In 2009, the Ozanam Center for Service Learning was developed in response to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s call to address the needs of our community through both charity and justice, as well as to address the desire in our local community for greater understanding of the realities facing neighbors in need.
The Center seeks to add depth and context to the encounters people have with our neighbors in need through workshops and immersion experiences that go beyond charity or volunteerism to encourage participants to ask the hard questions, search for real solutions and reflect on the larger social issues behind the human needs to which they are responding.
Following the Rule of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, our goal is to promote “understanding, cooperation, and mutual love among people of different cultures, religions, ethnic origins and social groups, and so contribute to the peace and unity of all peoples.” (Rule 7.7)
We do our work in the spirit of our founder(esses) and patron(esses); Bl. Frederic Ozanam, Bl. Rosalie Rendu, St. Vincent de Paul, and St. Louise de Marillac.