Our History

When did the St Vincent de Paul Society come to Australia? 

The first Society Conference in Australia was established in Melbourne in 1854, led by Father Gerald Ward. Since then, the Society has spread to every State and Territory, and continues to serve thousands of Australians every single day.  

When did the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland start? 

The first Queensland conference was created in 1894 in Red Hill in Brisbane’s north. The Red Hill Conference was formed to help people and families impacted by the 1893 Brisbane floods. This event marked the first of many instances of providing disaster relief. There have been countless times since where our members, staff and volunteers have been there to assist those in need in the aftermath of natural disaster.  

St Vincent de Paul Founder – Blessed Frederic Ozanam  

Frederic Ozanam was born in Milan, Italy on 23 April 1813, during the time when the city was part of France. He grew up in Lyon, France, was home-schooled until nine, and then attended the Royal Academy of Lyon. Studious from a young age, Frederic started to write prose and poetry on a wide range of subjects and pursued further education with his family support.   

Frederic enrolled in the School of Law at the Sorbonne in Paris. He joined a study-discussion group on Saturdays, called the Conference of History. This time of study led him to deepen his faith and to pursue greater ways of practicing his faith by serving others. On his 20th birthday, in 1833, Frederic and five other college students and friends met in the Catholic newspaper offices of owner and editor Mr Emmanuel Bailly. They organised a Conference of Charity, which later became the Society of St Vincent de Paul.  

Frederic continued his academic work and ministering to the poor. As a confrere of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, he made home visits to people experiencing the most radical forms of poverty. During this life, and with the inclusion and leadership of many other likeminded Conference members, the Society kept expanding in France and throughout the world.  

Frederic died from Bright’s disease in Marseille, France on 8 September 1853, at the age of 40.  

St Vincent de Paul Founder – Blessed Rosalie Rendu  

Jeanne Marie Rendu (later called Sister Rosalie Rendu) was born 9 September 1786, in Confort, France. Jeanne was only three years old when the French Revolution started in France. As a teenager, she was introduced to the work of the Daughters of Charity in a local hospital. Their witness and care for the sick inspired Jeanne and she soon felt called by God to become a Daughter of Charity. 

At the age of 16, Jeanne entered the formation program for the Daughters of Charity and received the name Rosalie. One of her first appointments was to the house of the Daughters of Charity in the Mouffetard District of Paris, and there she remained for 54 years. She opened a free clinic, a pharmacy, a school, an orphanage, a childcare centre, a home for the elderly, and a youth club for young workers.  

Her service to people experiencing extreme poverty and neglect was renowned across the city and country. She became known as the “Good Mother of All,” as well as helped Frederic Ozanam and his friends in the early beginnings of the St Vincent de Paul Society.  

She died on 7 February 1856. 

St Vincent de Paul 

Vincent de Paul was born on 24 April 1581 in the small French town of Pouy (later renamed Saint Vincent de Paul in his honour). He came from a farming family and was encouraged to apply himself to study. He ordained as a priest in 1600 at the age of 19. 

As a young man, he ministered to the wealthy and powerful. However, an appointment as chaplain to a poor parish, and to galley prisoners, inspired him to a vocation of working with those most marginalised and powerless. He is the founder of the Congregation of the Mission (Lazarists or Vincentians) whose mission is to follow Christ by evangelising those people who are poor. He also cofounded the Daughters of Charity (Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul) in 1633 with St Louise de Marillac.  

Vincent de Paul died in Paris on 27 September 1660 at the age of 79. He was canonised on 16 June 1737 and in 1883, the Church designated him as the special patron of all charitable associations. 

The Society was named after Saint Vincent de Paul and follows his teachings and compassion for people in need. Saint Vincent de Paul is the international patron of the Society. 

St Louise de Marillac  

Born on 12 August 1591 in Paris, France, Louise was part of the wealthy and powerful de Marillac family. The circumstances of her birth were complex with a mother that she never met, and a father who loved her dearly and died when she was 12. She desired to join a religious order from a young age but was refused admission.  

At age 22, she married Antoine de Gras, secretary to Queen Marie de Médicis of France, by whom she had a son, Michel. Widowed in 1625, guidance from Vincent de Paul led her to undertake charitable works. She trained women in the spiritual life and taught and organised them to assist people in need. 

In 1633, she founded the Daughters of Charity with Vincent de Paul. Being neither cloistered nor called nuns, their concept pioneered in bringing women into religious service outside the convent context. Indeed, the congregation was the first non-cloistered religious institute of women devoted to active charitable works.  

Louise de Marillac was canonised in 1934 and declared patroness of social workers in 1960. 

St Vincent de Paul Founder – Fr Gerald Ward  

Fr Gerald Ward, a priest who lived from 1806 to 1858, started the first St Vincent De Paul Conference in Australia, at St Francis’ Church, Melbourne.  

Gerald Archbold Ward was born in London in 1806, the son of Irish immigrants to England. He arrived in Australia on 7 September 1850 after accepting the opportunity to minister in the growing, but under-resourced, Melbourne mission. 

Fr Ward was familiar with workings of the St Vincent de Paul Society in London. He initiated its establishment in Australia at St Francis' Church on 5 March 1854. He became the first president of the St Francis' Conference and began to address the problems he saw, such as the increased number of children who were experiencing homelessness, neglect, or the loss of parents. 

Gerald Ward died on 14 January 1858, aged 52. A newspaper noted that “he was one in whom many a widow and orphan had found a good friend.” While the Conference lapsed after his death, the work continued through the establishment of the St Vincent De Paul Orphanage, and the eventual spread of the Society in Australia throughout the late 1800s.