The Ozanam Conversation honours the our 20-year-old founder and activist , Blessed Frederic Ozanam, who established the St Vincent de Paul Society in 1833 in Paris, France, to serve people experiencing poverty, in a spirit of friendship and kindness.
Frederic's inspiration to do good reached Australian shores 21 years later with the establishing of the St Vincent de Paul Society by Fr Gerald Ward on 5 March 1854 at St Francis’ Church in Melbourne which was in direct response to the plight of the poor after the Victoria gold rush.
The legacy of both these inspiring leaders continues to this day and is kept alive by thousands of volunteers around the world – with 10,000+ volunteers in Victoria.