Blessed Frédéric Ozanam (1813 - 1853) founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 1833. Frédéric was a husband and father, professor and servant of the poor. He founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as a young student with others of the Sorbonne in Paris. Sister Rosalie Rendu, a Daughter of Charity, mentored Frederic and other initial members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as she taught them the art of helping the poor and the sick. Frederic's writings on social justice anticipated the first social encyclical of our modern times, Rerum Novarum.
Sister Rosalie Rendu, DC (1786 - 1856) was a Daughter of Charity who served for 54 years in the Mouffetard area, the most impoverished district of Paris. Emmanuel Bailly, the first president of the Society, sent the founding members of the Society to Sister Rosalie for guidance and direction. Sending the new Vincentians on home visits, she formed them in the spirit of St. Vincent, teaching them how to serve the poor with respect and compassion.
Frédéric and Rosalie