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Our Mission
The Society is a lay Catholic organisation that aspires to live the gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society.
Our Vision
The St Vincent de Paul Society aspires to be recognised as a caring Catholic charity offering “a hand up” to people in need. We do this by respecting their dignity, sharing our hope, and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny.
The society was founded when Frederic Ozanam gathered a few friends around him and on 23 April 1833, they met to decide what they could do to assist the poor. After the meeting Frederic and his flat mate took the remainder of their winter wood supply and gave it to a widow. These young men attracted the comment "What can seven young men hope to achieve in alleviating the suffering of Paris?" Fortunately Ozanam paid little heed to their comments, determined to satisfy his own conscience that he was doing what he could to bear witness to his Christian upbringing by assisting those less fortunate in the community.
St. Vincent de Paul in Australia
The first Australian conference was founded in Victoria by Fr. Gerald Ward at St Francis' Church, Melbourne on 5 March 1854, just 21 years after the founding of the first conference in Paris. New South Wales at St Patrick's Church Hill Conference - 24 July 1881.
The Kingswood conference runs a pious stall at the church where parishioners can buy or order any faith items they require. The conference meets every Tuesday night at 7.30pm in the centre at 74 Cox Ave Kingswood. We are always looking for new members as the present 9 members are restricted to conducting 10 home visits a week. We make two appeals a year. They are the winter and Christmas appeals and the conference makes up and deliver Christmas hampers in the parish.
The society has two outlets in the area one is at 74 Cox Ave where recircled clothing and furniture is sold or given to the needy. You can leave or have your excess clothing, furniture or other good items picked up. The phone number is 47 31 5900. The other centre is in Henry St opposite the tax office this one is only for sales.
The Church has a poorbox which is kept in the Church compound premises for all parishoners who want to donate to the Society's missions all across the world. It also conducts special collections within Mass for the Society where parishoners donate envelopes for the less fortunate fellow human beings.
To contact St Vincent de Paul, please phone 1800 606 724.
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