Mission and History of SVdP
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St. Vincent de Paul
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Frederick Ozanam
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Mission Statement of our St. Vincent de Paul Conference:
To grow in spirituality and show the love of Christ by serving those in need through the various programs offered by our local Conference.Mission Statement of the St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store:
To provide goods at an affordable price to those in need.
Area Parishes our Conference Represents:
St. Mary of the Assumption
Lancaster
St. Mark
Lancaster
St. Bernadette
Lancaster
St. Joseph
Sugar Grove
History of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul:
Origin of the International Society
Responding to a challenge made in a debate in which he had recently participated, Frederick Ozanam, a 20 year old student at the Sorbonne, organized a small group of people his own age, for the purpose of aiding the poor and disadvantaged. Because this work was in keeping with the tradition of St. Vincent de Paul, the group chose the saint as their patron, and thus the St.Vincent de Paul Society was founded in 1833 in Paris, France.
Frederick Ozanam
The program was such that it appealed to a large segment of the Catholic youth, and as a result, the group grew very rapidly. In just a short time, groups were forming in the provinces of France, and by 1842, just 9 years after its founding, the movement had reached Rome.
The Society continued to spread – England in 1844; Belgium and Ireland in 1845; and to Germany, Holland, Greece, Turkey, Mexico, and the United States in 1846; and to Switzerland and Canada in 1847.
Later on, it became necessary to form a governing body, called a Council General, to link the various conferences of the world. A set of regulations, or rules, was drawn up, and forwarded to all existing conferences in order to cover the broadening scope of the Society’s work. The Council General is located in Paris, France and the National Headquarters for the Society in the United States is located in St. Louis, Missouri.
Among the early works of the Society were such things as visits to the poor in their homes, libraries, rent banks, probation work, visiting the sick in hospitals and inmates in prisons, legal and secretarial services, and much more. It is not surprising therefore, that the Society adopted the motto:
“NO WORK OF CHARITY IS FOREIGN TO THE SOCIETY”