St. Vincent de Paul Society … Unsung Heroes that practices there is no work of charity they cannot provide.
You don’t hear much about them. You really only see one or two of them once a month. That’s when they are standing at the doors of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Highlands with grateful smiles when you drop some money into the baskets they’re holding.
Yet during the past year, this very quiet hardworking group of 16 people did everything from delivering food to hungry families, visited elderly and disabled neighbors, and financially helped folks with payments to keep their heat, electricity, water, and cell phones on. They paid back rent to stop evictions and even got a blood pressure monitor to assist someone who needed it to monitor their health.
That was all in addition to the annual Giving Tree Project, which this year, enabled 55 youngsters in 27 families in the Highlands and Sea Bright area to have toys and clothing they requested under their Christmas trees.
Besides all that, they have a hotline, a special number for people in need to call for comfort, advice, and prayer, in addition to referrals to whatever other help they need, be it for legal matters, veterans’ affairs, addictions or mental health.
And they could use some extra help if there is anyone who would like to volunteer and become active with a group that practices there is no work of charity they cannot provide.
That pretty well describes the members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference of Our Lady of Perpetual Help church in Highlands.
This OLPH group was established some 70 years ago, lagged for a while in the earlier part of the 21th century; it was rejuvenated about 20 years ago to continue the work of an organization founded in France in 1833 when a couple of college kids decided to do something about the poverty they saw around them. Twelve years later, similarly kind people in the United States started their own St. Vincent de Paul Society in Missouri and it quickly spread to parishes here. Today, there are more than 100,000 Vincentian volunteers in the USA working in over 4,000 parishes, 46 Conferences of which are in the Catholic Diocese of Trenton.
Both OLPH and St. Agnes churches had St. Vincent de Paul Conferences for many years, both active and giving to residents in their towns, as well as Sea Bright and parts of Middletown. When the two parishes became one and OLPH St Agnes parish was formed, the Vincentians decided they would continue their individual conferences since both were working so well in their own neighborhoods and had no need to change.
Actually, today’s Society at OLPH had a similar rejuvenation to the original beginnings of the Society in France. About 20 years ago the OLPH Conference had only one member who asked another parishioner if he would join her efforts. They knew each other as both served as Eucharistic ministers. He accepted her invitation to help renew the activities of the original conference.
(Note: Vincentian members requested that their names not be used in this article because their focus is on their Neighbors in need and not on themselves.)
As in France, it was just a determined and dedicated duo who took on the assignment when these two OLPH parishioners agreed to work toward a rebirth of the Society here. So there were two. When one of them thought about retiring, the other worked harder to learn everything he could do. When he learned about a woman who needed help in paying a $14 gas bill and he could help, “I was hooked! And still am.”
And so, the little group grew, another parishioner joined and then another Eucharistic minister, who remains active today as Secretary and Spiritual Advisor. Then two more heard and joined.
And the five spread aid and assistance whenever called, always with prayer, always with conviction; they were little, but they were determined, and they could make a difference. After a pulpit appeal by one of the five, the group grew to twenty members, including their current treasurer who assures every donation received and funds spent are properly accounted for; and another who soon became a conference leader. A bit later two more joined as active members and organized the annual Friends of the Poor Walk which raised awareness and donations. Soon after, another came on board with his funding raising talents. The sixteen current members also serve in a variety of other ways including intake ministers, home visitors, special project teams, and case management software administrators.
This month, the OLPH Conference, under its current president, issued the annual report of the assistance they have provided in their area during the past year.
In 2025, according to their records, the St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference of OLPH gave $37,311 in financial assistance in addition to the Giving Tree Project; they also made 425 regular food deliveries to the elderly and disabled. In addition to aiding their own area, the conference donated $1,000 to similar groups in other areas devastated by natural disasters, keeping in mind the help they had received during Hurricane Sandy. They partner with the OLPH Food Pantry, where a dynamic Vincentian, who volunteers at both the Food Pantry and with St. Vincent de Paul, ensures not only are meals delivered but also secures rides so some can “food shop” themselves at the church pantry.
The Society has also collaborated with other charities to obtain nearly $15,000 in additional help for struggling local residents.
Vincentians believe that all things are possible with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. At OLPH the two struggling members sprouted into five which blossomed into twenty. In fact, the “Rule” of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, which is the core governing document, has the objective “to help nurture Vincentian Spirituality, enhance the relationship among members, and enrich Vincentian Service to those in need”.
To ensure the privacy and protection of all whom they assist, the Society also sets high standards for those who volunteer. Since food deliveries and other assistance are given to families in their own homes, the conference president assures that each member is fingerprinted and has the necessary background checks on a regular basis for security reasons.
Still volunteerism is not the only way others can help. Members of the Conference are at the doors of OLPH church on the 4th Sunday of every month, as well as the previous Saturday night mass, to accept donations from small to large. With no poor boxes in OLPH…because of previous thefts and damage…. It’s important for member volunteers to be present to remind others of what they do and to accept their donations. Checks can also be sent to the OLPH – St. Agnes Parish Office specifying they are for the OLPH St. Vincent de Paul Society, and phone calls can be made to see if there are other areas in which assistance or gifts can be given.
Interested persons are invited to call the contact number, 732-977-6347, leave their name, phone number and a request for more information. There is a special need for young adults to serve as members, associate members, or simply to help with Special projects.
By the next day, one of those 16 dedicated people will get back to you with information on how you can participate in “no work of charity is foreign to the St Vincent de Paul Society.”
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St. Vincent de Paul Society
Thanks Muriel did not know there was this group.
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