The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) is an international organization of Catholic laypersons who respond to the needs of the poor living within the OLA parish boundaries. These needs are met through the operation of a twice-weekly food locker and home visitation teams who provide temporary assistance with rent, utilities, clothing, furniture, etc.
Need help? You can call us anytime to leave a confidential voice mail for more information: (916) 481-6352.
Food Locker hours of operation are Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
OLA Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) is an international organization of Catholic laypersons who respond to the needs of the poor living within the OLA parish boundaries. These needs are met through the operation of a twice-weekly food locker and home visitation teams who provide temporary assistance with rent, utilities, clothing, furniture, etc. Volunteers are always welcome.
As we serve God’s people in our parish of Our Lady of the Assumption, I am glad to share with you some words by the Holy Father to the great organization of charity, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which does so much in our parish.
Dear Friends in Christ,
On the occasion of the 165th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Society of the St. Vincent de Paul, the Holy Father wishes to spiritually join the action of thanksgiving of this happy commemoration and at the same time to set forward an invitation to passionately renew the commitment of service to the Church in unselfish love to the most needed brothers and sisters.
Since its birth in Paris in 1833, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul with its local Conferences has wonderfully spread throughout the world, always answering the specific needs of poverty and instability, not “with words of tongue, but with actions in truth:, (1 John 3, 18). The pressing impetus of Christian charity, that is already present in the birth of this Society as maintained as its authentic reason of being, should continue to be a true reflection of the love that God has for each one of His children and is a sure means of continuingly experimenting His merciful presence, as “everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4, 7).
With the awareness of being living instruments of the Lord, bearers of the Gospel of charit y, the members of the Conferences have to always look for the possibility to renew these deep meanings of faith, those that move Christians to perfect acts of charity, and continue to take Jesus Christ as a model of the Good Samaritan, therefore never allowing the acts of charity set forth so eloquently by the first members of this society to flag; an experience that has always been present within your distinguished tradition.
In today’s world, people that suffer any kind of poverty, whether it is through new or traditional forms of destitution, continue to require the consolation of charity. Unselfish love towards our neighbor, with sensitivity developed from a deep spiritual life, will increase the necessary creativity and enough bravery in order to cure the wounds of those who most suffer. Charity, therefore, can not only be limited to material aid, but also goes beyond this and offers support and peace for the spiritual difficulties of human kind. Following the trail of founder, the Blessed Frederic Ozanam, this anniversary will give new enthusiasm so that faith will neither be separated from action nor from the charity work of the brave and clear apostolate, as “They realize that a pure and generous love is the best witness to the God in whom we believe and by whom we are driven to love. A Christian knows when it is time to speak of God and when it is better to say nothing and to let love alone speak.” (Deus caritas est. 31 c). With these sentiments, the Holy Father invoking the intercession of St. Vincent de Paul and the Blessed Frederic Ozanam, conveyed a special Apostolic Blessing to all members of different local conferences of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul throughout the world.
- Pope Benedict XVI
Would you like to support our St. Vincent de Paul Society?
For more information or to volunteer for service, please contact the parish office at 481-5115 or parish@olaparish.net.
“We serve the poor, the homeless, and those who are otherwise left behind,” says parishioner Frank Romano, past president of the St. Vincent de Paul conference at Our Lady of the Assumption. “If you want to help people, I couldn’t think of a better way to do it than with the guidelines laid out by St. Vincent de Paul.”
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