Levels of Membership

Active Members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul participate fully in the life and work of the Society, serving the needy person-to-person. They attend the meetings of their Conference, praying with fellow members, and confidentially reviewing the situations of those in need. Active Members participate fully in the fellowship and spiritual life of the Conference. This full membership, for practicing Catholics, includes participation in the celebration of the Eucharist and potential growth in Vincentian spirituality.

Associate Members participate actively in the works of the Society. They serve food in a food kitchen, volunteer in a Society of St. Vincent de Paul Store, help staff a SVDP shelter, and a host of other works. Non-Catholic Associate Members need not attend all the functions of the Society, including the Eucharist and other religious exercises enjoyed by Active Conference members.

Contributing Members share items like food, clothing, furniture, or special services: repair skills or legal, pharmaceutical, medical or healthcare assistance. They may give a one-time monetary gift to the Society or contribute on an ongoing basis. These generous persons, representing many faiths, contribute greatly to the work of the Society.

SVDP Facts

In 2006, the Sacramento District Council, of which the OLG Conference is a part, served over 115,000 people, with services valued at $5.5 million.

About the Society

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) is an international and national Catholic organization of lay people with a local tie to West Sacramento through Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church Conference, which is based in and sustained by the parish.

Through community, prayer and person-to-person service, “Vincentians” worldwide seek to meet Christ in serving the needs of the poor and others in need.

The conference (the common designation of the SVDP organization at the parish level) is part of a network of conferences in the Diocese of Sacramento. We are also part of a national network with U.S. headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri, and an international network with headquarters in Paris, France.

The OLG Conference welcomes the participation of as many Vincentians as possible, whether you are brand new or you have belonged to another conference in the past.

The Society, originally the Conference of Charity, was founded in 1833 in Paris, France, by principal founder, Blessed Frederick Ozanam. Fr. Ozanam was guided by Blessed Sister Rosalie Rendu, of the Daughters of Charity, founded by St. Vincent de Paul.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is part of the Vincentian Family, which includes, among others, the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentian priests and brothers, founded by St. Vincent de Paul), the Daughters of Charity, the Ladies of Charity (an organization of lay women who help the poor, also founded by St. Vincent de Paul), Sisters of Charity in the Setonian tradition (founded by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton), the Vincentian Service Corp, and others.

Worldwide, the SVDP numbers about 950,000 in some 130 countries, whose members operate through "conferences," the basic organizational unit, which is composed of Catholic volunteers who dedicate their time and resources to help those in need in their community. Non-Catholics may join with the understanding that the Society is a Catholic lay organization.