The St. Anthony Conference of
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul

The Society of St Vincent de Paul is an international Catholic organization of lay persons founded in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam and his companions. Placed under the patronage of St Vincent de Paul, the Society seeks, in a spirit of justice and charity, through person-to-person involvement of its members, to help those who are suffering.

No work of charity is foreign to the Society. Vincentian helping can include any person-to-person assistance that promotes human dignity and integrity. The Society is concerned not only with relieving need, but also with redressing the situations that cause it. It serves persons in need regardless of age, creed, gender, opinion, origin or race.

Members of the Society refer to themselves as “Vincentians” after their patron St. Vincent de Paul and gather in groups traditionally called “Conferences” which meet regularly and frequently in a spirit of friendship and simplicity. Time is provided at the meetings for spiritual reflection and for sharing of the experiences of a member’s service to the needy. Consideration is then given to individual requests for assistance, disposition of requests, and operating considerations.

The Society has a heritage of lay responsibility and lay action. Management and direction are vested with lay persons; the Society’s officers and members are always lay persons. As a self-governing group, the Society has its own rules and regulations. It chooses and conducts its own charitable activities. It elects its own leaders. It manages its own funds and holds itself accountable for their proper use.

The St. Anthony Conference became an official Conference of the Society on November 11, 1969. Presently, it has 17 active members and meets every other Tuesday in the Parish Center. In the past year, 280 separate Oceanside families, in collaboration with Parish Outreach, were served in various ways by the Conference. These include payment for rent, utilities, furniture, clothing, medical needs and a number of other contingencies that arose. During that time, 2275 visits were made to our St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry.

The work of the Conference is made possible and supported by parishioners through year-round donations of food and monetary gifts from funds collected in poor boxes, monthly collection envelopes and memorial donations. The parish supports an annual Lenten Food Drive and the St. Anthony’s Bread Booth at the annual Feast, which offers St. Anthony’s Bread for monetary gifts. Our primary fundraiser is the annual Friends of the Poor Walk in the fall. In the past, we have also conducted a Christmas in July Food Drive and fundraiser. The Conference also works with other service groups such as Oceanside Community Service, Oceanside Interfaith Council and Long Island Cares to help the needy.

For further information about the St. Anthony Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, please contact the President of the Conference, Patrick Valenti, through Parish Outreach at 516-282-2530.

"You will find that charity is a heavy burden to carry. The poor are your masters...you must give them your love. It is only because of your love-only your love-that the poor will forgive you the bread you give them."
      St. Vincent de Paul