The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP) is a Catholic lay organization of more than 690,000 men, women and young people throughout the world who voluntarily join together to grow spiritually and offer person-to-person service to the sick, needy and people living in poverty in 142 countries on five continents. Founded in France by Frederic Ozanam in 1833, it is one of the oldest and most effective charitable organizations in the world. The essential work of the Society is person-to-person contact, and, as this is a fundamental part of the Society's philosophy, it does not make donations to any work in which members are not personally involved. The Society operates in small groups called "Conferences", which are often based in local parishes or schools.
The Corpus Christi Conference was established and inaugurated in June 2000 with 7 founding members. The SSVP membership falls under two categories: a) Members, who serve as foot-soldiers and run the day to day affairs of the Conference; and b) Co-Workers, who serve as auxiliary members by supporting the activities of the Conference in cash or kind. The Conference currently has 15 members and 8 Co-workers. The activities undertaken by the Conference include home visits, care for the elderly, homebound and mentally retarded, and visits to the police cells, among others. We do these regardless of age, religion, creed, nationality or ethnic background. The practical assistance provided has influenced the lives of hundreds of prison cell inmates, and more than 400 sick, old, needy, lonely or deranged persons/wards.
Members of the Corpus Christi Conference meet on Sundays after the first mass adjacent to the Grotto. The meetings are mainly to review our work and allocate future work in a spirit of prayer and mutual support. New members are formally commissioned following training sessions on the Society’s structure and operations. Persons who value charity as a deepening relationship with Christ, but are unable to join as members are welcome to serve as Co-workers.
