Saint Vincent De Paul Beatrice Conference

11/07/2025

5 Facts About the Life of Saint Vincent de Paul
Incorruptible Saint

Most people have heard of St. Vincent de Paul, but not too many know very much about him or his life. Here are five things that you may not know:

5. St. Vincent de Paul spent the first 20 years of his life seeking fame and wealth.

Vincent de Paul was born to a peasant family in France in 1580. Although he later achieved fame for his dedication to the poor, his early life was spent attempting to escape his humble roots. His family shared his ambition, hoping that a career in the priesthood would better the family fortune. On one occasion, while he was still in the seminary, he refused to see his father who had come to visit him because he felt embarrassed by the shabbiness of his father’s appearance. Vincent became a priest at the young age of 19, and he spent most of his early priesthood mingling with members of the elite. He was very well liked because of his charm, intelligence, and sense of humor.

4. St. Vincent de Paul was captured by pirates.

In 1605, Vincent was returning home by boat from a trip. He had been on his way to sell some property he had received in an inheritance from a wealthy patron. While travelling, he was captured by pirates, who brought him to Tunis in Northern Africa. He was sold into slavery and he remained a slave for two years. During this time, he prayed to God, telling Him that if his life would be spared and he was freed, he would devote the rest of his life to the service of the poor.

3. St. Vincent de Paul was a community organizer.

After his eventual escape from Africa, Vincent served a church in rural France. The poverty he found there shocked him—it was not uncommon for people who were unable to find work in his poor community to die from starvation. He began to take stock of his resources, and his former connections with the wealthy and influential led him to seek their financial assistance. He met with affluent friends and inspired them to organize into groups going from house to house requesting furniture, food and clothing. They were extremely successful in their efforts, and other parishes began to seek him out to learn how they could organize in the same way. Soon, churches all over France were using the same techniques Vincent had created to help their neighbors in need.

2. St. Vincent de Paul was a legend in his own time.

As time went by, Vincent realized that the mistakes of his young life, especially his focus on wealth and fame, had been caused by a poor faith foundation. As a result, he founded an order of priests, the Vincentians, who received thorough training and who pledged to devote their lives to the spiritual and material needs of the poor. Later, along with Louise de Marillac, he founded the Sisters of Charity. He then expanded his work, founding hospitals, orphanages and homes for people who were mentally ill. He also devoted his last years to serving prisoners and slaves, sharing with them his story of hope as a former slave himself. He was very well known throughout Europe in his own time. He died on September 27, 1660, and he was made a saint in 1737.

1. St. Vincent de Paul did NOT found the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was not founded until more than 150 years after St. Vincent’s death. When Frederic Ozanam founded the Society, he named it after St. Vincent de Paul. Ozanam was devoted to St. Vincent, who is the patron saint of charitable societies, and he modeled the Society on his call to “see Christ in the poor and to be Christ to the poor”. The members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul continue to honor his life and legacy.

It is not sufficient for me to love God if I do not love my neighbor. I belong to God and to the poor.” –St. Vincent de Paul

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St. Vincent de Paul, pray for us. Amen.

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Posted September 17, 2015
by Sunnie Lain in All Posts, News, Spirituality, Stories

10/04/2024

Friends of the Poor Walk is Saturday (tomorrow) morning!! Show up at 8am to register if you would like to walk with us. Donate here:

09/28/2022

Join us this Saturday at the Beatrice Middle School track for our annual walk/run. Registration begins at 8:30 and the event will begin at 9am. Walk or run as much as you are comfortable as we raise money to help the poor in our local community.

T-shirts available for all!

07/21/2022

"Make it a practice to judge persons and things in the most favorable light at all times and under all circumstances."
–St. Vincent de Paul

07/17/2022

Important....

05/05/2022

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me and holy is His name." Luke 1:46-49

This was proclaimed after Mary was tasked by God to bear a child not her husband's and while her aunt, advanced in age, was carrying her first child. She proclaims the greatness of the Lord as she and her aunt are bearing what society deems as unbearable crosses. The hardest part of our life is bearing the cross and not knowing the blessings that will be bestowed on your fellow man. Mary and Elizabeth brought salvation to the world through Jesus and John. You are being asked to bring salvation, not to the world, but to your fellow man.

04/29/2022

Seeking new volunteers! Message us if you would like more information.

09/24/2021

Tomorrow morning, 8am, Middle School Track.
Free T-shirt for all walkers! Come help us raise money for those in need!

09/22/2021

Register for the walk/donate here:

The Friends of the Poor® Walk/Run is a national event coordinated by the Development Team at the National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

08/22/2021

Founded in 1833, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a worldwide organization of lay Catholics, following Christ’s call to serve the poor, the suffering, and the deprived.

Our founding activity, still practiced today, is the Home Visit. Through these visits, Vincentian members establish personal relationships with our neighbors in need, not only providing material assistance such as rent, utilities, food, or clothing, but also offering friendship, understanding, and prayer.

Because “no work of charity is foreign to the Society,” Vincentians respond to many community and individual needs, always seeking longer-term pathways out of poverty and towards the full flourishing of every person.

The mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is “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.”

Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (known as “Vincentians”) are men and women who strive to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to neighbors in need. Our members represent all ages, every race, and all incomes, and all are gifted with awareness that the blessings of time, talent, and treasure are to be shared with neighbors in need.

Since its founding in Paris in 1833, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul has grown to 800,000 members in over 150 countries with 1,500,000 volunteers. Vincentians understand that service to a neighbor in need is an encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ, and are aware that poverty, suffering, and loneliness are present for millions in our local communities. For that reason, we collaborate with all who seek to alleviate need and address its systemic causes.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s work is unique in that Vincentians offer tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or through direct financial or in-kind service.

An essential principle of the Society’s work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of our neighbors in need. In addition, the Society recognizes that it must assume a role of advocacy for those who are marginalized or voiceless. Vincentians in the United States serve more than 5 million people annually. Here in Beatrice, we serve our own community as well as those in surrounding towns and counties.

Volunteers from all creeds are welcome to participate as members and to go on Home Visits to serve the poor.

For help:
Call the hotline at 402-435-7968
We take calls Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 10 am to Noon and on Wednesday from 5:30-7:30 pm

Message us if you are interested in becoming a member.