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February 28, 2023By Mary Lim
Each fiscal year, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Tucson Diocesan Council gives their report to the Bishop, as they are operating as a Catholic organization within the Diocese of Tucson.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul reports how many families and individuals they were able to provide physical, emotional, or monetary aid to. They report how many volunteers they have had working toward their mission in the last fiscal year. They report the total dollar amount that went toward supporting those who needed assistance.
Bishop Weisenberger supports the Society’s mission, as do many of the parish’s pastors. Perhaps you have supported a conference of St. Vincent de Paul that is hosted at your own parish. As the Society’s Diocesan Council President, Maurice P. Bois, Jr. gratefully states at the end of his recent report, it is the support received from the Bishop, pastors, and from all who contribute to their parish’s conference which “plays a major role in allowing us to bring the love of Christ to those in need.”
Like many other organizations which provide charitable aid to those in need, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul experienced a “significant increase in the number of assistance requests received, as well as the dollar amounts of assistance needed,” due to the winding down of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting dwindling of government assistance and rising inflation rate. “Nevertheless, our conferences across Southern Arizona continued to respond to those requests and to serve those in need,” says Bois in his report to the Bishop, before listing the many accomplishments of the Society during the fiscal year of 2021-2022.
These numbers reported by the Society of St. Vinent de Paul Tucson Diocesan Council speak to the beautiful success of the mission: “A network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.”
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Number of conferences in Diocese of Tucson increased to 35
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639 active and associate Vincentians
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89 non-Vincentian volunteers
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14,232 visits made to those in need (home visits, hospital and eldercare visits, other in-person assistance provided on visits)
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45,222 people assisted through in-person visits
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$1,818,529 provided in financial support, an increase of over $125,000 from the previous year
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66,772 times when in-kind assistance was provided (legal, medical, dental, other services, food, clothing, furniture, other goods), totaling a value exceeding $5,400,000, an increase of $900,000 from the previous year
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75,960 hours of time donated by members to provide assistance
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182,750 miles traveled by members in service to others
Bois ended his report with a note of thanks, “We thank you for helping us help others in faith, hope, and love, and look forward to continuing and expanding our relationship with the Catholic Diocese of Tucson.”
To find a conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul near you, see their online directory of Conference Locations and Contacts.
If you are interested in joining the mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, here are ways you can help.
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