St. Vincent de Paul Society

St Vincent de Paul  Society was formed in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam, a student at the Sorbonne University, where he studied law.  Post revolution  France saw a country forced to the brink starvation, with large numbers of its clergy and nobility decimated  and the people struggling to come to grips with life in “the Age of Enlightenment”.  At the age of 20, Frederic and his companions went out to these poor people, visiting them in their homes, giving relief wherever possible.

Frederic only lived to be 40 but his society spread throughout the world, arriving in Queensland at St Brigid’s, Red Hill in 1894.  In Queensland we now have over 7,000 volunteers assisting over 260,000 people and dispensing in excess of $5.4 million in aid annually.

Our St. Vinnie’s Conference at St Gerard Majella is strong and healthy and is made up of ten dedicated members, who meet in friendship each week and are united in the love of Jesus and dedicated to the mission of our founder.

The conference would like to thank the parish for their support to all appeals, particularly the current one of support of the Pacific Islands.  Your generosity knows no bounds.

Each day in our conference we administer aid to many people on a face to face basis in their homes. Sometimes in the way of a food voucher, sometimes by helping them with their overdue rent, electricity or phone accounts, and sometimes it is just to be there for them.   Our work is dependent on the generous support of the parishioners who contribute to our Christmas and winter appeals as well as keeping our “Poor Boxes” full.

Donations are always welcome and needed.

Frederic Ozanam was beatified in August 1997 and we pray he will be soon canonised by the Church.

St Vincent de Paul Society provides a hand up to those in need.

Assistance includes:

Home, Hospital and Prison Visitation, Family Support, Vinnie’s Retail Centres, Migrant and Refugee Support, Support for the Homeless and those at risk of Homelessness, Disaster Welfare, Emergency Accommodation, Child and Family Program, Youth and Young Adult Support and Overseas Partnership Development.

"The mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Australia is to deepen the Catholic faith of its members - to go out into our nation to heighten awareness of Jesus Christ.

We do this by sharing ourselves - who we are and what we have - with the poor on a person to person basis. We seek to co-operate in shaping a more just and compassionate Australian community and to share our resources with our twinned countries.

Our prefered option in this mission of service is to work with the poor in development, by respecting their dignity, sharing our hope and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny. "