St. Vincent de Paul was the inspiration though not the founder of the society that bears his name. He was born in the late 16th century in France, became a priest for perhaps the wrong reasons, but then allowed God to transform him into a champion for the poor and oppressed.
The society bearing Vincent's name was founded in Paris by Frederic Ozanam in 1833. Frederic was a 20 year old university student troubled by attitudes prevalent in post-revolution France. He believed that the idealistic vision popular among his fellow students of utopian secular communities would not be successful because it lacked the Christian principles of love and mercy. Challenged to practice his beliefs, Frederic gathered a few other students with beliefs similar to his and together they pooled their money and began delivering groceries to the shut-ins in the poverty-stricken streets of Paris.
This concept, as simple as it was, proved to be powerful and produced a movement which grew rapidly. Within a year there were more than 100 members. Eleven short years later, the society had spread to the United States and by 1853, the year Frederic died at age 40, the society could boast 2000 conferences, 500 of which were outside of France. On August 22, 1997, Frederic Ozanam was beatified by Pope John Paul II at the cathedral in Paris.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul continues to serve the poor in over 150 countries in all areas of the world.