MARY, QUEEN OF HEAVEN PARISH

The St. Vincent de Paul Society helps those in need of assistance with the following items:

• Food
• Furniture
• Pharmacy
• Utilities
• Rent

A person does not have to be a parishioner at Mary, Queen of Heaven to receive help from the Mary, Queen of Heaven St. Vincent de Paul Society. They simply must live within our boundaries. The goal of the Society is to provide help to anyone in need. Our clients are referred to us through the St. Vincent de Paul main office via fax or telephone. We make personal home visits to our clients in order to assess their needs.

Each month we have a meeting to discuss the "helping" contacts of each member as necessary. Plans for follow-up action are agreed upon if necessary. The meetings have always been considered essential to the spirit of the Society. They ensure efficiency and perseverance in our work and bind the members together in a bond of friendship.

Weekly visiting - This is usually done in the company of another member. Short Prayers are said before and after the meeting to remind members that the motive for their work is the love of God.

If you are interested in learning more about the St. Vincent de Paul Society, refer to their web page at http://www.svdpusa.org. If you are ready to volunteer for the Mary, Queen of Heaven St. Vincent de Paul Society, then contact Tom Donovan 727-1144. The SVDP is easy to join - There is no initial procedure. No special qualifications are required other than the desire to serve others for the love of God. Christians have an obligation to serve others. This service can be done as an individual, but is often better accomplished by being a member of the Society which provides a wide range of opportunities.

THE PAST
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year-old student of the Sorbonne University in Paris. In answer to a challenge for Christians to "Practice what they preach," Frederic Ozanam and a group of fellow students sought out the poor of Paris and visited them in their homes. They took them bread and clothes, and shared their friendship and concern. This small group adopted as their Patron, the Great French Priest who alerted the world to social problems, St. Vincent de Paul. Similar groups began in Paris, and later spread throughout the rest of France. Eventually, St. Vincent de Paul Societies were formed thoroughout the Christian world. Their goal was simple - to visit the poor and share the love of God with those in need.

THE PRESENT
Today the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (known as the SVDP) is a worldwide lay-organization of Catholic men and women. It includes young and old of every race. Worldwide, the Society has about 880,000 members. The members meet in Parish and District groups. Their goal is still to help, in a personal way, those in need. There is no need outside the concern of the Society. The Society is there to help those suffering from mental and physical illnesses or disabilities including alcoholism and drug addiction. The Society provides assistance to families dealing with social or economic problems, the loneliness of old age, and the heartache of the grieving. SVDP Societies support and operate rehabilitation workshops for the handicapped, free dining services and children's camps, and they organize their own overseas air - known as twinning. The aim of the SVDP is to bring social justice, friendship and true charity to all those in need.

THE FUTURE
No matter how good the welfare services provided by the State may be, the work to which the SVDP is called will always be necessary. Fundamentally, the giving of oneself in friendship to another, which can only be through a personal encounter, is what SVDP is all about. All people search for peace. The horrors of street and domestic violence as well as war and ethnic hatred worldwide make peace seem unattainable for many people. People are also looking for peace within themselves, needing assurance of their own self-worth. The Gospels tell us again and again that true peace is possible only if we live as Christ showed us, by His own life. The work of the SVDP is the Gospel message in action.

"I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was a stranger, I was naked, I was sick, I was in prison and you cared."