Society of St. Vincent de Paul

If you need food or financial assistance, please call our helpline: 408-205-4359

What is the Society of St. Vincent de Paul?

Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (or “Vincentians” ) are men and women who strive to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to individuals in need. We are young and old. Our members come in every shade of skin color. Some of us are wealthy, some are financially poor, but all of us are blessed with an awareness that our blessings (time, talent or treasure) are to be shared with our brothers and sisters in need.

We know that we are not alone. We are part of an international society of friends united by a spirit of poverty, humility, and sharing, which is nourished by prayer and reflection, mutually supportive gatherings, and adherence to a basic Rule.

Energized by the awareness that service to our brother or sister in need is, in fact, an encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ, members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul are keenly aware that poverty, suffering, and loneliness are present for millions in our communities. For that reason, we collaborate with all who seek to relieve need and address its causes.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul offers tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. It is this personalized involvement that makes the work of the Society unique. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or often through direct dollar or in-kind service. An essential precept of the Society’s work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served. The Society recognizes that it must assume, also, a role of advocacy for those who are defenseless or voiceless. Some 12 million persons are helped annually by Vincentians in the United States.

The list of services of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States is endless. No work of charity is foreign to the Society. To quote our patron, St. Vincent de Paul: “Charity is infinitely inventive.”

Our mission statement

Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.

As a reflection of the whole family of God, Members, who are known as Vincentians, are drawn from every ethnic and cultural background, age group, and economic level. Vincentians are united in an international society of charity by their spirit of poverty, humility and sharing, which is nourished by prayer and reflection, mutually supportive gatherings and adherence to a basic Rule.

Organized locally, Vincentians witness God’s love by embracing all works of charity and justice. The Society collaborates with other people of good will in relieving need and addressing its causes, making no distinction in those served because, in them, Vincentians see the face of Christ.

New Vincentians

We really need people from every culture to make us really one family and one Church.

Becoming a Vincentian

“It’s a vocation. That’s what we’re called from Christ to do. It’s a wonderful gift. It’s something very precious and should be nurtured that way. And we’re also called to become friends, friends with one another. And we laugh a lot at our meetings.”

“To be a member that goes into the homes, serves the poor. We expect that on an ongoing basis – it is a commitment, it is a vocation, and the spiritual growth is the foundation for whatever we do and how successful we’re going to be; because, without that, the rest of it is meaningless.”

Join our Ministry

The Society meets every third Wednesday of the month at 7:00 PM in the St. Martin De Porres Room in the Parish Ministry Center.

We look forward to having you join us.

Ron Avanzino, President St. Elizabeth Conference Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Email: Ron Avanzino at ravanzino@sbcglobal.net