St. Vincent de Paul was born to a poor peasant family in the French village of Pouy on April 24, 1581. His first formal education was provided by the Franciscans. He did so well, he was hired to tutor the children of a nearby wealthy family. He used the monies he earned teaching to continue his formal studies at the University of Toulose where he studied theology.

He was ordained in 1600 and remained in Toulose for a time. In 1605, while on a ship traveling from Marseilles to Narbone, he was captured, brought to Tunis and sold as a slave. Two years later he and his master managed to escape and both returned to France.

St. Vincent went to Avignon and later to Rome to continue his studies. While there he became a chaplain to the Count of Goigny and was placed in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor. He became pastor of a small parish in Clichy for a short period of time, while also serving as a tutor and spiritual director.

From that point forward he spent his life preaching missions to and providing relief to the poor. He even established hospitals for them. This work became his passion. He later extended his concern and ministry to convicts. The need to evangelize and assist these souls was so great and the demands beyond his own ability to meet that he founded the Ladies of Charity, a lay institute of woman, to help, as well as a religious institute of priests - the Congregation of Priests of the Mission, commonly referred to now as the Vincentians.

This was at a time when there were not many priests in France and what priests there were, were neither well-formed nor faithful to their way of life. Vincent helped reform the clergy and the manner in which they were instructed and prepared for the priesthood. He did this first through the presentation of retreats and later by helping develop a precursor to our modern day seminaries. At one point his community was directing 53 upper level seminaries. His retreats, open to priests and laymen, were so well attended that it is said he infused a "Christian spirit among more than 20,000 persons in his last 23 years."

The Vincentians remain with us today with nearly 4,000 members in 86 countries. In addition to his order of Vincentian priests, St. Vincent cofounded the Daughters of Charity along with St. Louise de Marillac. There are more than 18,000 Daughters today serving the needs of the poor in 94 countries. He was eighty years old when he died in Paris on September 27, 1660.He had "become the symbol of the successful reform of the French Church". St. Vincent is sometimes referred to as "The Apostle of Charity" and "The Father of the Poor".

His incorrupt heart can be found in the Convent of the Sisters of Charity and his bones have been embedded in a wax effigy of the Saint located at the Church of the Lazarist Mission. Both sites are located in Paris, France.

Two miracles have been attributed to St Vincent - a nun cured of ulcers and a laywoman cured of paralysis. As a result of the first, Pope Benedict XIII beatified him on August 13, 1729. Less than 8 years later (on June 16, 1737) he was canonized by Pope Clement XIII. The Bull of Canonization recognized Vincent for his charity and reform of the clergy, as well as for his early role in opposing Jansenism.

It has been reported that St. Vincent wrote more than 30,000 letters in his lifetime and that nearly 7,000 had been collected in the 18th century. There are at least five collections of his letters in existence today.

The feast day for St. Vincent, the patron of all charitable societies, is September 27.

source: catholic.org

Who Is SVdP?

St. Mary, St. John the Evangelist and St. Margaret of Scotland conferences are active affiliates of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP), an international lay Catholic organization focused on offering person-to-person service to those in need.

What does SVdP Do?

Inspired by Gospel values, our SVdP Ministry provides services to the needy and suffering families within our local community, who are experiencing temporary difficulty due to illness, unemployment, personal tragedy or other unexpected challenges.

Examples of services offered by SVdP include...\rental assistance

• food/meals programs
• emergency assistance with utilities
• urgent home repair/maintenance
• we also provide assistance with federal, state and local services to address longer-term needs

You do not need to be a parishioner of either of our parish communities OR Catholic to receive these services. If you or someone you know would benefit from these services, or if you are interested in supporting this ministry with your time, talent or treasure, please contact us at (978) 256-2374 or (978) 251-8571. 

Please know that all communication with our committee is treated confidentially.

*The St. Mary conference of SVdP is pleased to acknowledge its selection as a 2017 recipient of a Cummings Foundation $100K for 100 Grant. To learn more, please visit www.cummingsfoundation.org.
 

Why Do We Do What We Do?

Serving on this team enables you to make a difference in small, personal ways that make a big impact in the lives of others. By lifting someone else up, you are lifted.

When Do We Meet?

• The St. Johns conference formally meets on the 1st Monday of every month.

The St. John the Evangelist Chapter meets on the first Monday of the month from 7-8:45 pm on the following dates:
We meet in the St. John Old Parish Center.

• September 11, 2023
• October 2, 2023
• November 6, 2023
• December 4, 2023
• January 8, 2024
• February 5, 2024
• March 4, 2024
• April 1, 2024
• May 6, 2024
• June 3, 2024
• July 1, 2024

The St. Mary Chapter meets 4 times per year from 7-9 pm on the following dates:
We meet in the St. Mary Parish Center, Meeting Room 5.

• September 13, 2023
• December 6, 2023
• February 14, 2024
• May 8, 20237

For assistance through St. Mary or St. John, please call the Parish Office at (978) 256-2374/ 251-8571.
For assistance through St. Margaret (Lowell), please call (978) 459-0175

The Vincentian vocation of the Society’s members—referred to as Vincentians—is to follow Christ through service to those in need and so bear witness to His compassionate and liberating love. Members show their commitment through person to person contact.  Vincentians serve in hope.  

