What is a Conference Conferences are parish and/or community based groups of lay volunteers that provide direct services and referrals to the poor and needy individuals and families. By becoming personally involved in helping the poor in their community, Conference members seek to grow and develop in their spiritual lives.
In the parish, Conferences work closely with their pastor and congregation to serve the poor in their local community. Conferences obtain their funding through regular and special collections at the parish, fund raising drives and member donations.
Conferences also have been organized at schools, universities, hospitals, prisons and other places where they can be of service meeting the corporal and spiritual needs of others. Each Conference decides what programs and services they will offer, based on the needs of their local community and neighbors.
Work of the Conference The Society of St. Vincent De Paul, Peterborough Particular Council, was established in 1892, and guided by the principals of its founder and the teachings of its patron, St. Vincent de Paul, our volunteers seek to promote the dignity of the person, alleviate suffering, and diminish distress, all while working to correct the conditions that cause them.
The heart of the Council's operations are its lay volunteers - now numbering approximately 200 men, women, young adults, and teenagers - who serve the less fortunate in whatever capacity is necessary to solve the problems people are facing and enable them to re-establish themselves as productive citizens.
The most concrete embodiment of the volunteers' mission in the Society is the home visit. Often due to the ever increasing number of people in need, and, not having sufficient number of volunteers, it is not always possible to go to the homes of our friends in need in which case we will meet with them at a parish centre. Our dedicated volunteers work with families and individuals in need to help them overcome the challenges to self-sufficiency that they face. The Society's volunteers also assist with emergency food, clothing and basic household furniture; conduct food, clothing and toy drives; furnish financial assistance for utilities, transportation or temporary housing; provide referrals to victims of domestic violence, runaways and those in need of medical or dental treatment; aid individuals in finding government assistance; and visit elderly shut-ins or those in prison.
As a result, the Society, through its programs and conference volunteers, assisted more than XXX,XXX people who were experiencing various emergencies and needed food, shelter, clothing, utilities or rental assistance, furniture and/or medical or dental care during the last fiscal year.
How To Start A Conference The Society is largely a volunteer-driven organization; most of our volunteers (known as Vincentians) belong to groups called "Conferences" with the majority of the conferences based in Catholic parishes (though some could be based in schools, universities, community centers and the like).
If you're interested in starting a conference within your parish, school or community center, here are some basic steps to take:
Get your pastor's or executive's permission
Contact the Peterborough Particular Council to schedule a "recruitment drive"
Ask the pastor/executive and others to personally invite prospective members to join
Schedule a follow-up meeting for those who expressed an interest in joining (during this short, informal meeting, prospective members will learn what types of work members of a St. Vincent de Paul conference do within their local communities)
Elect a president and appoint officers
Meet at least twice each month
Serve your brothers and sisters in need in a spirit of love, with prayer and meditation to feed you.
If you feel called to live the Gospel through service to God's poor, hungry and lonely, and to do so with love and humility, the Society may be the home for you. Vincentians realize that they are Christ's hands, in service to Christ's presence in the guise of those who are in need.
If you are interested in starting a conference, feel free to contact the Peterborough Particular Council at705-xxx-xxxx (maybe get a Council answering machine) or e-mail us at webmaster@ </a>svdpptbo.ca.
We look forward to welcoming you and your fellow members to the family.
Youth And Young Adult Conferences A college student started the Society of St. Vincent de Paul more 170 years ago in response to a challenge from a fellow student: "Show me your works." These words resonated in this young man's mind and he gathered fellow students and friends to serve the poorest of the poor in the slums of Paris.
On his twentieth birthday, Frederic Ozanam, together with his friends, founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, taking the patron of charity as their own and lying claim to his spirituality of love of the poor, service, and advocacy for social justice.
Young people at parishes, schools and universities are able to belong to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul through conferences of their own. Currently, members of youth and young adult conferences (known as "Vincentians") are able to participate in most activities and endeavors presently sanctioned by the Peterborough Particular Council.
In addition to the above opportunities, youth and young adult conferences can initiate new service projects in their own communities with the support of the Particular Council such as conducting food drives for food pantries, staging fund raising events, visiting residents of senior citizen homes, collecting and distributing clothing for the homeless, among many other activities.
If you are interested in starting a youth or young adult conference of the Society at your parish, school or university, please contact XXX-XXXX or email us at XXXXX@CA.
