Society of St. Vincent de Paul |
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL |
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Feast day: September 27
Patron of all works of charity, the Sisters of Charity, and the Brothers of Charity The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, a charitable organization dedicated to the service of the poor, was established by French university students in 1833, led by the Blessed Frederic Ozanam. The Society is today present in 132 countries. 
St. Vincent de Paul (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660) was a French Roman Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. He studied at the University of Toulouse majoring in theological studies; he was ordained a priest in 1600.
Charity was the Saint's predominant virtue. He was concerned about all people, from children to the elderly. While he was confessor and spiritual director to Madame de Gondi, she persuaded her husband to endow and support a group of missionaries who would work among poor tenant farmers and country people in general. In 1617, Vincent founded the "Ladies of Charity" (later called the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul), a group of wealthy women within his parish in Paris who collected funds for missionary projects, founded hospitals, and gathered relief funds for the victims of war and to ransom 1,200 galley slaves from North Africa. Vincentians are priests who take vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and stability, and who devote themselves entirely to the people in smaller towns and villages. |
Do you need help?
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul offers assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or through direct dollar or in-kind service. All information is kept confidential and your personal dignity is respected. Members and volunteers assist people in need and do not discriminate against cultural, religious or political beliefs. Please call the Hotline at 335-8621. Your initial phone call will be answered by voicemail. Leave your name, a phone number, and a brief description of your request, and please speak clearly. Someone will call you back within 48 hours. When we call back, our call may show as "Restricted" on your caller ID. If you have an urgent need that must be answered sooner, please call 211 for help. If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 911. Be gracious to me, Lord, for I am in distress;
affliction is wearing down my eyes, my throat and my insides. My life is worn out by sorrow, and my years by sighing. My strength fails in my affliction; my bones are wearing down. But I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” ---Psalm 31:10-11, 15 
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The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded on the idea of helping the least of our brothers. Here are several ways you can help St. Vincent de Paul at Holy Family:
-Volunteer as a caseworker. Caseworkers go out on home visits to assess the needs of the poor and then to assist them. -Donate and/or distribute food. The food pantry at Holy Family Catholic Church gives donated food to needy families each week. Your food donations go directly to the poor in our parish area. The Food Pantry distributes food on Wednesdays from 11:00am to 1:00pm. -Donate funds. With small exception, the funds that are used to help the poor are donated entirely by our parishioners. The Holy Family conference has virtually no overhead, so any funds donated are used to help those in need. If you feel called to volunteer, you can leave a message on the St. Vincent de Paul hotline at 335-8621.
OPEN MY EYES Open my eyes that I may see the deepest needs of men, women and children. Move my hands that they may feed the hungry; Touch my heart that it may bring warmth to the despairing; Teach me the generosity that welcomes strangers; Let me share my possessions with people in need; Give me the care that strengthens the sick; Help me share in the quest to set prisoners free; In sharing our anxieties and our love, our poverty and our prosperity, We partake of Your divine presence. Amen. The St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
697 Biltmore Drive Port St. Lucie 34984 772-344-1341 -Open Monday through Friday from 9:00 to 3:00 -Accepts household furniture, household goods, clothing, and toys in very good condition. |