The Society of St Vincent de Paul is a worldwide Christian charitable organisation of lay people.
It was established in 1833 by a young French student called Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam who, troubled with the social conditions of the day, decided that the best way to help the vulnerable people of Paris was by direct action.
He formed the Society and named it after St Vincent the patron saint of charity. The Society quickly grew and in 1844 the first Irish branch was formed in Dublin by several enthusiasts including Dr Bartholomew Woodlock.  | Founding member of the Society in Ireland in 1844 |
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Dr Bartholomew Woodlock 1819-1902 |
In 1848 the first branch in the north of Ireland was established in Enniskillen. By 1900 fifty conferences had spread across the northern counties of Ireland.
Today there are 185 conferences in the Northern Region and almost 1,000 conferences throughout Ireland with 9,000 volunteers.
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| Frédéric Ozanam 1813 - 1853 Founder of Society
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| St Vincent de Paul 1581 - 1660 Patron of Society
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In 1617, St Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac organised the first Daughters of Charity to assist with the work of helping the poor of Paris. By 1633 their numbers had grown to the extent that the Congregation of the Sisters of Charity was born.
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Louise de Marillac 1581 - 1625 | Sr Rosalie Rendu 1786 - 1856 |
200 years later, when Frédéric Ozanam chose to help the poor within their own homes, he turned to Sr Rosalie Rendu, a Daughter of Charity, for help and advice. Since that day the Daughters of Charity and the Society of St Vincent de Paul have worked closely together in the service of the needy around the world.  Learn more about Sr Rosalie Rendu...Here...
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Helping people in needThe Society is committed to helping those in need, regardless of religious beliefs or lifestyle. We are a worldwide charitable Christian organisation with membership open to all and any.
We seek to co-operate in making a more just and compassionate society. We do this by sharing ourselves - who we are and what we have - with people in need on a person to person basis. Our aim is to work to develop opportunities for those most in need by respecting their dignity, sharing hope and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny.
Home visitation is the cornerstone of our work. Every week around 2,600 visits are carried out throughout Northern Ireland and spiritual, financial and material assistance offered to the needy.
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The volunteers (members and auxiliaries) manage the organisation through decision making groups called councils and conferences.
- A conference is a group of people from your local community who come together to help in their area.
- Local members are available to help people in need, and they do this through visiting and supporting people in their homes, hospitals, hostels and prisons.
- Examples of the financial and material help offered include; cash assistance, food & clothing, fuel, furniture & electrical items, debt relief, travel vouchers, toys and holidays.
see our latest Annual Report 'here'  167kb
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