About St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent devoted his life to provide relief to the poor. Born to a poor family in a French village, St. Vincent (1581-1660) received a formal education from the Franciscans, a religious order of the Catholic Church. He did so well, a wealthy family hired him to tutor their children. He used his earnings to continue his formal studies in theology. He was ordained in 1600.
As chaplain to a count, St. Vincent was trusted to distribute money to the deserving poor. He devoted his life preaching missions to and providing relief to the poor, establishing hospitals. He founded the Congregation of the Mission, a community of priests and brothers. He also co-founded the Daughters of Charity, a lay institute of women, to help in this work. He also founded a religious institute to better prepare men for the priesthood.
He was canonized in 1737. He is considered the patron saint of all works of charity, hospitals and volunteers, and is sometimes referred to as “The Apostle of Charity” and “The Father of the Poor.” Sept. 27 is his Feast Day.
About Blessed Frédéric Ozanam
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, whose academic works helped shape Catholic social doctrine, founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 1833 with friends.
The Society originated in Paris when Frédéric was challenged to show what the Church was doing for the poor in their city. He invited five friends to walk the streets of Paris with him, engaging in person-to-person ministry to the poor, confident that Christ would be revealed through their loving acts. The Society was placed under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul, the well-known saint of Christian charity who lived in France two centuries earlier.
The tiny group eventually grew into today’s international organization with nearly 1 million members of the laity in about 150 countries, all helping others through neighborhood ministry.