St. Vincent de Paul

S t. Vincent de Paul (Noblesville) is a charitable community outreach project of Our Lady of Grace parish. St. Vincent de Paul operates a Good Will type store at 1355 S. 10th St. (near the Big Chicken on Allisonville Rd., see map) where all manner of clothes and goods can be purchased for a nominal amount and food may be had for free as well, year-round. The goods come from donations dropped off at the center or church, as in the Sunday food drives (first Sunday of the month). Durable goods are collected and brought to the cetner by St. Vincent de Paul volunteers by appointment."

The Township Trustee depends on use as a referral for needy people for food, clothes, and othe rkinds of assistance. We organize the Christmas giving-tree where about a hundred families receive specific gifts donated by the parishioners. We also put together Thanksgiving food baskets for families and individuals selected for us by the county, Red Cross, and our parish priests. Last year the center helpd hundreds of families and distributes aobut $30,000 in cash and goods.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was founded to serve the poor, both spiritually and practically. Members of the society at Our Lady of Grace work to fulfill that mission by ministering to the needy in Hamilton County. Through parish donations and proceeds from our store on South 10th Street, we provide food, clothing, furniture, and rent/utility assistance in cooperation with a number of other social welfare organizations, including the local Red Cross and the Hamilton County Trustees' Office.

We welcome new volunteers!

Hours of Operation, (317)773-7608

History of the St. Vincent de Paul Society

aris of the early 19th century was in the grip of great upheavals. During and following the French revolution 1788-1799, Paris was profoundly affected by social unrest. A new type of society was being formed - a republic based on liberty, equality and fraternity.

The 1830s brought the collapse of the old Bourbon monarchy which had dreams of strengthening the throne with the support from the Church. Religion was on the decline and atheism increasing; scepticism was virtually triumphant in the teachings of Saint Simon.

Large numbers of the country people were moving to the cities to find work in the factories. Many arrived to discover that there was no work, little pay or that the factories were closed due to revolution.

In 1832 an epidemic of cholera swept through Paris killing up to 1200 people each day.

Large slums areas were forming in Paris; thousands of people lived without work, some without clothes, and many alcoholic. Homelessness, disease, and starvation were common.

A young student, Frederic Ozanam had to walk through the poorer suburbs on his way to university lectures each day and he soon became deeply moved at the hopeless state of families who had been left without the support of their breadwinners after the epidemic.

It was the taunt of an anti-religious opponent in a debating society founded by the students that stung him to action:

“You are right Ozanam when you speak of the past! In former times Christianity worked wonders, but what is it doing for mankind now? And you, who pride yourself on your Catholicity, what are you doing now for the poor? Show us your works”

Frederic Ozanam gathered a few friends around him and on 23 April 1833, they met to decide what they could do to assist the poor. After the meeting Frederic and his flat mate took the remainder of their winter wood supply and gave it to a widow. These young men attracted the comment "What can seven young men hope to achieve in alleviating the suffering of Paris?" Fortunately Ozanam paid little heed to their comments, determined to satisfy his own conscience that he was doing what he could to bear witness to his Christian upbringing by assisting those less fortunate in the community.

The small group decided to adopt the name The Society of St. Vincent De Paul after the Patron Saint of Christian charity. They sought the advice of Sister Rosalie, a Daughter of Charity who was visiting poor families in one of the poorer districts. She gave them some of her clients. They agreed to meet weekly to strengthen their friendship and to respond to the needs of those they served.

It was not long after that other good citizens of Paris took note of the charitable works of the students. Within a year membership had expanded to 100 and it became necessary to split the conference (group) into three separate conferences. At the same time other conferences sprang up in Parishes around Paris.

In its first decade the Society spread to 48 other cities in France and Italy and numbered over 9,000 members. After some years the Society reached Rome (1842), England (1844), Belgium, Scotland, Ireland (1845) and the United States of America (1846).