HISTORY

History

"HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME,
BELIEVES NOT IN ME; BUT THE
ONE WHO SENT ME."
JOHN 12:44-45

"IT IS SELDOM NECESSARY TO
BLOW OUT A NEIGHBOR'S
CANDLE IN ORDER FOR YOUR
OWN TO SHINE."

WE ALL HAVE GIFTS!

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded in
1833 by Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year-old student
of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France.
Challenged to "practice what they preach",
Frederic and a group of fellow students sought out
the poor of Paris in their homes and brought them
bread, clothes, and most importantly, friendship.

This small group took as their Patron the great
French priest, St. Vincent de Paul. Similar groups
began to form in Paris, and then spread
throughout France, and eventually throughout the
Christian world. In 1845, the first U.S. Conference
was formed in St. Louis, Missouri.

The first Conference in Omaha, Nebraska, was
founded on December 29, 1869.

Our History, SVDP USA National Site

(mp) Updated OCTOBER, 2011

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