This thorough investigation reconstructs the history of two almost invisible charitable societies in Mexican history: Sociedad de San Vicente de Paúl and Asociación de las Señoras de la Caridad de San Vicente de Paúl. Arrom recollects the work of thousands of volunteers of these secular groups and their important social services, mostly women, and questions several aspects of the official narrative on the construction of the social State and the decline of the Catholic Church in the XIX century. This book shows that the resurgence of Catholicism in the late century cannot be understood without considering the gender perspective. By comparing men and women organizations, the author also provides an original critique of charity feminization theory.