International History
PARIS, FRANCE
Frederic Ozanam left his home in Lyon,
France, in the autumn of
1831, for Paris.
He registered in the School of Law at the Sorbonne, University of Paris.
Frederic collaborated with Mr. Emmanuel Bailly, editor
of the Tribune Catholique, in reviving a student organization which had been
suspended during the revolutionary activity of July 1830. They called their new
association "The Conference of History." The group met on Saturdays
to discuss various topics, everything but politics.
At one of their meetings, a student challenged Frederic
and the practicing Catholics. He admitted that the Catholic Church had
done much good work in the past, but "what do you do now?"
Frederic called for a meeting of five of his friends;
they agreed to meet Mr. Bailly's office. The date was April 23,
1833, Frederic’s twentieth birthday. Inspired by words, Frederic the
seventh decided to found the "Conference of Charity" to assist the
poor. Emmanuel Bailly, the married layman, was chosen by the six students as
their first President. In a short time, they changed their name to THE SOCIETY
OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL after their patron.
Immaculate Conception
Church
619 Copper
Ave NW
Albuquerque, NM
87102
Phone: (505) 247-4271
Society of St Vincent de paul
“Embrace the World in a Network of Charity”
What is the Society of St. Vincent de
Paul?
The Mission Statement
of the Society answers the question specifically. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is composed of women and men who seek
their personal holiness by works of charity. This is one essential way that the
Society, therefore, differs from other charitable associations or agencies.
Their principal objective is not the spiritual advancement of their members as
such but the doing of good for someone.
President-General Adolpe Baudon, in his
Circular Letter of January 1, 1877, writes:
"It is laid down in our Rule, and it has been always
understood among us, that in uniting to serve our masters the poor, as St.
Vincent de Paul expresses it, our object is not only to relieve material
misery, a very laudable purpose in itself, but to aspire, especially, through
the practice of that most sublime of virtues "charity" to
render ourselves better and more fervent Christians, and to make our poor enter
on the same path, if we have the happiness of succeeding."
In his Circular
Letter of December 12, 1915, Vicomte Hendecourt, President-General writes:
"The Society has two aims: to do a great
deal of spiritual good to its members through the exercise of charity, and to
do a little spiritual and temporal good to a few poor families in the name of
Jesus Christ. If it did not continually seek to combine these two aims, it
would lose its raison dietre. If it were to seek only the holiness of its
members through pious exercises, there is no lack of Confraternities and Third
Orders to meet that need. If on the other hand, it were to seek only the relief
of the temporal miseries of the poor, it would only add one more to the list of
public and private institutions founded for that purpose."
The
Mission Statement is clear: Vincentian
ministry is a means for acquiring holiness. The ministry of a Vincentian to
those and with those who stand in need is the powerful means that affects
holiness of life for the individual Vincentian. Vatican
II states that the principal means of holiness for bishops and priests is their
ministry. This applies to the laity also. One of the reasons for this is
because, in attending to the needy and suffering, a Vincentian is ministering
to Jesus Christ himself.
What is the Vision of St. vincent de paul
Like its
founder, Frédéric Ozanam, the vision of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
is to embrace the world in a network of charity.
What are the core values of st vincent de
paul
The Society of St.
Vincent de Paul adheres to a group of core values; these are principles central
to its creed and ministry:
- The dignity of the human person
- Identification of Jesus with
the poor
- The preferential option of the
poor
- Jesus is the Evangelizer and
Servant of the poor
- Growth in intimacy with Jesus
is a life-long process
- Poverty of spirit is the
primary beatitude
- The Society is concerned with
charity and justice
- Prayer is essential: personal
and communal
- The virtue of humility:
personal and corporate
- The virtue of charity within
and outside of the Society
- Divine Providence
- Friendship
- Solidarity
- Community
- Simplicity
If you have any questions call: Immaculate Conception
Church Ph# 247-4271 and ask for Fr. Rafael
Garcia, S.J. our St Vincent de Paul Spiritual Advisor