Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Our Mission

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul mission is very simple: Grow our members spirituality and faith through personal contact and service to our brothers and sisters in need. This Vincentian ethic of faith-in-action forms the helping hand that puts a meal on a family's table and ensures the lights and heat stay on. Our faith in action sees to it that men, women, and children are clothed, have a bed or needed furniture, or even just a safe place to sleep. It's reaching out to those in need and giving them the gift of Hope.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international Catholic lay organization that provides individual help to those in need and seeks to address the causes of poverty arid injustice. To achieve this, our members are nourished by prayer, reflections, and supportive gatherings. They strive to walk in the footsteps of Jesus who comforted the sick, embraced lepers, and washed the feet of strangers.
Although a Catholic organization, we offer person-to-person help for those in need without regard to religious affiliation. We see the face of God in all humans - of every persuasion and from all walks of life - who may benefit from our aid.

History of The Society of St. Vincent de Paul

In 1833, Frederic Ozanam was a young law student at Sorbonne in France. Challenged during a debate to demonstrate what Catholic students were personally doing to help the poor in their Parish, Ozanam - only 20 years of age - took immediate action. He and six fellow students established a group which they named The Conference of Charity and financed its charitable works out of their own pockets.

Guided by the highly regarded Sister Rosalie Rendue of the Daughters of Charity, Ozanam pioneered an enduring process of service for the poor. In 1833 Ozanam placed the Conference under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul, who had earlier served the poor of 16th Century France.

In 1845, the Society crossed the Atlantic and established a United States foothold in St. Louis, Missouri. Some 80 years later it arrived in Santa Fe when the first conference was established at St. Francis Cathedral in 1925. New conferences throughout the Archdiocese of Santa Fe soon followed.

Today, St. Vincent de Paul of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is forty-eight conferences strong and continues to grow. We are a network of 501(c)(3) approved non-profit conferences, stores, and pantries, and donations are tax deductible.

Last year, St. Vincent de Paul of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe was able to serve some 170,000 people in need. This was achieved through the combined efforts of our 48 conferences, 23 food pantries, and seven thrift stores.

These organizations mutually support the St. Vincent de Paul mission through differing methods and means, and their collective contribution is vital.

Website: St. Vincent de Paul Society USA

Source: People of God

24 SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, year B

Isaiah 50:5-9a
Psalm 114: “I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living”
James 2:14-18
Mark 8:27-35


Isaiah 50:5-9a

The Lord God opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame. He is near who upholds my right; if anyone wishes to oppose me, let us appear together. Who disputes my right? Let that man confront me. See, the Lord God is my help; who will prove me wrong?

Psalm 114:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

I love the Lord because he has heard
my voice in supplication,
Because he has inclined his ear to me
the day I called.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

The cords of death encompassed me;
the snares of the netherworld seized upon me;
I fell into distress and sorrow,
And I called upon the name of the Lord,
“O Lord, save my life!”
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Gracious is the Lord and just;
yes, our God is merciful.
The Lord keeps the little ones;
I was brought low, and he saved me.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

For he has freed my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

James 2:14-18

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, ” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.

Mark 8:27-35

Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said to him in reply, “You are the Christ.” Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.”