About The St. Vincent de Paul Society
- SVDP Fond du Lac Celebrates 75 Years
- The History of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
- Parish Units or Conferences
2009 Marks 75th Year in Fond du Lac for St. Vincent de Paul Society
In December of 1934 Ed Hurteau, James Murray, John Kiley, F. M. Ryan, Al Johnson, and Charles O'Brien and others organized the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Fond du Lac and in January of 1939 they received official international approval from the Society’s headquarters in Paris.
The Society was established in the United States in St. Louis in 1845 and today has more than 750,000 members serving in 142 countries. U.S. membership is 128,000. The Society itself was startin in the midst of catastrophic poverty in France in 1831 by Frederic Ozanam, a twenty-year old University of Paris law student who asked his Catholic friends, "What do we do?" With seven friends, he started a "Circle of Charity" in 1833. Soon after, the name was changed to Society of St. Vincent de Paul in honor of Vincent, their model, who in the 15th century became known as "The Apostle of Charity" and the "Father of the Poor." The Society is a Catholic lay organization that is guided by St. Vincent de Paul’s mission "to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering."
Today's Fond du Lac Vincentians respond to people who call a client assistance number. Following Jesus Christ’s advice (Mark 6:7), members go in pairs to visit the caller's home. They provide direct help with food, rent, utilities and other basic needs and give a list of resources for local food programs, housing assistance, energy assistance, and health resources. For longer term financial solutions the Vincentians inform the client about community agencies which help with finding employment, financial budgeting, counseling, parenting, and abuse. In 2008 the Fond du Lac Council made 2,018 home visits and gave out $141,000 in assistance. Vincentians help people without regard to race, creed, national origins, age or gender. Although the Society is a Catholic organization, only about 20% of clients belong to the Catholic Church. Approximately 56% of those helped are children under the age of 18.
A major funding source for the Fond du Lac Society is the St. Vincent de Paul Store, 573 West Rolling Meadows Drive. This thrift store accepts community donations of quality used clothing, household goods, and furniture and sells them at greatly reduced prices. It provides items at no cost to people in times of crisis. The profits from the store provide about half of the Society's funds for financial assistance to the poor. Additional funds come from money given directly to the Society through its annual fund raising appeal, estates, grants and other gifts. As a totally volunteer Society, administrative costs are minimal, and 93% of the money raised goes to serve the needy in Fond du Lac County.
The motto of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is "Spirituality, Service, Friendship." Society Council President Don Mueller explains, "Spirituality asks us to live Christ’s love. Friendship is key; we foster friendships among our members and follow our Founder Frederic Ozanam's vision to become friends of the poor. Historically the Conferences (parish-level groups) were called 'Circles of Love.'" Mueller adds, "Service is not unique to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. We collaborate with parish organizations, social services agencies, and other volunteer organizations in our community."
The History of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is one of the oldest charitable organizations in the world, founded in 1833 in France by seven student including Frederic Ozanam. The young Frederic, a Catholic, wanted to help the poor of all religions during the industrial revolution.
He also wanted to improve the lives of his peers by urging them to perform works of charity rather than simply talk about what should be done to help the needy. Now beatified, Blessed Frederic founded the Society in the name of St. Vincent de Paul, a French priest from the late 16th and early 17th centuries who alerted the people of his day to many of society's ills.
Along with several friends, Frederic visited the poor in their homes, helping them whenever possible by sharing whatever food and other necessities were available for them to give. More importantly, the young men provided food for the spirit through their many acts of kindness and friendship.
The Society's work quickly began to spread and arrived in the United States in 1845 with the founding of what is now the Council of the United States in St. Louis, MO.
This international organization is made up of lay Catholic men and women who are committed to live and grow in their Christian faith through prayer and personal involvement in charitable works. It has spread to more than 130 nations, with more than 900,000 members worldwide.
Our world-wide mission is to help the needy in countless ways, primarily through one-on-one contact of volunteers with children, families and the homeless. We accomplish this mission through parish- and community-based groups called Conferences and through special projects conducted at the Council level.
Our members, called Vincentians, continually strive to promote the dignity of the people they serve while helping alleviate their suffering and distress and working to help correct conditions that cause these problems.
Today more than 4,055 active Conferences operate in the United States, with about 62,847 active members. These volunteers continually strive to carry on the work begun when the Blessed Frédéric and his friends formed that first conference in France almost 175 years ago.
To obtain more information from a global perspective, please visit the Society's International website at www.ozanet.org. The site may be viewed in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.
Parish Units or Conferences
There are three conferences in the Council:
- Holy Family, Fond du Lac
- St. Joseph, Waupun
- Shepherd of the Hills, Eden area
