Working to re-establish the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in the Diocese of Salt Lake City

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SALT LAKE CITY — The poor we will always have with us, the Savior said, and while Utah may be considered an affluent state by some standards there are many people in need here. That’s why, when Daughter of Charity Sister Marie Rachelle Cruz came last year to work at Give Me A Chance in Ogden, she was surprised to find not even one active Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is set up to be the social justice arm of the Church, Sr. Marie Rachelle said. “If you have active conferences here, they can aid in the charitable work that needs to be done in the diocese and the parishes. Pastors, when they receive calls from those who are poor or those who are in need, could just relegate it to the society, because the society will go two by two, and they will be trained on this, how to conduct the home visit for the person who asked them for help.”

Many people have asked Give Me A Chance for help, and they are referred to 211 and other organizations, “but I realized we do not have people like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul who could journey with them, as Vincentians journey with the people who are poor,” Sr. Marie Rachelle said. “I was so shocked, because they [Society of St. Vincent de Paul conferences] are all over the world. I came from California and Missouri and Arizona, and they all have societies.”

This wasn’t always the case in Utah. Bishop Joseph F. Glass, second Bishop of the Diocese of Salt Lake, first brought the society to Utah in 1915, and they were an active presence until 2018, when the last local conference disbanded.

Aiming to change that, Sr. Marie Rachelle recently reached out to Cathy Hagadone, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Southwest Idaho Council, to help reestablish conferences in Utah. Together they are offering an orientation on Oct. 12 for those who are interested in getting involved.

The Ozanam Orientation is a program for members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul that helps them learn about the society’s history, spirituality and practice. It is designed to help new members understand the society’s mission and to aid current members renew their spirituality and fellowship. The Oct. 12 event at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Layton will provide that traditional training for those who are willing to serve or just want to find out more.

“The Holy Spirit is working in the hearts of the people who want to serve,” Sr. Marie Rachelle said. Several Catholic women who attended an April informational meeting of the Ladies of Charity, a lay group associated with the Daughters of Charity, wanted to know how they could do more, she said. “They’re like, ‘This is what we’re looking for to serve,’ and now people are saying, ‘I want to be able to do a postulate, more than just praying and going to Mass, I want to dedicate myself.’”

In response, Sr. Marie Rachelle shared with them recent remarks by Pope Francis where he told a group of priests and religious women that God will not judge people by how many university degrees they earned, but by how well they cared for the poor.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has three essential elements, said Hagadone, who has been a society member for 13 years. “The first one is spiritual growth. That’s what keeps me and a lot of our members coming back because we focus on our own spirituality, and when we interact with others, when we help people in need, we see Christ in them, because he said, ‘What you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.’”

In southwest Idaho the society has 11 conferences, nine of which are parish-based.

“I think one of the benefits to a parish is that [as] people come in needing help, the parish can refer them to the society where we will do what we can to help them,” Hagadone said. “Our food pantries are open to the community at large; we feed whoever asks for help. We work to keep people healthy and housed. The focus of the society nationally is to prevent homelessness, so I think that’s a big help to any community.”

Hagadone encourages Utah Catholics who are looking for a deeper spiritual life and to become more Christ-like to attend the orientation.

“I want to encourage people to investigate, learn about it, see if it’s something that they might be interested in,” she said. “You know, four people can’t do the work that needs to be done, but 20 people can help a lot. So we just need members in these new conferences. We also need parishioners and Catholic-based businesses to recognize the value of the work these conferences do and support them with donations.”

WHAT: Orientation on the Society of St. Vincent de Paul

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 12, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.

WHERE: St. Rose of Lima Church, Rotunda Hall, 210 Chapel St., Layton

Meals and refreshments will be served.

For information, contact Sister Marie Rachelle Cruz at srmrcruz@doc1633.org