MARQUETTE, MI-- An organization with a history of helping people is celebrating roots in the Upper Peninsula dating back to 1885.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul dates back to 1833, when 20-year-old Frederick Ozanam, a student of the Sorbonne University in Paris, decided to form a group of students to reach out to the poor and visit them. They brought food, clothes and friendship.
As of 2006, the society had groups in 142 countries on five continents. It encompasses 47,400 conferences and 650,000 members.
Each Roman Catholic parish has their own conference, which decides how to delegate funds. Seven are in Marquette.
Ron Provost, president of the Marquette St. Vincent de Paul Society says the "mission is to take care of the poor. Period."
