"The poor alone demand
your time; treat them with gentleness, with tenderness,
with love. They are the nobility of heaven."...
St. Vincent de Paul
History
of the Society and Detroit
THE
SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL: A THUMBNAIL SKETCH
1833 The Society of St. Vincent
de Paul was founded in Paris, France, when a small
group of Catholic students at the University of
Paris led by Frederic Ozanam
was challenged about what the Church had ever
done for the poor. When they responded vigorously
to the challenge, they were questioned about what
they themselves were doing. After weeks of discussion
and reflection, the students decided to organize
and visit people in need in their homes. They
recognized the responsibility of lay Catholic
people to minister to others through personal
contact. A short time later, they dedicated the
Society to the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul.
The founders’ goals were:
- to witness to the teachings of the Gospel
- to develop their own spirituality
- to relieve the suffering of people
in need.
Frederic Ozanam went on to lead
an exemplary life as a husband, father, college
professor and actively involved Vincentian. He
died at age 40 in 1853. In 1997 he was declared
Blessed by the Catholic Church.
1845 The first U.S.
Conference was founded in St. Louis,
Missouri. Father (later Bishop) John Timon “discovered”
the Society of St. Vincent de Paul during a visit
to Ireland and brought back a copy of the Rule
to St. Louis Archbishop Peter Kenrick. The Archbishop
sought the assistance of Father Ambrose Heim to
help recruit laymen to organize a Conference of
the Society at the cathedral parish. The Conference
officially became part of the International Society
within three months.
1884 The first permanent Conference
within the Archdiocese of Detroit began at Ss.
Peter and Paul Jesuit Parish. From there it spread
rapidly to other parishes and before the end of
the 19th century, the Particular (diocesan-wide)
Council of Detroit was formally recognized by
the International Society.
THE PATRON: St. Vincent de Paul
(1580-1660) was selected as patron because he
not only ministered personally to people in need
but also organized religious and lay women and
men in ministries of service. All the groups he
organized have survived to the present day except
for the laymen’s organization, which did
not survive the French Revolution. Its demise
provided the opportunity for the fledgling group
organized by Frederic Ozanam and fellow students
in 1833.
THE PHILOSOPHY: In the words
of the Society’s Mission Statement, the
Society “leads women and men to join together
to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person
service to the needy and suffering in the tradition
of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and patron,
St. Vincent de Paul.” Vincentians strive
to be open and flexible to the needs they encounter:
“No work of charity is foreign to the Society.”
From its earliest days the Society has made no
distinctions based on religious affiliation; “need,
not creed” determines who is helped.
LEADERSHIP is provided by volunteer
lay Catholic men and women.
FUNDS come from Poor Boxes,
special collections, members’ secret collections
at meetings, Conference fundraisers, special gifts
and bequests. In some cases the parish appropriates
funds from the parish budget for the Conference.
“Seed money” for new Conferences is
available through SVDP District Councils. Other
Conferences sometimes assist through the traditional
Vincentian practice of “twinning.”
Conference funds are banked separately from parish
funds in an account with the U.S. Society’s
tax I.D. number.
The poor alone demand your time; treat them
with gentleness, with tenderness, with love. They
are the nobility of heaven. St. Vincent de Paul
©
2005 St. Vincent de Paul - Detroit