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September 9, 2023By Maury Bois, Council President, St. Vincent De Paul of Southern Arizona
QUESTION: What do St. Vincent de Paul and former U.S. President Jimmy Carter have in common?
ANSWER: Both these well-known individuals are often credited with founding service organizations they did not actually start. Many people believe Jimmy Carter founded Habitat for Humanity, but the organization was actually established in 1976 by Millard Dean Fuller and his wife, Linda. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was started in 1833, almost 175 years after the death of St. Vincent de Paul. The significance of the answers above become extremely clear to Vincentians during the month of September when we celebrate the feast days of two of the most important figures in our Society’s history.
On September 9th, we celebrate the feast day of Blessed Frederick Ozanam, the founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Frederick was born on April 23rd, 1813. He was a bright student and devout Catholic. He was sent to study law at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. After being challenged by a detractor of the faith to demonstrate what good the church was doing socially in France, Frederick and six of his companions formed the “Conference of Charity” with the aim of living their Catholic faith by seeking out and serving the poor of Paris. A year after its founding, their group changed their name to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, after the great French priest who dedicated his life to the poor. Frederick lived a short life and died at the age of forty. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, however, has lived on since 1833 and is now established in 157 countries around the world and boasts almost one million members.
On September 27, our Society celebrates the feast day of our namesake and patron saint, St. Vincent de Paul. Born on April 24th, 1581, Vincent was ordained a priest in September 1600 at the age of 19. He was assigned to a poor, rural parish, and quickly recognized the extent of the misery suffered by those living in poverty. He devoted the rest of his life to serving the poor. He worked tirelessly to alleviate suffering and his efforts impacted the treatment of prisoners, galley slaves, orphans, and many others in need. He also established the Daughters of Charity, the first order of non-cloistered nuns, and an order of priests (Congregation of the Mission), both dedicated to serving the poor. St. Vincent is also credited with laying the foundation of France’s social service system. St. Vincent died in Paris on September 27th, 1660, at the age of eighty. It is said that on the day he died, all the church bells in Paris pealed, and a statue, painting or plaque dedicated to this amazing saint can be found in most of the Catholic churches in France even today.
As modern-day Vincentians, we continue the work these two great men began centuries ago and are proud to recognize their lives and celebrate their contributions to our Catholic faith and the history of our Society during the month of September.
The Tucson Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is comprised of 35 parish conferences (volunteer groups) located across the entire southern part of Arizona. The members of these conferences provided in excess of $5.4 million in food and other assistance to those in need.
If you are interested in finding out more about The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and joining with us in our mission of serve those in need, please contact the St. Vincent conference in your parish or call Maury Bois at the main council office at 520-628-7837.
Our needs are great! If you would like to help us to further help our neighbors in need, please follow the link to the home page where you can make a financial gift or donate goods to our Thrift Stores.