SVdP Drive-Thru Drop-Off Donation Events 

January 26, 2021

On behalf of the Saint John’s Saint Vincent de Paul Society, we thank you—the parishioners of the Chelmsford Catholic Collaborative—for your support of our recent “Drive-Through Drop-Off” Donation Event.  

Your charitable donations of food and financial support help us reach our goal of being able to provide food to families in our community, as well as purchase other necessary supplies needed. Your generosity resulted in an estimated $3,600 in food donations, and an additional $2,895 in monetary donations, including gift cards to local grocers. The SVdP Society could not do what it does without the generous support of a caring community.  Thank you again, for your thoughtful donations to help those in need who rely on us for help and services.

Peace & God’s Blessings From the Vincentians of Saint John’s Parish

Frank N. Peabody, President
 

January 26, 2021 

May 14, 2020 The success of the FIRST Drive-Thru Drop-Off Donation event, inspired a second! At the conclusion of this collection, our food panty was 'bulging at the seams' so many of the groceries that were collected were donated to the Catholic Charities.  Donations of groceries, gift cards and cash totalled approximatey $2,800!  

April 21, 2020

On Tuesday, April 21st, St.  John’s St. Vincent de Paul chapter held its first event of this kind. Just like everyone else trying to roll with the changes, they tuned in to their creative energy and, not knowing what to expect, were blown away at the turn out and generosity of our parish communities. Four members tirelessly worked trying to keep up with the donations. Our Chelmsford Catholic Collaborative went above and beyond to help those who need help, not only for our SVdP but to be able to share the donations with Catholic Charities. Check out this INSTAGRAM POST from Catholic Charities! Donations received from the at least 50 vehicles that ‘drove-thru’ included… over $2,500 in food donations, $150 in grocery store gift cards and over $350 in cash/check donations! Thank you!

Please bring in one or two non-perishable items or paper goods to church (St. John) with you on the third weekend of every month in order to help us keep our pantry fully stocked for our neighbors in need. You can drop them off in the entranceway of the church, and our Vincentians will be sure they get delivered to our pantry. 

We are not permitted to  distribute any products that have expired so please pay attention to expiration dates. 

Saint Vincent de Paul
St. Mary Parish:  Annual Report
October 1, 2019 - September 30, 2020
 

The Society received 38 requests from families and individuals for assistance and we were able to help 101 adults and children this past year. As extra support in 2020 we provided grocery store gift cards to needy families during Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We sincerely thank parishioners for their generosity during this holiday season and past donations. SVdP appreciates your continued financial support during the coming year by sending donations to the Parish Office. We are also grateful for the prayers and spiritual support from our parishioners as we continue to serve those in need in our St. Mary Parish community.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       -Ray Gatti, President

Saint Vincent de Paul
St. Mary Parish:  Annual Report
October 1, 2020 - September 30, 2021

 

The Society received 33 requests from families and individuals for assistance and were able to help 63 adults and children this past year. As extra support in 2021 we provided grocery store gift cards to needy families during Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

We sincerely thank our parishioners for their generosity and request your continued financial support during the coming year by sending donations to the Parish Office.  We are also grateful for parishioners’ prayers and spiritual support as Society members continue to serve those in need in our St. Mary Parish community.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       -Ray Gatti, President

Saint Vincent de Paul
St. John the Evangelist Parish:  Annual Report
January 1 - December 31, 2020

SVdP Society thank our parishioners of Saint John’s for their generosity and continued support to help us do Christ’s work in 2020. COVID-19 has an impact on our daily lives with many challenges and changes. We changed the way parishioners could continue to donate food to those in need. Again, our parishioners came through with 2 very successful  “drive through and drop off“ food drives totaling  over $3,000.00. In addition, the SVdP committee made 84 home visits and helped 317 family members with groceries & food assistance, heating fuel & utilities.  Also, due to the pandemic and loss of employment we have seen a spike in requests for rental assistance. 

Your contributions help us make a difference in people’s lives, so we ask for your continued support. You may mail a check  made out to ‘St. John’s SVd’” to the church offices at 115 Middlesex Street, North Chelmsford, MA 01863, or place an envelope in the drop boxes that are located at the entrance of the churches, or drop off into the black box located at the entrance to the parish offices. You may also donate electronically through the Online Giving link found on the parish website. 

Thank you for your generosity and support. 
The SVdP Committee extends to you a Healthy and Happy New Year.

-Frank N. Peabody, President

Saint Vincent de Paul
St. John the Evangelist Parish:  Annual Report
January 1 - December 31, 2021

The St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. John’s wishes to extend many thanks for all donations we receive from parishioners on a regular basis. These include financial donations as well as items for our food pantry. Despite the long stretch of Covid restrictions, we have managed to help many needy people in various ways. Our group meets monthly and we always remark how much we appreciate your generosity! God bless you all!

The SVdP Poor Boxes for cash or check donations are found inside the church at the front or side entrances. If you choose to write a personal check, please make it payable to:
     St. John  the Evangelist (please note SVdP on the memo line)

If you prefer, you can mail your check to:
     St. John the Evangelist St. Vincent de Paul
     115 Middlesex Street, North Chelmsford, MA 01863

 -Frank N. Peabody, President