SHORT HISTORY

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international Christian lay voluntary organization dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing practical assistance to those in need – irrespective of ideology, faith, ethnicity, age or gender. The vision of SSVP is to be a global catholic charity organization providing aid, development and hope to the poor and the marginalized.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded in 1833 to help impoverished people living in the slums of Paris, France. Blessed Frederic Ozanam, the founder of the Society was a French lawyer, author, and professor in the Sorbonne. He was only 20 years old when he founded the society. Frederic Ozanam was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

The Society took the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Vincent de Paul as its patrons under the influence of Sister Rosalie Rendu who guided Frederic and his companions in their approach towards those in need. She was beatified in November 2003 by Pope John Paul II. The Society is an accredited UN NGO and has presence in Newyork, Geneva and UNESCO in Paris.