3 minute read
The St. Vincent de Paul Society: Seeing the Face of Christ
Sometimes, it can seem easier to give to others from a distance. 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 set aside the items you’re no longer using before dropping them off at a thrift store. And while all of those things are certainly important acts of service, we may forget about the “face” of the human being in need.
The mission of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is to change that mindset. The ministry wants to meet people face-to-face and see Christ in them while serving as a tangible witness of His love. These efforts look a bit different in this time of COVID-19, but 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. And while the typical practice of members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society (“Vincentians”) — visiting and bringing assistance to people in their homes — is currently on pause, they still seek to bring that personal connection as they share God’s love with those in need, in other ways.
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“We serve the poor, the homeless, and those who are otherwise left behind,” says parishioner Frank Romano, who serves as the President of the St. Vincent de Paul conference at Our Lady of the Assumption. “If you want to help people, I couldn’t think of a better way to do it than with the guidelines laid out by St. Vincent de Paul.”
The St. Vincent de Paul Society helps people in a variety of different ways, from rent and food assistance to clothing and furniture donations. In cases where they are unable to provide help, the Society helps to connect their clients with other local agencies.
“People call our number when they need help because they can’t pay their rent or utilities, or they don’t have sufficient food to feed their families, so we get involved,” Frank says. “We’re holding their hands, assisting them financially, or assisting them to find the help they need in these troubled times.”
In addition to the outreach aid given to people in special circumstances, the St. Vincent de Paul Society has also operated a food locker that, when not hindered by COVID, provides food for 1,000 people each month. It is typically open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and people can come to pick up food every two weeks. Both the outreach arm of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, as well as the food locker are supported largely by the generosity of the parish.
“We have a very supportive parish,” says parishioner Celeste Depner, who coordinates this ministry. “St. Vincent de Paul belongs to all of us.”
For Celeste, being part of the food pantry ministry has given her a sense of community — both among the other volunteers, as well as with those they serve.
“We’ve all become family and it is lovely,” Celeste says. “You get so much out of being a part of it.”
Celeste encourages her fellow parishioners to consider becoming involved in the work of St. Vincent de Paul, bringing God’s love to those in need, right here in our community. Volunteers are needed in a variety of different roles, from doing home visits to picking up food donations, to helping clients at the food locker, and more.
“We get more out of it than we give,” Celeste says. “You walk away after a day, and you might be tired, but you’ve seen someone you can smile at, and they know we care. We’re family.”
Despite being generally closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul food locker helped to provide food for families over the Thanksgiving holiday.
