If you want to understand the motivation behind the work of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, you can read a section from the 25th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew: “...For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.” In this passage, Jesus calls us all to serve the poor. One way parishioners at Saint Benedict Parish are answering that the call is through the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. It is an avenue for parishioners to serve those in need with love, respect, and joy.

The Society was formed in Paris in 1833 by Blessed Frederic Ozanam, but since then it has grown into a worldwide organization with over 800,000 members in 153 countries. Frederic, through his friendship with Sr. Rosalie Rendu, was inspired by Saint Vincent de Paul, who worked diligently among the poor in Paris and founded two religious orders dedicated to serving the poor. (Mount Saint Vincent University was named for him, and he is also a patron saint of the Sisters of Charity.) The society is organized into conferences at local parishes. A team of volunteer members act as ‘dispatchers’, monitoring and recording requests for assistance, and as ‘visitors’ who provide the assistance. During COVID, direct visits had to be suspended, and the personal relationships that grew out of the ministry between recipients of help and ‘visitors’ were negatively affected.

There are no limits to the variety of requests that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul receives. For people trying their best to survive without adequate means, there are constant shortages in their daily lives. With assistance from the Society, they are able to navigate from one challenge to the next. Food is the most common need. Households are restricted to one visit to the food bank per month, so they often have a bare cupboard before they can go back to the food bank. At our parish, gift cards to grocery stores are provided by the Society to tide them over. However, assistance is not limited to food, and all needs are considered. The cost of heating oil is often prohibitive for those with restricted income. The Society can provide households with 300 litres of oil once during a calendar year.

In 2022, our parish’s branch of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul spent $122,000, all put toward helping those most in need. Parishioner donations provided $66,000, and Saint Benedict Parish covered another $15,000, with the Society’s Halifax Council providing the rest.

The Society also supports the Hope Cottage soup kitchen on Brunswick Street and the Hand in Hand thrift shop in Spryfield. If you have items you want to donate for Hand in Hand, you can place them in a bin on the lower level of the church.

As Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Our Society of Saint Vincent de Paul helps us to live up to the challenge. The donation box for the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is in the main foyer of Saint Benedict Parish, so please do what you can to help. Maybe while reading this, you feel the stir to help with this work. If you have the time, energy, and desire to help, please contact Carol Horne: [email protected].