St Vincent de Paul Society Australia genetic logo

13 18 12

Donate

Scam warning- free food vouchers: Please do not provide your personal information to scammers falsely offering free groceries and food relief.

Click here to search for Food Relief on the DSS Grants Services Providers Directory.

View the Official Vinnies site here.

<h2>We're here to help</h2>
<p>The St Vincent de Paul Society offers over 200 services across Australia that help people in need. For more information on the services provided in your state or territory click the link opposite or contact our assistance line:</p>
<p><a href="Tel:131812" title="Call 13 18 12" class="primary-button-yellow">Call 13 18 12</a></p>

ACT & surrounds

New South Wales

Northern Territory

Queensland

South Australia

Tasmania

Victoria

Western Australia

Find help

Give the gift of your time

Become a member

Membership and conferences

Volunteering

Volunteer with us

Meet our volunteers

Youth, schools and resources

Vinnies Youth

Involve your school

Looking for resources

Give a financial gift

Donate goods

Bequests

Fundraise

Other ways to contribute

Vinnies CEO sleepout

Corporate partnerships

Careers

International impact

Get Involved

Get involved

<h2>Vinnies <span class="text-action-primary-yellow-100">Shops</span></h2>
<p>Everything you buy or donate inspires change in your local community.</p>

Find a shop

Shops

Towards a Just and Compassionate Australia

Low income support

Housing and homelessness

Secure work

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

Refugees and people seeking asylum

A fairer tax and welfare system

Children

Health matters

Energy

Advocacy

National Redress Scheme

The Healing Path

About us

Our story

Our mission and vision

Our structure

Our spirituality

Our history

Contact us

Blessed Frederic Ozanam

Saint Louise de Marillac

Blessed Rosalie Rendu

The Society founders in Australia

Patron Saint Vincent de Paul

The Rule

Frequently asked questions

News and stories

National Council

| Vinnies

Home

SVdP Housing Australia

A painting of the face of Saint Louise De Marillac.

<p>Saint Louise de Marillac is the Patroness of Social Workers and worked with Vincent de Paul to serve the poor.</p>

St Louise de Marillac

Saint Louise de Marillac is the Patroness of Social Workers. She worked with Vincent de Paul to serve the poor in France in the 1600s.

Patroness St Louise de Marillac 

<h4><strong>Who is St Louise de Marillac?</strong></h4>
<p>Louise was born in Paris on 12 August 1591. She did not know her mother and was raised by her father. From the time she was a small child, she was taken to the Dominican sisters, who gave her a good education.</p>
<p>Later, she went on to further education at a residence for young girls in Paris. Her education was much better than that of most children her age, and Louise became one of the best educated women of her time.</p>
<p>Louise had a desire to join a religious order, but she was not allowed. She married Antoine le Gras, secretary to the Queen Mother, in 1611. According to Louise, Antoine was a good man. Throughout their marriage, Louise travelled a lot and socialised with the royalty and aristocracy of France. Louise and Antoine had a son, Michael, and lived together happily for many years before Antoine became sick and died in 1625.</p>
<p>After her husband died, Louise met and became friends with <a title="Vincent de Paul" href="/about-us/patron-saint-vincent-de-paul">Vincent de Paul</a>. Despite coming from a background of wealth and knowing many rich people, she was just as comfortable around poor people.</p>
<p>Louise dedicated her time to helping abandoned children on the streets. She also visited sick men in the prison hospital and established a house near the hospital where, each day, many women would cook food that visitors would then take to the prisoners.</p>
<p>Throughout France, women set up centres to serve those in need. Louise pushed for every village to have its own clinic, school nurse and teacher.</p>
<p>With Vincent, Louise started the Catholic religious order of nuns known as the Daughters of Charity in 1642. The Daughters of Charity were a revolutionary order of the poor. They helped abandoned children, people who were poor and sick, wounded soldiers, slaves, people who were mentally ill and the elderly. Today, there are over 10,000 Daughters of Charity worldwide, and they continue to help people in need.</p>
<p>Louise died on 15 March 1660 and was canonized in 1934. Louise is the patron saint of sick people, widows and orphans. Pope John XXIII proclaimed her the Patroness of Social Workers in 1963.</p>

Rich Text

Blessed Frédéric Ozanam

<h3><span class="text-action-primary-yellow-100">Interested to know more?</span></h3>

Link List