The Trenton Diocesan St. Vincent de Paul Society witnessed a change in leadership when Joe Williams was installed as the new diocesan council president Sept. 30.

The installation ceremony took place during a Mass celebrated in the chapel of the Diocesan Chancery, Lawrenceville, with Father Jack Bogacz, diocesan St. Vincent de Paul Society spiritual moderator, presiding.

Williams, along with his wife, Joan, are residents of Brick and are members of St. Martha Parish, Point Pleasant. He became active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society in 2007 and was named the first president of the St. Martha conference. He currently serves as treasurer of the society’s Ocean County District Council and diocesan director of youth and young adult development.

As diocesan council president, Williams succeeds Pat Brooks who served in that capacity for the past five years. Brooks will now devote her full-time attention and energy to her responsibilities in Resurrection Parish, Delran, where she is director of faith formation and assists with coordinating  the Northern Burlington Deanery Regional Adult Faith Formation Ministry. She also plans to continue volunteering with the St. Vincent de Paul conference in Resurrection Parish.

In the Trenton Diocese, the first St. Vincent de Paul conference was formed in 1859 in St. John the Baptist Parish, Trenton, which is now Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton.

Throughout the world, there are 700,000 men and women serving in St. Vincent de Paul Societies in 144 countries. In the Trenton Diocese, there are currently 50 conferences with some 1,181members who share in the St. Vincent de Paul Society ministry of serving the poor and needy. In 2012, the Vincentians provided 129,205 service hours; made 3,782 home visits; 1,266 hospital visits and served some 66,607 people.