About St. Vincent De Paul Society:
The society of Saint Vincent De Paul is an international organization of Roman Catholic lay men and women of all ages, whose primary mission is to help the poor and less fortunate. The society was founded in 1833, by six university students in Paris under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul. Today the society includes 900,000 memmbers spread among 46,000 confraternities in 133 countries of five continents.
The society’s purpose is to provide direct aid to those who suffer and to help individuals reduce and even eliminate the causes of their own suffering.
Starting Of Vincent De Paul Society In Aranattukara:
The community was spread to India in the year 1852, and on August 15, 1942, the St. Vincent De Paul Society for Men was established in Aranattuakara under the guidance of Chacko Master. The Society was recognized by the Paris General Council on November 29, 1948. To extend their hand in support for the functions of the Society, in the year 1992, the St. Vincent De Paul Society for Women was established by a group of young female individuals.
Functions Of The Vincent De Paul Society And The Vincentians:
The conference of St. Vincent De Paul society provides to the needs of the poor and the neglected irrespective of caste or creed. The functions mainly focus on Moral and practical support for the lonely and for families with problems, help for senior citizens, home visits, home help, health work, visiting the sick, physically and mentally challenged individuals, prison visiting and after care, Save A Family, and Education, etc.
The common denominator of all these initiatives, activities and undertakings is the desire to help the lost and the “have-nots” by listening, friendship, spiritual, moral and material support;
to give them back their dignity, to ensure their personal development, to give them back hope and if possible the joy of life.
At present the society take care of adopted families providing them with medicines and medical treatment. Funeral arrangements of the poor and the destitutes are made as and when the need arises.
Visits to the sick in hospitals, prison, and homes for the aged are made by the brothers and sisters.
During the season of the new academic year, the society provides new tailored uniforms and also the cost of education to deserving students in the Parish.
These projects entails substantial costs to them, which in turn is drawn from the funds that is contributed by the St. Mary’s Conference of Australia and St. Peter’s Conference of England for both St. Vincent De Paul Society For Women and Men respectively, the funds that Vincentians collect by way of Save A Family, from the contributions of the well wishers, and even every single vincentians also add their contributions.
During Sundays the Vincentians undertake the collection of rice from every single house in the Parish, which in turn they hand it over to the poor and needy.
This organization and these methods have proved their worth in the midst of all the sufferings our world is facing from time to time and it should be noted that every single Vincentian’s activity is done in a spirit of goodwill.
