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What is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul?
The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, also known as Conferences of Saint Vincent de Paul, was founded in Paris in 1833 by a group of young laymen. It is a Catholic voluntary organisation of lay men and women dedicated to providing personal help to people in any kind of need.
Our work is based on direct, one-to-one interaction with people in need, no matter what their origin or belief. We visit them in their own place, whether that is their home, a residential home, hospital, on the streets or in prison, wherever they are, offering our friendship as the basis for all the other help we give.
The Conferences of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, the basic units of the organisation, normally meet weekly to discuss the business of helping the poor in their own area, normally their parish. Within each conference, the members live a rich, spiritual, community life.
There are around 51,000 conferences in the world, with over 700,000 members. Working with the members, in particular tasks to help different groups of people (children, the elderly, the sick, schools, hospitals, etc.) are more than 1,500,000 volunteers, throughout the world, since there are Conferences of the SVP in 142 countries.
What is the Council General of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul?
The Council General of the Conferences of Saint Vincent represents the conferences at an international level. Its offices have been in Paris since the Society was founded in 1833.
Its work mainly involves supporting the life of the Conferences around the world, sending significant resources, according to its means, for the work provided around the world, according to need. It acts as a link between the poorest and the richest countries where the Society is represented, to support technology transfer, economic and financial help, etc., and ensures that funds are used in accordance with the authorised programmes to help the poor.
It provides the Society’s central administration, and grants the status of Conference to new groups as they are formed around the world. All of its members are volunteers, and only a small group (of ten people) is employed in the Paris office to provide the continuity of service required. |
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The Sociéty of Saint-Vincent de Paul. History, origins and development, presence in the world |
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Written by Administrator
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Saturday, 03 January 2009 10:55 |
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 From the Conference of History to the Conference of Charity
The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul was created in Paris by a group of Catholic students, called the Conference of History, led by Emmanuel Bailly, founder of the Catholic Tribune and colleague of Félicité Robert de Lammenais.
During this period, just after the revolution of July 1830, the conflict of ideas was lively. Bailly brought together some Christian students to explore questions of history, law, literature and philosophy. Among them was a young law student from Lyons, Frédéric Ozanam. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 02 March 2009 14:35 |
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St. Vincent de Paul (Biography 1581 – 1660) |
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Written by Administrator
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Friday, 02 January 2009 16:19 |
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 Vincent de Paul belonged to a society quite different from our own and quite complex, and his era, though troubled, was very dynamic. He had contacts with many people, both clergy and lay. To understand him, therefore, it is recommended that the reader consult various works concerning the 17th century. These will help understand his complex personality, his human and Christian context, and the currents of the world in which he lived.
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Last Updated on Monday, 02 March 2009 14:36 |
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Blessed Frederic Ozanam Biography (1813 – 1853) |
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 01 January 2009 16:19 |
 To beatify someone does not mean to erect a statue of the person. On the contrary, according to the Latin etymology ( beatificare = beatum facere), it means “to make happy”. Indeed, in beatifying Frederic Ozanam, the Church solemnly proclaims in the light of God and for all eternity to all of Christendom, and all youth in particular, the sanctity of the principal founder of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. At the same time we are all “made happy” because this admirable witness given by one of our brothers in Christ and in humanity fills us with joy, hope and courage. |
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Last Updated on Monday, 02 March 2009 14:37 |
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“Enfold the world in a network of charity,” such was the ambition of a handful of young men of the Romantic Period. It was the time when Victor Hugo dreamed of turning the page of classical theater, when Chateaubriand pursued his apologetics on Christianity and when the youth of France were in a seething frenzy with ideas and intellectual debates. For the young men of this time, who were rather well read and were arriving from their provinces, discovering the world as they discovered Paris, this hotbed of culture born from the uproar within the university as much as the frequenting of the elite, was obviously exhilarating.
