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About THE FOUNDERS
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
(1581-1660)
St. Vincent de Paul was founder of the congregation of the Mission, Daughters of Charity, Confraternities of Charity, and Ladies of Charity. A man of deep faith, keen intellect, and enormous creativity, he has become known as the “The Apostle of Charity“ and “Father of the Poor.“ His contributions to the training of priests and organizing parish missions and other services for the poor shaped our Church’s role in the modern world.
ST. LOUISE DE MARILLAC
(1591-1660)
St. Louise de Marillac, a contemporary of St. Vincent, was inspired and directed by Vincent’s spiritual leadership. She was Vincent’s collaborator in founding the Daughters of Charity and organizing hospitals for the sick and poor, asylums for the orphaned, workshops for the unemployed, championing literacy for the uneducated, and establishing standards for local charities. Louise was a wife, mother, teacher, nurse, social worker, and religious foundress.
FREDERIC OZANAM
(1811-1853)
Blessed Frederic Ozanam was founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Frederic was a husband and father, professor and servant of the poor. Sister Rosalie Rendu, a Daughter of Charity, is considered a mentor of Frederic and of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as she taught the first members the art of helping the poor and the sick. Frederic’s writings on social justice preceeded the first social encyclical of our modern times, Rerum Novarum.
ROSALIE RENDU, DC
(1786-1859)
Rosalie Rendu, DC was a Daughter of Charity who served for 54 years in the Mouffetard area, the most impoverished district of Paris. Emmanuel Baily, the President of the Society, sent the founding members of the Society to Sister Rosalie for guidance and direction. Sending them on home visits, she formed them in the spirit of St. Vincent, teaching them how to serve the poor with respect and compassion.
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