prisons, and hospitals, housing assistance, disaster relief, job training and placement, food pantries, dining halls, clothing, transportation and utility costs, care for the elderly, and medicine.[31] Revenue is raised through a large network of thrift stores.[32]
One of the working companies isAurora Glass Foundry thatrecycles scrap glass and turns it into various decorative glass products for sale.[33]
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The first Conference of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in Monaco was created in 1876.The Conference of the immaculate Conception of Monaco-City whose commemorative plaque is on the Place de la Visitation, thanks among others to Monsieur Thheuret, Apostolic Protonotary in Monaco and to Mr Gastaldi, Mayor of Monaco. Mr. Theuret was appointed first Honorary President. The Vice-President of Honor being the Marquis de la Riva, first Chambellan of the Sovereign Prince.
The first active President was Lieutenant Plati. The Sovereign Prince, Prince Charles III, was one of the first benefactors. At the time, the Immaculate Conception Conference was attached to the Particular Council of the Nice Conferences.
St. Vincent de Paul Society in Monaco is located on 32 Rue Grimaldi, in theCondamine neighbourhood.
Saints
Blesseds
The St. Vincent de Paul Society runs charity shops in many countries including Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Ireland, and Canada. These shops are organized by local chapters inSt. Louis,[34]Cincinnati area with 7,[35]Omaha, Nebraska,[36]Dayton, Ohio,[37]Des Moines, Iowa,[38] Florida,[32] California,[32]Baton Rouge,[39]Pennsylvania with 24,[32]Western Oregon,[32]Georgia,[32]Arizona,[40]Idaho,[41] andWestern Washington.[42] Items from clothing to automobiles are sold for a small price, often with home pick-up for large items. Money, and many times donated items, are distributed to the poor.[43]
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