By David Karas | Correspondent

In parishes across the Diocese of Trenton, St. Vincent de Paul societies have long served those most in need throughout Burlington, Mercer, Monmouth and Ocean Counties – and in recent months, as need and generosity have grown, conferences have been organized in additional communities.

“The society has a beautiful reputation for helping the poor and treating those in need with great dignity,” said Marge McGinley, St. Vincent de Paul Burlington County district president. “Parish members are meeting Jesus in the poor and learning so much about poverty.”

St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson, and faithful in Moorestown have recently launched conferences, as well as another new conference in St. John Parish, Lakehurst, which was born out of the parish’s social concerns ministry.

McGinley sees the growth as a reflection of the generosity of parishes and pastors who see the approach of Vincentians – to serve those in need both spiritually and tangibly – and wish to mobilize support in their own surrounding community.

“The followers of Christ [our parishioners] really identify with the approach of the society, which is to help a person financially, but also see if there is not an underlying situation that might be improved so that a person and family may look toward a better future,” she said. “People respond to that invitation – to grow in holiness while we see the face of Christ in the poor and assist in multiple ways when possible.”

Tim Hurley is the first president of the conference in St. Charles Borromeo, where an initial call for volunteers was issued in October after the parish, and others in the area, were receiving calls for assistance. Today, that conference has some 25 Vincentians, and Hurley said that participation has been “outstanding,” ranging from fundraisers to home visits – the cornerstone of Vincentian outreach.

“We have learned quickly that there is a need in the Cinnaminson area, and the work has allowed us to grow in our faith,” he said.

Besides parishioners who have been supportive, Hurley credits pastor Father Daniel Kirk, who “has been a great asset to us as our conference gets started.”

The creation of a conference in Moorestown came about with similar pastoral support, noted president John Kallelis. He explained that Father Damian McElroy, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, wanted to continue the community’s support of those in need alongside nearby congregations. As need was growing, the conference of St. Mary of the Lakes Parish, Medford, would provide home visit support in Moorestown – in part through the support of volunteers from Our Lady of Good Counsel.“People that needed assistance either called or showed up at the church requesting food, rental, and/or utility assistance,” he said, explaining the former process for providing support. “The decision was left to the person at the desk or answering the phone with very little review or discussion about the situation.”

The growing need prompted discussions about the Moorestown parish forming its own conference, with calls for volunteers in the fall. And Kallelis, a 20-year Vincentian with experience in everything from delivering food to providing budget counseling and tax return assistance, was tapped to serve as its president.

“We named our Conference Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Moorestown, to encompass the ministerium – all the churches in Moorestown,” he said. “Rather than making the conference specific to Our Lady of Good Counsel, we wanted to include all the churches and the three food pantries in Moorestown to be a part of the services that we provide to those in need.”

There’s growth in Ocean County, too. In March, Chris Parke was named president of the newly formed conference in St. John Parish, which emanated from the Lakehurst parish’s social concerns ministry. Similar to the experiences in Cinnaminson and Moorestown, need continued to grow and the pastor, Father James O’Neill, began discussions about a St. Vincent de Paul conference.

Today, the conference has a dozen active Vincentians and, with the guidance of some social concerns members, it has assumed responsibility of a food bank and works to conduct home visits and other critical outreach.

“We are conducting many home visits now and assisting families in our community paying utility bills to avoid shut offs and pay bills to turn utilities back on. We pay for temporary lodging at motels, help to pay fully or partial rents and apartment security deposits to avoid evictions,” Parke said. “When on a home visit if we see food is scarce, we go back to the pantry and return with bags of food.”

Parke hopes that membership in the conference will grow, and that contributions will increase, and he notes that Father O’Neill has plans to help develop the conference and the food bank even further in the future.

“Our members show tremendous enthusiasm and dedication towards our ministry,” he said. “Through our ongoing formation stage, especially with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I feel many will benefit from our SVDP ministry.”