Christ said, “ The poor will always be with you”. Many picture the poor as the homeless seen in the inner cities but would be shocked to realize how many are in our midst here in the valley. Because we serve the needy on a person to person basis in strict confidence the work of our society and the needs we address are not all that apparent. We do maintain statistical records which indicate the scope of the situation.
In our St. Croix Valley, our conference serves the parish communities of St. Charles, St. Mary, and St. Michael. Last year we made 82 person-to-person contacts(mostly home visits), rendered about $12,000 in direct aid, and in kind aid of $1,500. Our members spent about 200 hours in doing this. Our conference of about 10 members meets twice a month for spiritual reflection, review of our charitable activities, and assignment of new cases. We are a lay society of men and women, follow the “Rule” of the Society, and are dedicated to spiritual growth through service to the needy.
We are part of the larger Archdiocesan Council of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Last year our combined report showed over 500 person-to-person contacts (home visits), about $417,000 in direct aid and about $116,000 of “in kind” aid. Many of the conferences operate food shelves and other programs to assist the needy. Additionally our council operates two thrift stores – one in Minneapolis and one in St Paul. These stores provide high quality, low cost clothing, furniture, food, etc to the community, employment to about 23 people from the community, and also distributed free goods (over $335,000 in value) from in store and from “free store” programs held at various metro parishes.
The Society has been around for over 150 years. It’s mission continues to be personal spiritual growth through person-to-person assistance to the needy. Vincnetians are ordinary Catholics who assist people in need and strive to see the face of Christ in those we serve. If you want to learn more about the Society and perhaps help in some way please contact us through your parish office.
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