Society of St. Vincent De Paul
St. Francis of Assisi Conference
“For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
I was a stranger and you made me welcome,
lacking clothes and you clothed me,
sick and you visited me,
in prison and you came to see me.”
Matthew 25: 35-36
St. Vincent De Paul (1581 – 1660) was the founder of the Congregation of the Mission and Daughters of Charity.
A man of deep faith, intellect and creativity, he became known as the “Apostle of Charity” and “Father of the Poor.”
His contributions to the training and organization of parish missions for the poor shaped the Church’s role for outreach to the poor.
St. Louise de Marillac (1591 – 1660) was a contemporary of St. Vincent. She was inspired by St. Vincent’s spiritual leadership.
A collaborator in founding the Daughters of Charity, she was instrumental in organizing hospitals for the sick and poor,
homes for the orphaned and workshops for the unemployed. A champion for literacy, she developed standards for local charities to reach the uneducated.
Members of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul are men and women who strive to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to individuals in need. Members are blessed with an awareness that our gifts of time, talent and treasure are to be shared with our brothers and sisters in need.
“The Society has two aims: to do a great deal of spiritual good to its members through the exercise of charity, and to do a little spiritual and temporal good to a few poor families in the name of Jesus Christ.” In attending to the needs of those who are suffering, Vincentians are ministering to Jesus Christ himself.
The Society of St. Vincent De Paul is the largest Catholic charity organization in the world with more than 800,000 members worldwide. The Society’s history begins in France when Frederic Ozanam founded a “Conference of Charity” in 1833 to assist the poor.
There are 4,428 Conferences in the United States with 100,000 members. It is believed that the Society of St. Vincent De Paul’s was originally established in the United States in St. Louis, Missouri at the Basilica of St. Louis in 1845.
The Society of St. Vincent De Paul Knox Council was formed in 2013 to respond to Bishop Stika’s request to grow the Society of St. Vincent De Paul to reach every parish in the Diocese of Knoxville.
Founded in 2013, the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, S. Francis, St. Francis of Assisi Conference strives to serve the poor in Townsend, TN. Members meet twice monthly to grow spiritually in friendship. We seek to see the face of Jesus in all we serve. The ability to help comes from the Holy Spirit, the generosity of donors, and local financial grants.
To learn more about the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, St. Francis of Assisi Conference, call 865-312-0141.
“NO WORK OF CHARITY IS FOREIGN TO THE SOCIETY.”
The Society of St. Vincent De Paul, St. Francis of Assisi Conference, serves the underserved in the Townsend, Tennessee community and surrounding area by
- Operating a Food Pantry
- Providing seasonal help and outreach at Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving
- Helping to fill in financial gaps to those who have nowhere to turn
- Sponsoring and participating in local food distributions
Since organizing in 2013, a profound need for assistance among Townsend residents has been uncovered. Through member contributions and from the generosity of donors and local financial grants, the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, St. Francis of Assisi Conference, strives to meet the temporal and spiritual needs of those in the community.
If you, or someone you know, needs assistance, call the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, St. Francis of Assisi Townsend Conference 865-312-0141
Click Here to view the St. Vincent DePaul 2020 Annual Report
