A cholera plague struck Paris in
1832. Overcrowding and unsanitary conditions caused the disease
to spread rapidly through the slum areas, killing thousands of men,
women and children. The ravages of this deadly disease would be
felt for decades.
A number of organizations were formed to help the poor
during this period of migration, plague and poverty. Followers of Saint-Simon,
utopian socialists, formed societies of laborers to give strength to
the workers' demands for decent working conditions and a living wage. This
movement attracted many college students, most of whom were self-proclaimed
atheists.
The followers of Saint-Simon accused Ozanam and all
Catholics of avoiding their responsibilities toward the poor by putting
that burden on religious orders and then "washing their hands" of the
problem. They challenged Ozanam to demonstrate his Catholic faith in
action - to "do something - show us your works."
These words - this challenge - haunted Frederic Ozanam.
Although he and several of his friends had been helping Sister Rosalie
Rendu and other Daughters of Charity care for the plague-stricken poor,
he saw the need to organize laymen to assist the religious in caring
for the poor.
On April 23, 1833, Frederic Ozanam, August LaTaillandier,
Paul Lamache, Felix Clave and Jules DeVaux held the first meeting of
the Conference of Charity - later renamed the Society of St. Vincent
de Paul.
The Society quickly spread throughout Europe. The first American
Council was established in 1845 in St. Louis, MO. Today, there are over
800,000 Vincentians worldwide helping the poor in 133 nations.
The Society's mission is to aid the poor through personal
service - a mission that is as true today as it was back in the 1800s.
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