Florida Catholic | Helping The Poor For 175 Years

Helping the poor for 175 years

Local Vincentians mark anniversary of St. Vincent de Paul Society’s establishment.

MARLENE QUARONI | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 05.06.08

Juan and Aracelia Carrillo of St. Ann Mission, Naranja, recite the Vincentian Promise and Prayer during the Mass celebrated April 20 at Gesu Church, Miami.
MARLENE QUARONI | FC

HOW TO HELP

• For more information on the St. Vincent de Paul Society in the Archdiocese of Miami, go to www.stvincentmiami.com or call 305-474-9010.

• All Vincentians are volunteers who rely on donations to help the poor. Tax-deductible contributions may be sent to: St. Vincent de Paul Society, P.O. Box 431232, Miami, FL 33243.

MIAMI | Jose Alvarez feels the grace of God when helping those in need.

“I really enjoy helping people,” said Alvarez, 68, a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Rose of Lima Parish, Miami Shores.

Alvarez sees many people in need: those who have lost their jobs and have no money for rent, as well as elderly people on Social Security who cannot make ends meet, such as the 82-year-old widow who could not afford costly repairs to her home.

“Her house was badly in need of repairs,” he said. “There was a ceiling fan dangling dangerously on a wire. A pipe under the sink was leaking and the woman had to keep emptying the water from a pan under the sink. Her air-conditioning units were broken and summer is approaching. She really needed a helping hand.”

The elderly woman was so grateful for the Vincentians’ help that she gave Alvarez a hug.

“I tell people to thank God,” said Alvarez, who attended the local celebration April 20 of the 175th anniversary of the founding of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. The Mass was celebrated at Gesu Parish in downtown Miami by Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Estevez.

The society has seven regional councils in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. These oversee conferences in 81 of the archdiocese’s 111 parishes, said Victor Martell, president of the archdiocesan council.

In 2007, the parish conferences donated $2 million in aid, and their 1,200 members donated thousands of hours of service to the poor. Most of the funds used by Vincentians are collected after Mass in the “poor boxes” placed at the doors of parish churches.

Bishop Estevez noted that Gesu Parish was the site of the first St. Vincent de Paul conference in the state of Florida. He thanked the Vincentians for their service and their example of following Gospel teaching.

“The homeless, the displaced, the needy, Jesus told us that whatever you do to the least of my brothers so you do unto me,” Bishop Estevez said before leading the Vincentians in a promise and prayer of commitment.

Jose Parada, vice president of the archdiocesan council, compared the society’s job to that of emergency medical technicians.

“We’re like paramedics,” he said. “We assess what’s needed. We make sure it’s a valid cause. We give people immediate help. Then we strengthen them spiritually. We try to give them a foundation for the future. We always enter a home with Jesus Christ first, then the assistance comes second.”

Vincent Murphy, vice president for the southeast region of the United States, one of the society’s eight U.S. regions, said that Vincentians are trying now to address the root causes of poverty.

“That will take a paradigm shift from today’s mentality, where corporate greed and selfishness prevail,” he said. “People need good education, health care, affordable housing and decent wages.”

The St. Vincent de Paul Society was founded in 1833 in Paris by six university students led by Blessed Frederic Ozanam, who put the group under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul in order to confront the city’s devastating poverty. The first conference in the U.S. was established in St. Louis, Mo., in 1845. There are nearly 1 million Vincentians in 142 countries worldwide, making the organization the world’s largest lay Catholic charity.

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