How We Work

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of St. Louis Council has grown to more than 143 participating parishes with over 3000 Vincentian volunteers in 13 counties of eastern Missouri. Our organization is made up of chapters called “conferences.” A conference is the basic organizational unit of the Society and is usually affiliated with a parish. The conference provides grassroots support to those in need. Every conference has been established to meet the needs in their own specific areas. Conferences are organized in geographic areas called “districts”. There are 8 districts in our Council.

Serving Christ’s needy is the first purpose of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The members of the Society of the St. Louis have quietly answered the calls of thousands of people who have reached out to us for help.

How do we respond to their call?

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides two types of service:

• Community Services
• Specialized Services.

Community Services are provided by the Conferences and Specialized Services are provided by professionals at the St. Louis Council office.

Assistance and Referrals

Each Conference works hand-in-hand with the St. Louis Council to provide services for those in their community. If the Vincentian volunteers determine that an individual or family would benefit from one of the Council programs or the services of another social service agency, our staff will facilitate the process. Every month the Council hot line receives more than 2400 calls from people looking for assistance. Our intake staff refers these people to the Conference in their area for utility assistance, food assistance or other emergency help.

Home visits

Home visits are in integral part of the Society of St. Vincent DePaul. Those who need assistance are met “on an equal basis,” never looked down upon, and always thought of as brothers and sisters in Christ. The Vincentians go in pairs to make a face-to-face connection and assess individual needs. By visiting someone in their home, we help them feel more at ease. And what’s often as important as the tangible assistance, our direct service lifts spirits, renews hope and draws us closer to God.

Conference “Twinning”

Almost every conference is paired with another conference in the District. The purpose of “twinning” is to facilitate the sharing of resources between conferences.

Did you know that the first U.S. Conference was formed in 1845 at the Basilica of St. Louis on the banks of the Mississippi River?