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Our Mission
The Santa Clara District Council of the St. Vincent de Paul Society has a dual mission: to organize and assist parish SVDP Conferences in order to provide help to neighbors in times of need,.
An underlying principle of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is that each of us can make a difference in the lives of others, especially in times of need. Twenty-six parish SVDP Conferences in the Diocese of San Jose put this principle into practice every day of the year.
SVDP Conferences are lay organizations comprised of parishioners that use locally raised funds to help neighbors in need. This assistance can take the form of operating a parish pantry in Campbell, staffing a Help-Line to provide emergency assistance in San Jose, organizing help at a local shelter in Morgan Hill, or distributing food to families and hot-meal programs in Sunnyvale.
Together, the parish Conferences form the SVDP Santa Clara District Council to ensure shared progress toward common goals. The Council provides assistance to parish Conferences through spiritual and managerial training, developing more effective and efficient outreach programs, and providing a forum for parish Conferences to share information.
Together, through the Santa Clara District Council, parish Conferences are able to provide the services of a larger, professionally-run organization without sacrificing local direction and the passion of lay volunteers doing good in their own neighborhoods. For more information about the SVDP Conference in your neighborhood, contact your parish office or the SVDP Santa Clara Council at 408-249-2853.
How The Society Got Started
Frederic Ozanam left his home in Lyon, France, in the autumn of 1831, for Paris. He registered in the School of Law at the Sorbonne, University of Paris.
Frederic collaborated with Mr. Emmanuel Bailly, editor of the Tribune Catholique, in reviving a student organization which had been suspended during the revolutionary activity of July 1830. They called their new association "The Conference of History." The group met on Saturdays to discuss various topics, everything but politics. At one of their meetings, a student challenged Frederic and the practicing Catholics. He admitted that the Catholic Church had done much good work in the past, but "what do you do now?"
Frederic called for a meeting of five of his friends; they agreed to meet at Mr. Bailly's office. The date was April 23, 1833, Frederic's twentieth birthday. Inspired by their words, Frederic decided to found the "Conference of Charity" to assist the poor. Emmanuel Bailly, the married layman, was chosen by the six students as their first President. In a short time, they changed their name to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
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