Donation Box LocationsClick here for a list of our donation boxes throughout the Pittsburgh region.
Michael's PlaceMichael's Place is a voluntary residential program intended to help ex-offenders make a successful transition from jail or prison to independent living. Click here to learn more about this program.
Publications
Council News is a quarterly publication of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Council of Pittsburgh. Click here to read our most recent newsletter.
About UsHistory
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is the largest Catholic Lay Organization serving people in need in the United States. It was founded in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year old student of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. Challenged to "practice what they preach", Frederic and a group of fellow students sought out the poor in Paris in their homes and brought them bread, clothes and, most importantly, friendship. This small group took as their Patron the great French priest, St. Vincent de Paul. Similar groups began to form in Paris, and then spread throughout France, and eventually throughout the world. In 1845, the first U.S. Conference was formed in St. Louis, Missouri. Seven years later (1852) the first Conference was started in the heart of Pittsburgh. Today there are 114 Conferences within the Diocese of Pittsburgh with more than 1,000 members.
Spiritual
Vincentians are called to holiness by striving to conform to Jesus, doing God's will, and devoting one's self to the service of God's suffering and poor. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is composed of women and men who seek personal holiness by works of charity. In this essential way, the Society differs from charitable associations or agencies whose principal objective is not the spiritual advancement of their members, but the doing of good for others.
Structure
Members of the Society are called Vincentians and gather in groups traditionally called "Conferences" which meet regularly.
- Vincentians find themselves engaged in the person-to-person service of those in need.
- The Conference is the environment in which members develop and nurture a common spiritual life, where they grow in their closeness to the Lord through their encounters with him in the needy.
- The persons to be helped and the works to be performed are determined by the Conference itself.
- Normally, conferences operate within a Catholic parish. However, the Society's Rule does allow for great diversity in the formation of Conferences, including around people of similar professions, people of similar cultural interests, at high schools and universities, and around a particular ministry such as at a prison, at nursing homes and shelters, and so forth.
- Conferences in close proximity are grouped together to form a District Council for the purpose of animating and coordinating their Vincentian activities. The District Council is composed of the Presidents of those Conferences.
- All Councils are first and foremost at the service of the Conferences with a view to furthering charitable activities.
- Diocesan Councils are of an intermediate character, designed to facilitate the connection between District Councils and the Council of the United States. Almost all Diocesan Councils in the United States are separately and legally incorporated, each under the laws of the State in which the Council is located. The Diocesan Council is composed of the Presidents of the affiliated District Councils and at large members.