Feast Day of Blessed Rosalie Rendu

On February 7, we celebrate the Feast Day of Blessed Rosalie Rendu, a Daughter of Charity whose dedication to living and working in the impoverished Mouffetard district in Paris, France earned her the respect of those across the societal spectrum. From the SVDP’s beginnings, she mentored Frederick Ozanam (Founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul) and the other young members, giving them practical skills for providing assistance to those in need and teaching them to see Christ in those they served, in the spirit of St Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac. The first St. Vincent de Paul meeting in the United States took place in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1845, just 12 years after the Society’s beginning in France. The scope of the work of the Society here, as elsewhere, has expanded tremendously since its founding. Today, there are almost 98,000 members in almost 4,500 Conferences throughout the United States.