The St. Vincent de Paul Society is an international Catholic lay organization that offers person-to-person service to individuals in need, and may provide financial assistance, food, consultation or advice.  Consider being a part of this Society helping those in need – email Dotye Stanford for more information.

Society of Saint Vincent de Paul

Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St .Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.

Organized locally, Vincentians witness God’s love by embracing all works of charity and justice.  The Society collaborates with other people of good will in relieving need and addressing its causes, making no distinction in those served because, in them, Vincentians see the face of Christ.

How to Apply For Assistance

If you are in need of food, utility or rent assistance, contact the St. Vincent de Paul Hotline listed below according to deanery borders: Shreveport area: 865-7807
Please note that the hotline is answered by volunteers, 9:00am-11:00am, 1:00pm-3:00pm. If you call and are unable to get an answer, please try again.

Three levels of members

1. Active Members = are Catholic, Regularly Attend Meetings, Participate in Conference Works
2. Associate Members = Participate in Conference Works, may or may not attend meetings
3. Contributing Members = Make Regular Financial Donations to The Society
   If you are interested in becoming a part of this vital ministry, please call our Church Office.  God bless you for all of your prayers and support.

What We Do

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul 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, consultation, or often through direct dollar or in-kind service.  An essential precept of the Society’s work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served.  Some 12 million persons are helped annually by Vincentians in the United States.

These are some of the services Vincentians provide for those who are poor and in need:

• Food programs
• Services to those in any way challenged
• Rent/mortgage assistance
• Embracing the lonely, forgotten and alienated

Who Is Blessed Frederic Ozanam?

Frederic Ozanam was born in Milan, April 23, 1813, where his father practiced medicine. Frederic grew up in Lyon and was educated at the College Royal de Lyon, and entered the Sorbonne in Paris is 1831 to study law. Rampant anti-Catholicism existed in the university, with professors constantly attacking the Church and its committed advocates. Ozanam assembled a number of these fellow students and together translated works into deeds with the formation of a Conference of Charity in May, 1833. In 1835, rules and purposes of the association were formulated and the official title, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, adopted.

Ozanam received his law degree but soon abandoned it to pursue academics, particularly foreign literature, while giving unqualified service to the Church through total dedication to the growing Society of St. Vincent de Paul, relentlessly espousing the mission of Christ’s Church to the poor, the needy, the suffering, and the afflicted. He died at the age of 40. Rites for his beatification were held on August 22, 1997 at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed Frederic Ozanam

O God Our Father, You alone have the power to bestow those precious gist of Yours which we rightly call miracles. If it be Your will, be pleased to grant such a gift on behalf of ______________. We humbly ask that you grant this favor so that Blessed Frederic Ozanam may be canonized by our Holy Mother the Church. We make this prayer through Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.

“In serving the sick, you should have God alone in view. You should not be too lenient and condescending when the sick refuse to take remedies or become too insolent, yet you must beware of showing either resentment or contempt in your demeanor toward them. On the contrary, treat the sick with respect and humility, remembering that all harshness and disdain, as well as the services and the honor you render them, are directed to our Lord himself.” -Bl Frederic Ozanam

“No Work of Charity is Foreign to the Society”.-Bl Frederic Ozanam

St. Vincent de Paul Society Links

Friends of the Poor Walk
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Frederic’s E-Gazett

Invitation to Serve

Are you looking for ways to experience God?  It can be difficult.  God is a spiritual being.  How do you experience a “spiritual being?”  Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul invite you to share in their ministry of experiencing God in the poor.  Holy Scripture tells us:  “The Word became flesh and lived among us, and we saw His glory, the glory that is His as the only Son of the Father, full of Grace and truth.”

We see Christ in the poor; and when we see Christ, we experience God.   Consider joining us!