St Vincent de Paul
“From those to whom much is given, much is expected.” Luke 12:48
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society of St Mary’s Church in Westfield is part of the worldwide Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. The Society was founded in 1832 by French students. It is named after St Vincent de Paul, a French priest who was born in 1581. Saint Vincent was well-known and respected for his generosity and caring for the poor and the neglected. Saint Vincent was very successful in his ministries because, through his missionary zeal, he enlisted the help of well-to-do families and individuals and encouraged them to visit and care for the poor and the needy in their area.
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society at St Mary’s is a group of parishioners who have made it our goal to help as many local people and families in need as we can. As President Theodore Roosevelt said: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”
We have two ministries at St Mary’s parish that we support. The first is the Food Pantry, located in the basement of the Rectory. Our Food Pantry provides up to two bags of food and other items per month to people and families in need. In recent months, the Food Pantry has been very busy and has been averaging about 100 bags of food given out per month.
The second ministry is our effort to provide general monetary assistance to those in need. Several members of the Society are assigned each month to visit those who call to request our help. We provide a variety of help to those in need on a case-by-case basis. This ministry provided approximately $25,000 in aid last year alone, all in our local parish area.
Our ministries would not be possible without two things: volunteers and donations. We welcome the help of any parishioners who feel a calling to help us in our mission. If you would like to join us, please call the Saint Vincent de Paul line at 413-568-5619 and let us know.
If you cannot help us in body, but would still like to support our work, as many of our fellow parishioners already do, you may help in two ways. First, you can help the Food Pantry by bringing food donations to the Church and leaving them in the boxes near the entrance. Food donations are always needed and are greatly appreciated. Second, if you would like to make a monetary donation, you may leave it in the weekly collection basket during Mass in an envelope marked for Saint Vincent de Paul, or you may send your donation to the Rectory. Any and all donations are very helpful and all of our resources are used to help local people and families in need.
The Saint Vincent de Paul Society of St Mary’s Church is fortunate to have the support of a caring and generous Parish, and a dedicated group of volunteers. Please join us in our work to help the needy of our area.
Saint Vincent de Paul Helpline – (413) 568-5619
Who was Saint Vincent de Paul?
De Paul was born in Pouy, renamed Saint-Vincent-de-Paul since 1828, Landes, Gascony, France, to a family of peasant farmers. He had four brothers and two sisters.
De Paul studied humanities in Dax, France with the Cordeliers and he graduated in theology at Toulouse. He was ordained in 1600, remaining in Toulouse until he went to Marseille for an inheritance. In 1605, on his way back from Marseille, he was taken captive by Turkish pirates, who brought him to Tunis and sold him into slavery. After converting his owner to Christianity, Vincent de Paul escaped in 1607.
After returning to France, De Paul went to Rome. There he continued his studies until 1609, when he was sent back to France on a mission to Henry IV of France; he served as chaplain to Marguerite de Valois. For a while he was parish priest at Clichy, but from 1612 he began to serve the Gondi, an illustrious family. He was confessor and spiritual director to Mme de Gondi, and he began giving peasant missions on the estate with her ail.
In 1622 De Paul was appointed chaplain to the galleys, and in this capacity he gave missions for the galley-slaves.
In 1625 De Paul founded the Congregation of the Mission, a society of missioning priests commonly known as the Vincentians. In 1633, with the assistance of Louise de Marillac he founded the Daughters of Charity. He also fought against the Jansenist heresy.
De Paul was renowned for his compassion, humility and generosity.
Click below to go to the official St Vincent Depaul website