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Society of St. Vincent de Paul
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In 1833, a 19-year-old college student, Frederic Ozanam, and his friends, began serving the poor in Paris, France. This was the beginning of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Today, there are more than 777,000 members serving in 149 countries around the world.
The Society came to the United States in 1845 and a Conference was formed in St. Louis, Missouri. The first presence of the Society in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston began in 1871. Currently, there are 58 Conferences operating throughout the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston linked by the common mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
The three goals of a Conference are the spiritual growth of the members, developing friendship among the members and with those in need, and serving people with compassion, generosity, and respect. The vocation of the Society’s members, who are called Vincentians, is to follow Christ through service to those in need and so bear witness to His compassionate and liberating love.
The core of Vincentian activity is the home visit, where two members of the Society go to the home of an individual or family to talk with them, pray with them, assess their needs, give referrals and provide assistance, such as paying an electric bill or providing food. Most often, the assistance given is temporary to help an individual or family over a “bump in the road." In certain cases, the Conference may commit to a longer period of assistance to help lift a family out of a continuing struggle that has a foreseeable end.
Our mission is to bring men and women together to grow spiritually while providing them an opportunity to live the Gospel values and challenge them as people of faith. Our Vincentian members are drawn from every ethnic and cultural background, age group and economic level. They are a group united by their spirit of poverty, humility and sharing, which is nourished by prayer, reflection, supportive gatherings and adherence to a basic rule.
Vincentians witness God’s love by embracing all works of charity and justice. The Society collaborates with other people of good will in relieving needs and addressing its causes, making no distinction in those served, because in them Vincentians see the face of Christ.