As part of the Mass to celebrate St. Michael’s 25th Anniversary, Father Dan talked about how we as a community come together as one.

It was also the primary theme of the scripture readings last week.  This is a central part of St. Vincent de Paul Society's mission. We, as Vincentians, come together with those in need to provide assistance and help each one of us see the value God sees in us.
 
In the last few months, our conference has provided assistance and service to many families in the Henrico area. We are able to provide such service, because of our Catholic community’s generosity, the parish staff’s guidance, and the many individuals’ willingness to step up and answer God’s call to serve as a Vincentian.
 
St. Vincent de Paul members (Vincentians) meet with individuals and families face-to-face in order to determine how they best can be served.  Some of the services include assistance with food, shelter, utilities, and transportation. Our Society takes assistance one step further by continuing to work with those in need beyond simple financial assistance.  We walk with those in need to try and help them determine long-term solutions to the challenges they face.  We always will “work to see the face of Christ” in those we serve.

Website: Society of St. Vincent de Paul (Richmond / VA)

Celebrating Three Years of Progress

From our humble beginning, with nine people in conference in Room 101 in the spring of 2017, the Holy Spirit has blessed our Society of St. Vincent de Paul ministry with growth in membership, meaningful outreach, new and much needed ministry opportunities, and, most of all, the spiritual formation of our members as Vincentians.

Over the last three years, our numbers have grown to 45 parishioners who have stepped up as leaders, visitation teams, call intake /dispatchers, fundraisers, and new program developers. 
As Vincentians, we all participate in special ongoing spiritual formation and daily scripture and prayer, and education and training on issues affecting the poor in our midst.

Serving the outreach of our parish and all who call us from six zip codes surrounding
St. Michael Parish, our conference has now helped over 500 cases to date, and we continue to work with an ever-growing network of service providers in Richmond and suburbs, both to provide immediate help and, in many cases, to align available local private and government resources with those in need.

With the ongoing support of Bishop Knestout, we continue to help form and train new conferences to help parishes run their outreach in the Vincentian Way.  We have found that once a parish outreach program takes the Vincentian path, wonderful things begin to happen:
 

• more parishioners get directly involved in outreach
• parishioners who haven not previously been involved in ministry have found this hands-on ministry very fulfilling
• the daily faith life of members is enriched by following the Vincentian way
• parish and local support of this internationally known outreach program has grown

There are currently conferences in Virginia Beach and Roanoke.  In the last year, we have helped launch new conferences in Richmond at Sacred Heart Parish and St. Bridget Parish and will soon have conferences at St. Augustine Parish in Chester, a new conference serving three parishes in Charlottesville, and have received requests for formation information from
parishes in Radford, Williamsburg, and Sandbridge.

As the next step in our three-year strategic plan, all these conferences will soon become part of a new Diocesan Council, which will be formed to provide an increased level of communication and coordination of programs and outreach.  As our president Dan Kearns and our Spiritual Advisor Deacon Andy Cirmo often say, this is truly the work of the Holy Spirit.