What is the St. Vincent de Paul Society?

The St. Vincent de Paul Society is an international organization of Catholic men and women who volunteer to serve the needs of others. There are currently eight conferences in the Greater Fall River area that are affiliated with churches in our district. Client-neighbors who are in need of assistance (such as for housing financial assistance, utility arrears, food, furniture, etc.) often call the rectory or the district hotline for help.

What do St. Vincent de Paul members do?

When a call comes in, rotating teams of members contact the neighbor in need, and meet with them in their home, or a public place nearby. Once the need is established, the team members contact their parish conference members to determine what can be done to assist the person/family. We often communicate via email, as well as meet once a month on the second Tuesday. All information is confidential.

If the financial need is greater than our ability to help, we may request “twinning” from the other conferences. In turn, we also assist other conferences with their needs. No funds are given to the client, but are paid directly to the landlord, utility company, etc. We may refer client-neighbors to other organizations who may be better able to meet their needs. Many Holy Name SVdP members volunteer at the food pantry by bringing food donations to the pantry, picking up donations from retailers, unloading food that is delivered from the Boston Food Bank, and distributing food at the pantry.

Where does the money for SVdP come from, and where does it go?

At Holy Name, our funds come from the Poor Box, holy day collections, memorial donations and twinning funds received from other conferences. This income is spent on supporting the food pantry, purchasing grocery cards for client-neighbors, rental and utility assistance, twinning with other conferences, emergency appeals, and supporting programs that assist the needy, including Citizens for Citizens at Christmas. As members, we have an important role to be responsible stewards of the funds that are donated to our conference, and this is taken very seriously.

We need more members!

Our conference has been in existence for decades, and many of our members cannot do all the work that needs to be done. Some conferences have had to close because of the lack of younger members. Participation is a worthwhile and rewarding opportunity to serve others, and we hope that you will consider joining us in this important work. If you would like to know more, you are invited to attend our regular meeting on the second Tuesday of the month in the Holy Name School Cafeteria at 5:45 p.m. (We do not meet during July and August.) If unable to attend, but would like more information, you can leave a message at the rectory and someone will return your call.

Thank you from our Holy Name Conference of St. Vincent de Paul!