The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – St. Thomas Conference
Our Mission
“A network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships and service to people in need.”
Who We Are
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA is a Catholic lay organization inspired by Gospel values. We join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to neighbors in need in the tradition of our founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul. Current membership in the United States is over 90,000 and our St. Thomas Conference has over 30 active members. We seek personal holiness through works of charity.
We are guided by three essential elements: Spirituality, Friendship and Service.
What We Do
“The vocation of the Society’s members, who are called Vincentians, is to follow Christ through service to those in need and so bear witness to His compassionate and liberating love. Members show their commitment through person-to-person contact. Vincentians serve in hope”. We go TO our neighbors, and home visits are central to our work.
We network with several other churches in Peoria and with government agencies and nonprofit organizations such as Goodwill, Habitat Restore, etc. We may assist neighbors experiencing a situational change in their lives such as job loss or illness. Their needs may include rent, utilities, transportation, food, bus tickets, funeral expenses or other needs.
Calls from Peoria and Peoria Heights neighbors in need go to a central Helpline and are directed to us dependent on their ZIP code of residence. Team members complete home visits, deliberate the situation and make assistance decisions based on good stewardship principles.
How to Get Involved
- Prayer: The most important is to support the conference’s work through your prayer – for our neighbors and for Vincentians.
- Membership: The membership process begins with informal chats with several members. We talk about our work, its challenges and rewards, expectations of members, time commitment, monthly meetings, etc. Next is structured orientation and training, followed by exposure through home visits. New Vincentians always work in partnership with experienced members. All members involve themselves in ongoing formation and education. Contact the parish office for more information on how to get involved 309-688-3446.
- Donations: We absolutely cannot continue this work without the financial help of benefactors, whether donations are large or small. You can trust that we will spend donations wisely and where the money is needed most.
How to Donate
- Drop your contribution in the brown boxes we hold after Masses the first weekend of the month.
- Label your contribution “SVdP” and drop it in the mail slot labeled “Donations and Envelopes” in the sacristy wall.
- By mailing a check to St. Vincent de Paul Society, St. Thomas Church 904 E Lake St. Peoria Heights, IL 61616