Thank you from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul - January 26, 2025
The St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. Alphonsus-St. Clement parish would like to express its sincere appreciation for the overwhelming response to our 2024 Christmas Giving Program. Our goal was to give a $50 gift card to every child 16 and under on our list. Because of the generosity of those who purchased gift cards or made monetary contributions, including donations from the St. Kateri Giving Tree, we were able to surpass this goal! We distributed gift cards to 66 youngsters in our area, along with food and food certificates to their families. Surplus gift cards were sent to the Justice Initiative, St. Vincent de Paul's prison ministry that helps ex-convicts effectively transition into society. Many thanks to the St Alphonsus-St. Clement and the St. Kateri communities for your outpouring of love and compassion during this Christmas season!
As we close the books on the 2023-2024 fiscal period, we want to acknowledge the tremendous support we have received throughout the entire year. Through your generous donations in parish envelopes, poor box offerings, the Friends Walk fundraiser, and Giving Tree funds, we were able to provide significant aid to those struggling to navigate their paths out of poverty. Our conference spent nearly $13,000 on food, clothing, utilities, and furniture, plus another $10,600 on rent and temporary housing. We performed 330 service hours and traveled over 400 miles to minister to 465 individuals in our area. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us help those most in need.
If you are in need of help with groceries or any assistance please call our St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) office and ask about our St. Vincent de Paul pantry at 313-581-7495.
For emergency assistance, please call SVdP's main phone line at 1-313-393-2930 or 1-877-ST VINCE (1-877-788-4623), and then press 5 OR go to the St. Vincent de Paul emergency website.
Did you know …
… that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) was founded by a 20-year-old college student in 1833? Frederick Ozanam walked through the poorest areas of Paris on his way to university each day, and he soon became deeply moved at the hopeless state of families facing homelessness, disease, and starvation. He invited a group of fellow Catholic students to follow the example of the great St. Vincent de Paul, calling on them to be not only dispensers of food, clothing, and other basic needs but dispensers, too, of the love and compassion of Christ, which had been poured into their own hearts by the Spirit of God.
Today the Society has over 800,000 members in 153 countries. Here in our local family of parishes, there are two St. Vincent de Paul Conferences, one at St. Maria Goretti and one at St. Alphonsus-St. Clement. Some of our charitable works include food distributions, bill payment, thrift store vouchers for clothing and furniture, the purchase of new beds and appliances, and referrals to other agencies. More importantly, we offer face-to-face, personal interactions with a listening ear and an open heart. No work of charity is foreign to the Society, and the blessings we receive far outweigh the cost of our efforts.
If you wish to make a difference in someone’s life, consider joining the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. This rewarding charity affords you warm fellowship, prayer and devotion, as well as inherent value in helping our brothers and sisters in need. Meetings are held on the first and fourth Monday of the month in Fr. Yagley Hall following the 6:30 rosary. See the parish calendar for dates.
Call our office if interested 1-313-581-7495.
2024 St. Vincent de Paul Friends Walk
The annual St. Vincent de Paul Friends Walk was held on Belle Isle on Saturday, September 21, 2024. Twelve walkers represented the St. Alphonsus-St. Clement Conference on a beautiful end-of-summer day! So far we have collected roughly $1400 in donations, not including the online contributions that have not yet been tallied. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our parishioners and benefactors, and we offer our sincere thanks. All funds raised will be used in direct service to disadvantaged people who live right here in our community. Among other services, we provide food, clothing and furniture vouchers, utility assistance, and rental assistance. Your continuing support is a blessing and is greatly appreciated!
To donate, click HERE. Be sure to select "St.Alphonsus/St. Clement Dearborn" from the drop-down menu when making a donation.
In other news, our Conference will sponsor a bundle weekend on June 1 and 2, so start gathering your donations now! In addition to accepting clothing, we will take shoes, books, linens, towels and household items. At the same time, we will have our bottle and can drive in support of Camp Ozanam. Please watch for details in an upcoming bulletin.