Membership in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul St. Mary/Christ the Teacher Conference is open to all those who are looking to serve God through service to the poor. Different levels of membership exist to accommodate the spiritual needs and interests of our members. Perhaps God has been nudging you toward a deeper spiritual relationship and greater commitment to Himself. If you are ready to put your faith into action by living out Jesus’ command to love your neighbor as yourself and to seek Him in the faces of His beloved anawim, then the St. Vincent de Paul Society might be the vehicle you’ve been searching for to help fulfill that need. Vincentians make Christ's healing presence felt through their loving presence to those who are in need or who are suffering within their local communities. By their own love for Christ, they bring the hope that Christ brought into the world; namely, that things can be different and that needless suffering can be diminished through person-to-person caring.
Below are brief descriptions of our various levels of membership. Many of our members start out by volunteering and then after careful discernment of God’s call to action in their life, decide to move forward toward full active membership within our Society. Feel free to look over the descriptions and determine which best fits your time availability and unique talents. No individual gift of service is too small. I encourage you to then take the next step by letting us know of your interest and giving us the opportunity to meet you and personally review your interests, qualifications, and background information to help determine if our mission is a good fit for you. If it's a match, you will be accepted into our Society of St Vincent de Paul family and welcomed onto this amazing spiritual journey. We want to know about the unique gifts and talents God has blessed you with for building up His Kingdom and how God has been calling you to use your gifts to help spread His message of hope to our friends in need.
Sincerely,
Donna Brown, President
Learn more by attending the upcoming Ozanam Orientation Summary Presentation
Novemeber 14, 2020 9:30 am to 11:00am.
This is a Zoom virtual event! Click here to sign up.
Volunteer Members are recognized as members for their consistent participation in the charitable works of the Society. All volunteers serving in areas where children are present are required to complete the Rockford Diocese Protecting God’s Children training and submit to a background check. Click here to see volunteer opportunities available within our Conference.
Contributing Members are recognized as members for their consistent donations and require no formal action for enrollment.
Click here if you would like to financially help sustain the programs we operate locally.
Associate Members do not have to be Catholic but, they are required to participate, as they are able, in the charitable works of the Society.
Please click here to learn more about becoming an Associate Member.
Active Members are required to be practicing Catholics and participate in Society of St Vincent de Paul meetings, charitable activities, and religious observances. Click here to learn more about becoming an Active Member.
A Transformative Experience
If you are looking for excitement, surprises and a memorable trip, try a special Walk. Known as "Walking the Vincentian Pathway," it is a process for ongoing formation as a Vincentian and a way to ensure you will grow in Vincentian Leadership. No kidding, you will find hidden treasure, special people and amazing surprises. It's your call when to start and it's up to you how long this incredible journey will take but you will be encouraged, inspired and most assuredly transformed.
This formation process is based on the Essential Elements of the Society (Spirituality, Friendship, Service) and Servant Leadership. The Vincentian Pathway will help us to Discover, Develop, Deepen and Discern our Vincentian hearts by forming our minds and attitudes into a Vincentian way of being.
Click here for a wealth of information and resources on Walking the Vincentian Pathway.
Frederic Ozanam Address to the General Assembly of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Paris December 14, 1848
"...when the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul began, in 1833, political groups were as present as today, armed as today, irreconcilable as today. It was the need to be united in the midst of a divided people that forged our first bonds. Is this need not more urgent than ever?
Do you not see that division penetrates everywhere, among honest people, among Christians, and even in the homes of all families And when the times are so difficult, the problems so serious, the designs of God so hidden, how could the finest citizens not be divided and not bring to their opposite opinions all the passion of their patriotism
The heart, however, needs rest, and the charity of an asylum where the noise of disputes does not penetrate. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul offers you this refuge. As we enter our peaceful conferences, we leave political passions at the door: we are assembled, not to fight each other, not to tear each other apart, but to get along, to see each other's good side, to deal with charitable questions, capable, consequently of calming down for a moment all irritations, of forgetting all the troubles of the heart. When every morning twenty newspapers are busy stirring up our anger, it is good that at least once a week we can calm it down by talking about the poor...."
Below are brief descriptions of our various levels of membership. Many of our members start out by volunteering and then after careful discernment of God’s call to action in their life, decide to move forward toward full active membership within our Society. Feel free to look over the descriptions and determine which best fits your time availability and unique talents. No individual gift of service is too small. I encourage you to then take the next step by letting us know of your interest and giving us the opportunity to meet you and personally review your interests, qualifications, and background information to help determine if our mission is a good fit for you. If it's a match, you will be accepted into our Society of St Vincent de Paul family and welcomed onto this amazing spiritual journey. We want to know about the unique gifts and talents God has blessed you with for building up His Kingdom and how God has been calling you to use your gifts to help spread His message of hope to our friends in need.
Sincerely,
Donna Brown, President
Learn more by attending the upcoming Ozanam Orientation Summary Presentation
Novemeber 14, 2020 9:30 am to 11:00am.
This is a Zoom virtual event! Click here to sign up.
Volunteer Members are recognized as members for their consistent participation in the charitable works of the Society. All volunteers serving in areas where children are present are required to complete the Rockford Diocese Protecting God’s Children training and submit to a background check. Click here to see volunteer opportunities available within our Conference.
Contributing Members are recognized as members for their consistent donations and require no formal action for enrollment.
Click here if you would like to financially help sustain the programs we operate locally.
Associate Members do not have to be Catholic but, they are required to participate, as they are able, in the charitable works of the Society.
Please click here to learn more about becoming an Associate Member.
Active Members are required to be practicing Catholics and participate in Society of St Vincent de Paul meetings, charitable activities, and religious observances. Click here to learn more about becoming an Active Member.
A Transformative Experience
If you are looking for excitement, surprises and a memorable trip, try a special Walk. Known as "Walking the Vincentian Pathway," it is a process for ongoing formation as a Vincentian and a way to ensure you will grow in Vincentian Leadership. No kidding, you will find hidden treasure, special people and amazing surprises. It's your call when to start and it's up to you how long this incredible journey will take but you will be encouraged, inspired and most assuredly transformed.
This formation process is based on the Essential Elements of the Society (Spirituality, Friendship, Service) and Servant Leadership. The Vincentian Pathway will help us to Discover, Develop, Deepen and Discern our Vincentian hearts by forming our minds and attitudes into a Vincentian way of being.
Click here for a wealth of information and resources on Walking the Vincentian Pathway.
Frederic Ozanam Address to the General Assembly of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Paris December 14, 1848
"...when the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul began, in 1833, political groups were as present as today, armed as today, irreconcilable as today. It was the need to be united in the midst of a divided people that forged our first bonds. Is this need not more urgent than ever?
Do you not see that division penetrates everywhere, among honest people, among Christians, and even in the homes of all families And when the times are so difficult, the problems so serious, the designs of God so hidden, how could the finest citizens not be divided and not bring to their opposite opinions all the passion of their patriotism
The heart, however, needs rest, and the charity of an asylum where the noise of disputes does not penetrate. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul offers you this refuge. As we enter our peaceful conferences, we leave political passions at the door: we are assembled, not to fight each other, not to tear each other apart, but to get along, to see each other's good side, to deal with charitable questions, capable, consequently of calming down for a moment all irritations, of forgetting all the troubles of the heart. When every morning twenty newspapers are busy stirring up our anger, it is good that at least once a week we can calm it down by talking about the poor...."
