Who we are.

The Society of St.Vincent de Paul is an international organization of lay Catholics who seek to grow in holiness by following Jesus' clear commandment to us to help the poor and needy who are around us.

The Society of St.Vincent de Paul is the largest lay Catholic charity organization in the world. We have over 600,000 members in 133 countries around the world, with 60,000 of us in the United States. If you travel anywhere in the country and you mention the St.Vincent de Paul Society at almost any parish you visit, they will certainly know about SVDP.

 Today almost one million people in 133 countries around the world are members of the Society including  over 60,000 members in the U.S. We call ourselves "Vincentians", in tribute to St. Vincent de Paul. What all Vincentians have in common is a desire to serve poor and suffering people - the homeless, the sick, the lonely and the elderly.

Vincentians deliver food, visit shut-ins, purchase personal care items, clothing and furniture, provide transportation, and assist in many other ways. As members of local parishes they perform their charity in parish groups known as "Conferences". There are conferences in over 100 countries around the world. The Society serves the poor regardless of race or creed.  

Vincentians embrace the lonely, forgotten, and alienated and provide service to anyone in need. By helping those in need, we offer hope to individuals, providing a chance for them to recover from their financial problems and often even keeping them from becoming homeless.

 It may not be easy to see them, but there are families and individuals throughout south Mississippi who right now are in desperate need of all of our love and support. Despite the prosperity of our community, poverty and pain are all around us. Often, SVDP represents a lifeline for people struggling to survive. In the spirit of Christ, who leads our ministry, we help our neighbors based on need – without judgment.

We seek to embrace the lonely and the forgotten, and to transform pain and despair into healing, acceptance and hope.

Vincentians realize that many seeking our help are just like us, but due to bad luck that any one of us are vulnerable to, they are now in desperate need of help. A common example is the person who has worked hard their entire life, providing well for the family, but is now suddenly disabled and can no longer work. The income is now zero, until they might qualify for government assistance, but the heating, rent, and food bills do not stop coming.

Family home visits have always been the fundamental activity of Vincentians. Our goal is to personally meet the family seeking help, get to know them and understand their situation, determine the best way we can help, and remain in contact with the family throughout their crisis, continuing to help where possible.

To respect the wishes of those who donate to us to support our works, we do our best to verify the legitimacy of our clients' claims of need before providing any financial assistance.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI

The Society serves the community by way of Conferences that are affiliated with one or more Catholic parishes. Vincentian members will respond to help those in need, generally in the area of their affiliated parish(es), but are not limited by any geographical boundaries. We will also serve on larger works that may serve the area of the entire Archdiocese.

The Society of St. Vincent De Paul has MANY Conferences operating Within the area of the Diocese of PENSACOLA-TALLAHASSEE.

  • Bay St. Louis Our Lady of the Gulf
  • Biloxi Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  • Biloxi Our Lady of Fatima
  • Biloxi St. Mary
  • Biloxi St. Michael
  • D'Iberville Sacred Heart
  • Gulfport St. James
  • Gulfport St. John
  • Gulfport St. Joseph
  • Hattiesburg Sacred Heart
  • Laurel Immaculate Conception
  • Long Beach St. Thomas
  • Ocean Springs Mother Seton
  • Ocean Springs St. Alphonsus
  • Pascagoula - includes all East Jackson Co. parishes
  • Pass Christian Holy Family
  • Pacayune St. Charles Borromeo
  • Poplarville St. Francis Xavier
  • Wiggins St. Francis Xavier

For more information of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, visit our national website www.svdpusa.org

History of the society

The Society was founded in Paris over 175 years ago in 1833, by a young French nobleman, Bl. Frederic Ozanam, to confront his city's devastating poverty. Inspired by his love of St. Vincent de Paul, a 17th century French priest who had an untiring commitment to serving the poor, Ozanam's mission was clear - help the needy on a one-to-one basis and "accomplish through charity what justice alone cannot do."

Challenged by Saint-Simonians at the University of Paris to practice what he preached, Ozanam and some other like-minded students formed the Conference of Charity and held the charter meeting in May of that year. Starting with less than eight members, the conference membership soared to more than one hundred in 1834. It was Ozanam who believed that the original conferences must divide into more units in order to service better the needy. By 1835, the society had its own official rule and a new official name: The Society of Saint Vincent DePaul.
The Society took Saint Vincent de Paul as its patron under the influence of Sister Rosalie Rendu, DC (Daughter of Charity). Sister Rosalie (who was beatified in 2004 by Pope John Paul II) was a member of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, a group of religious women who take vows to serve the poor and those in need, founded by St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac in 1633. Sister Rosalie, who was well known for her work with the most poverty stricken people in the slums of Paris, guided Blessed Frédéric and his companions in their approach towards those in need.
The Society grew rapidly from the start. There were already over 2000 members when Frederic Ozanam died in 1853. Bl. Frederic was beatified in 1996.

The Society in Biloxi

The Society has beeen a part of Biloxi for over a hundred years as the first Conference was established in the 1890s. For the past 110 years, Vincentians have been serving the needy throughout the area of the Diocese of Biloxi by way of many SVDP conferences.

Mission & Vision

Mission

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Diocesan Council of Biloxi, MS, is part of a worldwide organization of lay Catholic men and women who are committed to live and grow in their Christian faith through prayer and personal involvement in charitable works. The Society’s mission is accomplished through parish and community-based groups called Conferences (volunteers) and programs called “Special Works.” The Society’s work includes any actions that promote the dignity of the person, alleviate suffering and distress, while correcting the conditions that cause them.

Vision

“No Act of Charity is Foreign to the Society.”

Annual Report

These SVDP annual reports provide an insight at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul work.

2006-07 Diocesan Council Annual Report (.pdf file)

Useful Links

Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Diocesan Council of Biloxi / P.O. Box 4098 / Biloxi, MS 39531

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