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St.
Brendan Church
Catholic
Diocese of Providence
in
Riverside, Rhode Island, USA
Saint
Vincent DePaul Ministries
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"Whatsoever
you do to these least of my brothers, you do unto me"
Call 401-301-6307
for
assitance, to donate, or to volunteer
St.
Brendan Conference - St. Vincent de Paul – is a parish group
which responds to Christ’s call to serve those in need. The
Society is supported by the generous donations of its
parishioners.
Through confidential home visits, priority is given to preserving the
dignity of those who are served. All requests are considered regardless
of religious affiliation. Clients are given rental
assistance,
help with utility bills, etc. and referrals to help them with their
situations. In addition to home visits, the St. Brendan
Conference - SVDP does other special works in support of the poor and
lonely of the area, such as the Giving Tree, Thanksgiving baskets,
Stone Soup luncheon and other projects of a general nature.
SVDP
is here to serve our neighbors in East Providence!
A little background … The Society of St. Vincent De Paul is
one
of the largest and oldest Catholic lay organizations in the
world. Its mission is as follows:
“Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de
Paul… leads women and men to join together to grow
spiritually
by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and
suffering. All in the tradition of its founder, Blessed
Frederic
Ozanam and its patron, St. Vincent de Paul.”
The Society was founded in 1833 in Paris, France on a college campus by
Frederic. It quickly spread to the United States, where it
was
first established in St. Louis, MO. In Rhode Island, we have
been
incorporated since 1888. At St. Brendan, the conference was
founded in 1998 and exists solely due to the support of its
parishioners and its pastor.
Today, the Society is in more than 140 countries around the
world. Last year (2009), the Society in the U.S. alone helped
over 14.5 million people and the total value of services to those in
need was over $500 million. You may wonder about Rhode
Island’s service to our brothers and sisters in
need. Last
year in RI, the Society helped over 83,000 people and the total value
of goods and services topped $3 million. The
Society’s
record is remarkable. Conferences work with each other and
sometimes “twin” monies as needed to help with need
that
exceed resources available on a local level. As
mentioned
previously, those who are helped can be of any religious denomination.
St. Brendan’s conference covers all of East Providence in its
“reach’.
In offering the home visit, Vincentians “see the face of
Christ
in those we serve”.
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