De Paul members aid needy through variety of methods

The St. Vincent de Paul Society was founded in 1833 in France by Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year-old who had been challenged by a fellow student to work among the poor and needy.

Ozanam established a "conference of charity" that eventually grew into the St. Vincent de Paul Society, a worldwide ministry devoted to serving the poor through the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.

The lay men and women of the Society feed the hungry, clothe the poor and provide emergency services for people in extreme situations.

Helping others

Charles Wojton, president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Troy, oversees members in six parishes. He was drawn into the Society for the same reason that most join, he said: a willingness to respond "as best we can to whatever...is most pressing for that person at that particular time."

He became a member in his parish, St. Joseph's, after being approached by a parishioner who had been active in the Society for "many, many years, who was getting older and needed some help.

"We used to buy food for people who were in need with whatever money we had and then deliver it to their homes," he recalled. "Some times, people would call us in the middle of the night in need of certain medication or because they had no place to stay."

Christmas tree

Lorraine Marchesiello of the Schenectady Council said that 13 members of her parish, Immaculate Conception in Glenville, belong to the Society.

"I've always wanted to help others," she said, recalling that as a child she would aid "whoever had a need," in her neighborhood: the elderly, the sick and children. When she was nine, for example, she learned about a needy couple who couldn't afford a Christmas tree. "I went out and bought an artificial tree for them," she said.

She calls the St. Vincent de Paul Society "an organization that works quietly, that gets -- and indeed wants -- no recognition. We do our work quietly, and we do it simply to help others."

'Last hope'

Eugene Burns has been involved with his parish group for more than 20 years. The parishioner of St. Patrick's Church in Troy said that the Society helps seniors with medical bills and prescription purchases, and runs a food pantry for needy families.

"Our job is to help people who would otherwise not be getting any other assistance," he said. "We are usually their last hope, after other programs have turned them down. We basically help the down-and-out individual.

"We rely only on the donation box in the back of the church for our revenue. People have been very generous over the years. I think it's great that people still donate to our cause. I know that makes them feel great, too."

Society members visit local nursing homes to help residents purchase toiletry items and candy.

"We are always available for anyone who has a pressing need," he explained. "I feel good going into a home where there are children, being able to help them."

Wider reach

Jerry Campana of St. Michael's parish in North Greenbush said that the Society there supports charitable organizations in the area because the parish doesn't "have too many individual requests" anymore.

"I like it that our parish helps out these organizations. They have a real need, too, and we help them in that way," he noted. "I look at this ministry as being able to help others who might not otherwise get any assistance from anyone else."

Many programs

In Albany, Margaret O'Brien has been active in the Society at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception for seven years. The St. Vincent de Paul group just celebrated its 150th anniversary there, making it the second oldest chapter in the area.

The members fund aid to youths in two foreign countries, tuition grants for needy children in the parish, emergency help to the people in the inner city and a monthly food pantry.

"We also serve our parishioners in many ways," she said. "For example our volunteers drive seniors to appointments, bring food to the home-bound, shop for them and provide clothing to those who need it."

Mrs. O'Brien said that living through the Depression and World War II inspired her to help others.

"This work is so very rewarding to me," she said. "It gives me a great feeling of satisfaction to know that I am helping others."

(8/14/03) [[In-content Ad]]