Who We Are

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international organization of lay Catholics who seek to grow in holiness by following Jesus' clear commandment to all of us to help the poor and needy around us.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is the largest lay Catholic charity organization in the world. We have over 700,000 members in 140 countries, with over 150,000 of us in the United States. If you travel anywhere in the country and you mention the St. Vincent de Paul Society at any parish you visit, they will likely know about SVDP.

We call ourselves "Vincentians", in tribute to St. Vincent de Paul. What all Vincentians have in common is a desire to serve those who are poor and suffering - the homeless, the sick, the lonely, and the elderly.

Vincentians help with food, provide clothing and furniture, help prevent homelessness by helping with rent, assist with utility bills, provide transportation, and assist in many other ways. The motto of the Society is "No act of charity is foreign to the Society."

We perform our charity in local groups called "Conferences". There are conferences in over 100 countries around the world. The Society serves the poor regardless of race or creed.  

Vincentians embrace the lonely, forgotten, and alienated and provide service to anyone in need. By helping those in need, we offer hope to individuals, providing a chance for them to recover from their financial problems, often keeping them from becoming homeless.

It may not be easy to see them, but there are families and individuals throughout northern Alabama who right now are in desperate need of all of our love and support. Despite the prosperity of our community, poverty and pain are all around us. Often, SVDP represents a lifeline for people struggling to survive. In the spirit of Christ, who leads our ministry, we help our neighbors based on need – without judgment.

We seek to embrace the lonely and the forgotten, and to transform pain and despair into healing, acceptance and hope.

Vincentians realize that many seeking our help are just like us, but due to bad luck that any one of us are vulnerable to, they are now in desperate need of help. A common example is the person who has worked hard their entire life, providing well for the family, but is now suddenly disabled and can no longer work. The income is now zero, until they might qualify for government assistance, but the heating, rent, and food bills do not stop coming.

Family home visits have always been the fundamental activity of Vincentians. Our goal is to personally meet the family seeking help, get to know them and understand their situation, determine the best way we can help, and remain in contact with the family throughout their crisis, continuing to help where possible.

To respect the wishes of those who donate to us to support our works, we do our best to verify the legitimacy of our clients' claims of need before providing any financial assistance.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society is an international organization:

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the north Huntsville area

The Society serves the community by way of our Conference that is affiliated with Our Lady Queen of the Universe Catholic parish. Vincentian members will respond to help those in need, generally in the area of our parish, but are not limited by any geographical boundaries. We will also serve on larger works that may serve the entire Huntsville area.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the north Alabama area

Our Conference is a part of a larger organization in the northern Alabama area, the District Council of Huntsville, Alabama. There are several other SVDP Conferences in the cities of Huntsville, Cullman, Florence, Guntersville, and Madison in the norther Alabama are which together with our Conference form the District Council of Huntsville, Alabama. For more information of the District Council, visit our council website www.svdphuntsville.org

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States of America

The St. Vincent de Paul Society National Council of the United States serves the poor throughout the entire country. With 4,433 conferences and over 150,000 memters, the national organization provides natiowide support for the conferences, including coordination of various disaster relief efforts, a national automobile donation program and our annual Friends of the Poor Walk (c). For more information of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at the national level, visit our national website www.svdpusa.org

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul throughout the whole world

The Council General of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul represents all of the St. Vincent de Paul conferences worldwide. There are over 700,000 members working through 51,000 conferences in 140 countries, all working to serve Christ in the suffering, poor, or marginalized. The Council General provides the Society's central administration, and grants the status of Conference to new groups as they are formed around the world. For more information of the Council General of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, visit our international website en.ssvpglobal.org/

Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Conference of Our Lady, Queen of the Universe Catholic Church
2421 Shady Lane Dr./ Huntsville, AL 35810