The Spiritans were founded in Paris on White Sunday (Pentecost), 1703. Having opted for the priesthood, Claude Poullart des Places wanted to form a religious institute for young men who had vocations to become priests but were too poor to do so. He became especially interested in such students, and supported them with his own funds and donations from friends. In 1707 Poullart was ordained a priest. His work grew rapidly; and the foundation developed. But Poullart developed pleurisy and died on 2 October 1709, at age thirty-one.

The Spiritans are a Roman Catholic religious missionary congregation of the Holy Spirit- with a 300 year legacy of announcing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the poor and and serving as “the advocates, the supporters and defenders of the weak and the little ones against all who oppress them”