St Vincent de Paul Society at Verdun
No act of charity is too small
The St. Vincent de Paul Society ministers to the poor of the Parish, through providing them with food, clothing and paying some of the bills they can’t manage.
The Society was started some 150 years ago in France by a young student, Blessed Frederick Ozanam. The Society began in Barbados in 1901, and initially was run mostly by men but the present membership consists mostly of women. The Society now has some 65 active members spread throughout the Diocese of Bridgetown. (There is a Conference in each of the seven Churches)
The Society looks after over 100 families with varying needs. Our main focus is in keeping them healthy by distributing food bags that would assist them in a very basic way. Within these families there are about 100 of school age, some not yet in school and more than 80 adult siblings. Most of the families do not have a resident father, and some are single older women.
Fund Raising
The Poor Man’s Dinner was launched in 1901 and has been a permanent feature since with the object of raising funds to assist in the operation of the Ozanam Home for elderly needy ladies and to improve and expand the Home.
The theme Poor Man’s Dinner is used to simulate the basic meal that would be available in a Poor man’s home and the menu is related to this where we serve soups with a roll and something sweet. We jazz it up a bit with some entertainment and offer items for sale and a silent auction of donated items. The Poor Man’s Dinner is generally held in the month of September which is the month of the feast days of both Blessed Frederick Ozanam and St. Vincent de Paul.
The Society was started some 150 years ago in France by a young student, Blessed Frederick Ozanam. The Society began in Barbados in 1901, and initially was run mostly by men but the present membership consists mostly of women. The Society now has some 65 active members spread throughout the Diocese of Bridgetown. (There is a Conference in each of the seven Churches)
The Society looks after over 100 families with varying needs. Our main focus is in keeping them healthy by distributing food bags that would assist them in a very basic way. Within these families there are about 100 of school age, some not yet in school and more than 80 adult siblings. Most of the families do not have a resident father, and some are single older women.
Fund Raising
The Poor Man’s Dinner was launched in 1901 and has been a permanent feature since with the object of raising funds to assist in the operation of the Ozanam Home for elderly needy ladies and to improve and expand the Home.
The theme Poor Man’s Dinner is used to simulate the basic meal that would be available in a Poor man’s home and the menu is related to this where we serve soups with a roll and something sweet. We jazz it up a bit with some entertainment and offer items for sale and a silent auction of donated items. The Poor Man’s Dinner is generally held in the month of September which is the month of the feast days of both Blessed Frederick Ozanam and St. Vincent de Paul.
