Sir: On Saturday, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will celebrate the 170th anniversary of the foundation of the first conference in Canada. It was established in Quebec City. We are older than the country! Our oldest conference here was St. Joseph’s formed in 1898.
The entire Vincentian Family also prepares to celebrate our 400th anniversary of the birth of the Vincentian charism throughout 2017. We are an international organization.
Our mission states that we are a lay Catholic organization whose mission is: To live the Gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice and joy.
Our values imply that as Vincentians we: see Christ in anyone who suffers, come together as a family, have personal contact with the poor and help in all possible ways.
We quietly and efficiently go about helping where and when we can.
In 2016 in Canada there were 871 conferences with 14,196 volunteers who did 209,694 home visits that assisted 381,000 people in need.
In our area alone, Kent Deanery in 2015 had eight conferences with 89 active members and 25 auxiliary members. A total of 400 volunteer hours were given to Camp Vincent, 200 volunteer hours at the St. Joseph’s/St. Ursula soup kitchen and 400 volunteer hours are given to the store monthly. The soup kitchen alone served 3,799 people, and since its inception in 1971 the camp has seen 30,000 children.
In all, 4,845 volunteer hours were offered serving 1,174 adults and 685 children. Expenses for all the programs offered were $1,607,280.46.
Help us to continue our good works by volunteering, or donating your time. There is a great need. Together we can do great things!
Valerie Butterfield,President,
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Particular Council of Kent Deanery
