The Vincentian Family comprises organizations inspired by the life and work of St. Vincent de Paul, a 17th-century priest who "transformed the face of France."
He directly founded the Confraternities of Charity (today known as the A.I.C.) the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. Frederic Ozanam, inspired by a Daughter of Charity, Rosalie Rendu, founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Sr. Betty Ann McNeill, D.C. has written a definitive work identifying some 268 institutes that meet at least one criterion as members of the Vincentian Family. The Vincentian Family, inter alia, has, as its incumbent head, Father Tomaž Mavrič, C.M., of Buenos Aires, the incumbent worldwide superior general of the Congregation of the Mission, elected during the community's 42nd General Assembly (June 27–July 15, 2016) in Chicago.
In August 2007, the Catholic University of America, (with the Opus Prize 2004 Foundation), announced that it would award in November a $1-million and two $100,000 Humanity prizes to organizations which contributed to solve most persistent social problems: Father John Adams (of So Others Might Eat, which serves the poor in Washington, D.C.); Brother Stan Goetschalckx, F.C., (founder and director of AHADI International Institute in Tanzania, which educates refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi); and Vincentian priest Rev. Norberto Carcellar, C.M., (of the Homeless People's Federation Philippines, which helped squatters in Payatas, Quezon City, Philippines living on garbage dump). Victor Nakas of the Catholic University of America, an Opus Prize Foundation partner, said that The Opus Prize is the 1953 vision of founder Gerry Rauenhorst. The 2007 Opus Prize was officially handed out at Catholic University's Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center. On November 8, 2007, Rev. David M. O’Connell, CM, president of Catholic University personally bestowed these Opus Prizes of over one million dollars for systemic change projects to these Vincentian Family priests and brothers.