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St. Vincent De Paul Society

WHAT IS THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL MINISTRY?

The Society of SVDP is a Catholic lay organization, which leads women/men to join together to GROW SPIRITUALLY by offering PERSON TO PERSON SERVICE to the needy and suffering in the traditions of founder, Frederic Ozanam and patron St. Vincent De Paul.

  • Essential Elements are Spirituality, Friendship and Service, as Christ teaches
  • No work of charity is foreign: rent, utilities, vehicles, homes, food, disaster relief, prison ministries, etc.
  • Core of our ministry starts with the home visit

FOR THOSE NEEDING ASSISTANCE:

Please call 281-466-1920 and leave a detailed message with your name and return phone number, and one of our members will contact you.

What can be accomplished with a HOME VISIT:

  • One sees and experiences the conditions that others face
  • One can provide comfort and support
  • One can pray with others
  • One can show care and dignity

History of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul

Who was St. Vincent De Paul?

  • French, born in 1581
  • Catholic Priest
  • Tutored wealthy children initially
  • Committed his life to working with the poor
  • Great organizer; Founder of French Social Services and other organizations
  • Canonized in 1737

The Founder of the Society of SVDP was Frederic Ozanam. Frederic and his Catholic friends were challenged with the question:

“What is your church doing today to meet the needs of society and the poor?”

 Society of St Vincent De Paul was organized in 1833 in Paris, and quickly spread in Europe (Italy, England, etc), before coming to the United States in 1845 in St Louis.

St. Vincent De Paul at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church

  • Approximately 50 members
  • Meet twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Sundays.
  • We are active for 3 out of 4 weeks in a month
  • We provide funds for rent, utilities, car payments, furniture, medicine & more.
  • We often work with the St. Anthony’s Bread food pantry to provide food.
  • Our individual responsibilities include answering phones, scheduling and conducting home visits, pledging funds and paying client bills.
  • We conduct roughly 8 to 12 home visits per week
  • We distribute $8,000 to $10,000 per week, based on the donations received from the parish to the SVDP ministry
“You will go and visit the poor ten times a day and ten times a day you will find God there.”

-Saint Vincent De Paul