Contact

Peter Kwee 01872 271404

History

The St. Vincent de Paul Society was founded in Paris in 1833 by a group of young laymen, led by Frederick Oznam (beatified in 1977) to address the needs of the poor. They took as their inspiration and Patron, the Apostle of Charity, St. Vincent who, two centuries earlier, had founded the Order of the Daughters of Charity. They set up orphanages and soup kitchens to alleviate the conditions prevalent in France at that time. The Society rapidly spread globally and today is active in 140 countries.