The St. Vincent de Paul Society: Seeing the Face of Christ in Others Through Service

Sometimes it can be easy to give to others in a disconnected way. Maybe you drop a couple of dollars in a bucket or bring a sack of canned goods to a local food pantry. When going through your closet, you donate the items you’re no longer using. And while all of those things are important acts of service, sometimes it can be easy to forget about the “face” of the human being in need.

The mission of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is to change that — meeting people face-to-face, seeing Christ in them, and serving as a tangible witness of His love. And while this service certainly looks a bit different in light of the pandemic, it is still this personal aspect that sets the St. Vincent de Paul Society apart from many other sources of aid to those in poverty. The Vincentians’ typical practice of visiting and bringing assistance to people in their homes is currently on pause, but they still seek to bring that personal connection as they share God’s love with those in need, in other ways.

“I’m a cradle Catholic and getting involved with St. Vincent de Paul is the first time that I got physically involved in helping,” says Matt Callahan, who has been involved with the ministry since 2011. “Before, I would make donations or send checks, but I never did a lot hands-on. Now, I realize how fortunate I am and how blessed I am when I see the desperate straits some people are facing — it makes me very thankful.”

Our St. Vincent de Paul conference at the Cathedral of Christ the King works alongside several other parish conferences within the diocese, responding to the calls received. Although home visits are currently not deemed safe, the St. Vincent de Paul Society has found other ways to serve the local community — from mailing food and clothing vouchers to individuals and families to continuing our quarterly donations to our sister parish, Holy Trinity in Harlan, Ky., as well as the New Hope Clinic in Owingsville, Ky.

In non-COVID times, the St. Vincent de Paul Society also offers a grocery store for the residents at the Ballard-Griffith Towers to shop for food and other necessary items. Unfortunately, the store remains closed at this time.

The funds used by our St. Vincent de Paul conference are primarily raised through the second collection at the Cathedral, which is designated for the St. Vincent de Paul Society, four times each year.

“Each conference relies on their parish for donations and contributions to keep their conference running,” says Matt, who serves as the conference President. “Your donations are helping those who are in need, living right here in the community with you.”

Matt encourages his fellow parishioners to become involved in serving those in need through the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He hopes that our witness of service will be a reminder of God’s love for all in need, as we seek to fulfill Christ’s mission.

“This should matter to all of us because Jesus said to do it,” Matt says. “Matthew 25 tells us, ‘When you help the least of these, you help Me and when you don’t help the least of these, you don’t help Me.’

“I hope people are reminded that there is a God, and He will help,” he adds. “To see that appreciation from the people we help — I think they realize that they’re not alone and there are people out there to help them.”

For more information, or to become involved, please contact St. Vincent de Paul Society conference President Matt Callahan at 706-910-6555. You may also donate directly on our website, cathedralctk.org, by clicking the “Donate” link.

Although currently closed due to COVID, the Vincentians usually run a store near a low-income housing development.

Visiting people in their homes is one of the hallmarks of the St. Vincent de Paul Society's ministry.