The Society of St. Vincent de Paul -- Background

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a Christian voluntary organisation, working with poor and disadvantaged people. Inspired by our principal founder, Frederic Ozanam, and our patron, St. Vincent de Paul, we seek to respond to the call every Christian receives to bring the love of Christ to those in need: "I was hungry and you gave me to eat" (Matthew 25). No work of charity is foreign to the Society. We are involved in a diverse range of activities characterised by:

Support and friendship
Through person to person contact, we are committed to respecting the dignity of those we assist and to foster their self-respect. In the provision of material and other support, we assure confidentiality at all times and endeavour to establish relationships based on trust and friendship.

Promoting self-sufficiency
We believe it is not enough to provide short term material support. Those we assist must also be helped to achieve self-sufficiency in the longer term and the sense of self-worth this provides. When the problems we encounter are beyond our competence, we enlist the support of others more specialised.

Working for social justice
We are committed to identifying the root causes of poverty and social exclusion in Ireland, and, in solidarity with poor and disadvantaged people, to advocate and work for the changes required to create a more just and caring society.

The SVP is committed to the ultimate elimination of poverty. While this, in part, is achieved by alleviating short-term hardship, we also focus on and address the root causes of poverty and social exclusion by constantly promoting social justice. Working in co-operation with government and other bodies is becoming a greater element of our role. The SVP, as a recognised social partner, has been part of the discussions on Partnership 2000 and the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, and has recently participated in, and contributed to, both the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) and the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF).

Reflecting the experience of people who are disadvantaged and influencing governmental policy makers using expert information and advice on poverty and its causes are key roles for the Society. However, by working with groups of people who are disadvantaged to enable them to express their own voice against injustice and encouraging them to utilise their own resources, is the real focus of our work.

1. The International Rule of the SVP details the underlying beliefs which are accepted by the Society worldwide. Under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul, the Society derives its inspiration from his thinking and work and that of Frederick Ozanam and his companions. They were young students in nineteenth-century Paris who decided to do something practical about the terrible social conditions which existed in Paris at that time. We seek, in a spirit of justice and charity through the personal involvement of our members, to help those who are in need.

2. Faithful to its youthful founders, the SVP is constantly renewing and adapting itself to the changing conditions of the world.

3. The Society is Christian in ethos and membership is open to all who wish to live their faith by loving and serving their neighbour. We welcome people of all denominations who can work within our ethos.

4. No work of charity is foreign to the SVP. We serve everyone in need, regardless of creed, opinion or colour, age, social/economic status, gender or ethnic origin.

People are living in poverty, if their income and resources (material, cultural and social) are so inadequate as to preclude them from having a standard of living which is regarded as acceptable by Irish society generally i.e. above the poverty line which is set at 50% of the average industrial wage. As a result of inadequate income and resources people may be excluded and marginalised from participating in activities which are considered the norm for other people in society - National Anti-Poverty Strategy, 1997.

Links to relevant websites may be found in our Info Resource.

Given the ever changing environment in which we operate and our large voluntary membership, a core challenge for the continued success of the SVP is to maximise our internal talent. We need a talented membership base with the knowledge and skills to tackle a complex range of issues. Offering "second best service" is simply not good enough. Crucially our members need to be people who can empathise, listen and are willing to give their time and talents to those in need.

Continually renewing the competence and commitment of our voluntary membership is one of the challenges facing the Society and is addressed through a developing range of training and support programmes which are offered to members.

Founded by young people, the Society constantly seeks to tap the energy of youth as a continuous renewal source. The SVP operates in a dynamic environment. Our new and younger members help us to continually question "the way we do things" and to keep our services and methods geared to a changing environment.