Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski has recognized the service of the members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Vincent de Paul Society’s Recognition

According to the Florida Catholic report, the archdiocesan St. Vincent de Paul Society members received recognition during their 100th anniversary Mass. 

The recognition took place on Sept. 24 at Gesu Church, the location of the first conference conducted by the society.

As mentioned, society’s recognition was something that they had never looked for.

The archbishop said, "We appreciate your support of the underprivileged over the past 100 years."

Accordingly, the St. Vincent de Paul Society has existed older than the Archdiocese of Miami. He said in his homily, "Your work is to help the poor get to heaven." 

Moreover, he said that they do it by assisting the less fortunate in overcoming the challenges they face in the valley of tears. 

Frank Voehl, president emeritus of the society's archdiocesan conference, remarked, "We do everything behind the scenes. No p.r. or arrogance or promoting oneself.”

Also, they tell people to "pay it forward" rather than "pay it back."

Moreover, Claudia Leudeking, the current archdiocesan president, awarded him a medal from the Vatican for keeping the tradition.

As reported, the medal honored the society's founder, Frederic Ozanam, by Pope John Paul II in 1997.

Members were reportedly gathered for a reception in the church basement following the Mass. 

The church gave small gifts, such as hand-sized notebooks and keychains of St. Vincent de Paul, to the members and participants as they left the event.  

Also, they received a bookmark featuring Ozanam's picture and the words, “I would like to embrace the whole world in a network of charity.”

A significant portion of the 1,100 people in the archdiocese, or around 150 members, reportedly attended the Mass in Gesu, the church where the archdiocesan council was established in 1922.

The all-volunteer group reportedly received high commendations from Archbishop Wenski.

When the society was founded in 1922, South Florida was a part of the Diocese of St. Augustine.

About St. Vincent de Paul Society

In 1833, Frederic Ozanam established the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris, France.

It started when a non-believing classmate questioned Ozanam, a college student, “What is your Church doing for the poor in Paris?”

In response to Ozanam, he and six others founded the ‘Conference of Charity and chose St. Vincent de Paul as their patron saint.

St. Vincent de Paul is known as the patron saint of the poor. As time passed, the group was formally named the ‘Society of St. Vincent de Paul.’ 

Sister Rosalie Rendu reportedly served as a mentor to those early members of the society and started providing material and spiritual aid to the underprivileged.

The society expanded fast and spread over France and other European nations.

At present, the society can reportedly be found in 150 countries and has more than 700,000 members.

The society continues its mission with friendship, service to the poor, and spirituality as its core values.

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