St. Vincent de Paul Society

The next meeting will be Thursday, January 25 at 10:00 a.m. in St. Mary Church Hall.

The Society’s motto is “No Work of Charity is Foreign to the Society.” 
 
The parish St. Vincent de Paul Society is always looking for men and women who would like to make a difference in their neighbors' lives and those who need our help. We meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at 10 a.m., at st. Mary Church Hall. You are more than welcome to attend and see what we are all about.

The parish St. Vincent de Paul Society is always looking for men and women who believe they would like to make a difference in their neighbors' lives and those who need our help. You are more than welcome to attend and see what we are all about.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact John Fisk at 815-248-2852. 

Short History of Saint Vincent de Paul

Vincent was born to a peasant family on April 24, 1581 in a small village of Pouy in southwestern France and died September 27, 1660 in Paris, France. What kept Vincent going in his incredibly active life was prayer.  For him, this meant simple conversation with God. He said, “Maneuvering with oars is hard work, and you may not get anywhere but if you wait on the wind of the Holy Spirit, it will lead you much faster”. Also, “The thought of God’s presence will put us in the habit of doing his will.”

The founder of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was Frederic Ozanam who was born on April 23, 1813 in Milan, Italy where his French parents had settled. His parents were outstanding Christians who gave him the love of God and of the poor from his earliest years. On April 23, 1833 on his twentieth birthday in Paris, France he founded the Conference of Charity” with six other law students from the School of Law at the Sorbonne, University of Paris. The group changed its name to “The Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Frederic continued to be actively involved with the society until his death on September 8, 1853.

While historians differ on how the Society of St. Vincent de Paul was introduced into the United States, all agree that it was established at the “Old Cathedral “ (the Church of St. Louis of France) in St. Louis, Missouri in 1845. Both laity and clergy played important roles in its foundation. Father Ambrose Heim, one of the diocesan priests stationed at the Old Cathedral, established the first Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Father Heim was known by the people of St. Louis for his extraordinary zeal and ministry with the poor.

There are four districts in our SVdP Council of the Rockford Diocese. The Rockford Deanery is the Central District. Our Central District has six Conferences: St. Mary of Byron, St. Edward in Rockford, St. Peter of South Beloit, St. James in Belvidere and St. Mary/St. Patrick of Durand. A conference is defined in our Mission Statement as “Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, by offering person to person service to those who are needy and suffering”. The society’s motto is ”no act of charity is foreign to St. Vincent.”