Outside an old-fashioned cottage near Dax in south-west France, there stands a huge oak-tree. It was already old when Vincent dePaul was born in that cottage in 1581 and it is still coming into leaf this year. Part of the trunk is propped up, but, still, it gives new leaves and new shoots and, from its acorns, trees have been grown in Ireland, England and throughout the world.
In the years since Vincent's death in 1660, many groups have followed his inspiration; some are religious communities, others are voluntary agencies. Some have existed for many years, some have reformed and renewed, some are very recent.
The Vincentian Family is an international family composed of many groups and organisations. Together we are over 6 million people of all ages living in 83 different countries all over the world. We draw our inspiration from the lives and example of Vincentians like St. Vincent, St. Louise, Blessed Frederic Ozanam and the other Vincentian saints. All these groups try, in their own way, to reach out to those most in need and to seek together, in prayerful service, ways of overcoming poverty, injustice and oppression. Through their work, many members of the Vincentian Family have encouraged others around them and some have been held aloft by the Church as an inspiration to strive to do more.
This video link is a brief introduction to some of those inspirational figures.
