"Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity." - St. Vincent de Paul
About St. Vincent de Paul
The Seton Conference Society of St. Vincent de Paul is part of the Diocese of Columbus and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul U.S.A. This charitable organization offers tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. It is this personalized involvement that makes the work of the Society unique. This aid may take the form of intervention or consultation, often through direct dollar or in-kind service. An essential principle of the Society's work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served.
All members of our Conference ("Vincentians") are Seton parishioners. There are currently 12 in our group. We all have different jobs: collecting donations from the Masses at the end of the month, making home visits to Friends in Need, framework, paperwork, banking, and more. We have one monthly meeting, which is usually the first Thursday of each month in the parish library.
Friends in Need can contact us directly for assistance or speak to the parish office.
Anyone who asks for assistance receives a home visit by one or two Vincentians. We listen, talk and pray together. We can either provide direct assistance or find help from another organization.
Donations
We rely heavily on the donations that are provided to us. Sometimes we run out of money and can't help those in need! However, we always do what we can with what we have.
Here are the donations we accept:
Monetary: all funds go directly to the poor; aside from our cell phone bill and annual conference fees, we have very few expenses.
Furniture, appliances, cars and other large items: several times a year our conference schedules a truck to come to Seton for parishioner donations. These are taken to the Lancaster SVdP Society Thrift store that sells donated items as well as supplies us with any items our Friends in Need may require throughout the year.
Volunteers: people who can give in-kind services such as mechanics, HVAC repair persons, lawyers specializing in rent issues, etc.
Monetary donations are used for food, clothes, housing/rent and utility assistance, car and home repairs, medical/dental bills or prescriptions and other miscellaneous things like eyeglasses, towing fees, toys for children or Christmas presents, and automobiles. If any Friends in Need require furniture or appliances, we leverage the Lancaster SVdP thrift store and often items are donated directly by parishioners.
Interested in Helping?
If you would like to become involved, need assistance, or have further questions about this ministry, please contact us at 614-205-2347.
Looking for More?
Are you interested in other Christian service ministry opportunities at Seton?
