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| Volunteers needed to sort Clothes/Contributions! |
St. Vincent de Paul Society | |
The St. Vincent de Paul Society was founded in 1833 by Blessed Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year-old college student of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. Frederic started the Society in honor of St. Vincent de Paul, patron saint of the poor. Over 175 years later, the Society continues to embrace all works of charity and justice, while scrupulously maintaining the privacy and dignity of those we serve.The St. Vincent de Paul Society is the largest Catholic lay organization that serves people in need. The Risen Savior/Prince of Peace Conference serves clients through home visits by providing consultation, direct dollar and in-kind service. Typical assistance pays for emergency food, rent and utilities. Through the generosity of our parishioners, our conference is able to assist the poor within our parish boundaries and also needy St. Vincent de Paul conferences in Albuquerque, many areas in New Mexico and several foreign countries. Our members come from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds, age groups and economic levels, but are united in our inspiration by gospel values to assist those most in need of spiritual and tangible support. |
Our conference has over twenty members who meet twice a month to determine how best to serve the poor, to discuss completed home visits and to be energized by a gospel reading and brief discussion on
how the reading applies to our mission. Our conference also visits a nursing home monthly where a communion service is provided for the grateful residents.
We also collect food and clothing at Thanksgiving and administer the Christmas wish list for children of clients we have visited during the year.
"Assistance to the unfortunate honors when it treats the poor man with respect; not only an equal, but as a superior -since he is suffering what perhaps we are incapable of suffering; since he is a messenger of God to us, sent to prove our justice and charity, and to save us by our works." We meet at 7:00 PM the second Tuesday of each month at Risen Savior and the fourth Tuesday in the Prince of Peace downstairs education center.Potential new members and others are always welcome to visit and see if this is a ministry that they might be interested in joining. A minimum of two members always go on each home visit and new members accompany experienced members on these visits. New members are also provided with reference materials to make them comfortable and confident in their ability to participate in the conference. Contact Ken Strasburg at (505) 615-3164 or kjstrasburg@comcast.net with questions or for additional information. |