​​St. Vincent de Paul, OLA Conference

​ABOUT US

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international organization that began in Paris, France, in 1833.  Then a young law student at the Sorbonne, Frédéric Ozanam, was challenged during a debate to demonstrate what he and his fellow Catholic students were personally doing to help the poor in Paris. Within weeks, Ozanam, at 20 years of age, and six of his peers formed the first "Conference of Charity." Under the conference, this group of seven men financed their works of charity and visited the poor in their homes, providing them with needed aid and assistance. At the prompting of Monsieur Emmanuel Bailly and Sister Rosalie Rendu, superior of a convent of the Daughters of Charity, Ozanam soon placed the conference under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul. Within a few years, the original group of seven grew to 600, spreading to 15 other cities and towns in France, numbering more than 2,000 members. Currently the Society is in 150 Countries on 5 Continents with over 44,600 Conferences and 800,000 members.

In 1845, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul crossed the ocean to St. Louis, Missouri, where the first American conference was formed. To this day, St. Louis remains the Society's national headquarters.  In the United States there are over 380 District Councils, 4,441 Conferences with over 150,000 members.

The Our Lady of Angles Conference (OLA) was established in Woodbridge, Virginia in 1967.   It is one of 10 Conferences that operate in the Diocese of Arlington.  The Conference provides person-to-person services to those in need physically and/or financially that reside in the 22191, 22192, 22193, 22079, 22125 regardless of religious affiliation.  The Conference also operates a food pantry that is open on the dates and times shown on the Services page.   

The Our Lady of Angels Conference is located at 13744 Mary’s Way, Woodbridge, VA 22191 and is co-located on the property with Our Lady of Angels Catholic Church.