The St Vincent De Paul Society last week commemorated 150 years since its first formal meeting in Western Australia in 1865.
West Australian State President Bob Burns said it is important for the Society to celebrate the occasion as it signifies an important milestone in the organisation’s history.
“In the century and a half that members, volunteers and staff have been helping people experiencing disadvantage in WA, many lives have been changed for the better,” Mr Burns said.
“And the Society has adapted over the years with the changing times and circumstances,” Mr Burns said.
A military man of great commitment, John Gorman was inspired to establish the Society in WA and maintain the principles of the international Society founded by Blessed Frederic Ozanam in France in 1833.
A special Mass and supper were held for members, volunteers and staff of the Society to commemorate the historic occasion.
“It is a great opportunity for all of us to come together and remember why we do what we do, and how important the work of the Society is to people in need,” Mr Burns said.
“As an organisation, we can be proud of our history and commitment to the vision of our founders.
“I have every confidence we will continue to be there to provide support, compassion and hope as long as there is a need,” Mr Burns said.
About the St Vincent De Paul Society
The St Vincent de Paul Society was originally founded in Paris in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year-old student. France was experiencing tremendous political and social upheaval and Frederic and some of his university colleagues were deeply moved by the poverty and hardship they witnessed. This led to them visiting people in their homes, offering them friendship and support, a practice we know today as Home Visitation which remains the core activity of the Society to this day.
The Society is named after St Vincent de Paul who was born in Southern France and ordained a priest in the year 1600 at the age of 19. As a young man, he ministered to the wealthy until he was appointed to a poor parish which is when his vocation to work with the most powerless and marginalised was inspired. From then on, he devoted his life to helping the underprivileged. There was no form of poverty – physical, emotional or spiritual – which he did not try to alleviate.
The first conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Western Australia was formed on 24 July 1865 by John Gorman. Its first formal meeting was held later that year on 8 December. John first arrived in Port Jackson Australia on 13 September 1835 at the age of 14. He travelled with the first Catholic Bishop of Australia, Dr Golding, to enter the seminary after witnessing the work of the Society in Ireland, but did not complete his studies and returned to England where he joined the Army. He was discharged from the Army in 1848 after being wounded and shortly after married Mary Catherine McDonough. Together, they had eight children between 1849 and 1859. John and his family arrived in Western Australia in October 1851. He died in 1872.