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THE ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY: Providing Essential Assistance for Those in Need
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s legacy of compassion and service began in France in 1833. Frederic Ozanam, a young law student, was challenged about what he and his fellow Catholic students were doing to help the poor. Within weeks, he and several other students had formed what was to become the St. Vincent de Paul Society. They placed their charitable group under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul because he was well known for his love and work with the poor.
Only 12 years after the initial group had formed, its roots were also established in the United States. Now, nearly 200 years later, the Society consists of 81 conferences of charity, with over 3,000 members and over 6,000 volunteers. The mission of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is not just to care for those in need — it is also to help their members grow spiritually through providing these works of mercy for others.
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Dann Dunn, a parishioner at St. Philip Neri, is the president of the parish conference.
“My mother is a member at her parish and has been for the last 30 years,” Dann says. So carrying on the torch with a leadership position is one way he has been able to give back.
“Being a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society has most importantly helped keep my feet on the ground,” Dann says. “There are many less fortunate than us and I am blessed enough to get to help them.”
With his new leadership, Dann shares that one of his goals is to increase membership, as well as bring in more young members.
“Right now, one of the current problems we face is that most of our members are retirees,” he says. “We need to start getting reinforcements from our younger population. We need younger people with new ideas to keep this going.”
The St. Vincent de Paul Society helps those in need by providing financial assistance, helping to pay bills, providing resources, and assisting in many other ways. To seek help, one just has to call the hotline and leave a message — a Vincentian will return the call and determine what kind of help they can provide.
“It can be embarrassing to ask for help,” Dann says. “But we have the resources and we have the relationships with companies and landlords, and we are often able to find a solution if you need it.”
With the Christmas season right around the corner, the group will continue with their annual Angel Tree Christmas Drive. Due to the implications of COVID, the gift requests will be posted online, just as they were last year. Please refer to the bulletin for more information about how to give to this great event.
“The Angel Tree drive is very successful every year,” Dann says. “I think that parishioners like getting their families involved to help others who are not as fortunate as they are.
“When someone finds it in their heart to help the less fortunate in the community, seek us out,” he adds.
Parishioner Dann Dunn is the president of our St. Vincent de Paul conference.
