Inspired by Gospel values, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering, in the tradition of its founder, Blessed Frèdéric Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.

The core work of the Society is the Home Visit. The Founders, Blessed Frèdéric and his companions - students at the University of Paris at the Sorbonne - in the early 19th century, established the Home Visit as the basic work of the Society. Aid to families and individuals in need starts with this person-to-person encounter.

The Queen of Heaven Conference (parish group) of SVdP was established 60 years ago in 1952. Its members have been - and continue to be - dedicated parishioners who accepted the call of the Lord to serve His poor.

These men and women of faith, are inspired by the command of our Savior in the 25th chapter of the gospel of Matthew, “when I was hungry, you gave me to eat; when I was thirsty, you gave me drink, when I was naked, you clothed me; when I was a stranger you welcomed me; and when I was sick and in prison, you visited me.”

From the beginning, the members at Queen of Heaven realized that their own spiritual lives were enhanced by visiting the poor. That is why prayer before, during and after the encounter is essential to their spiritual growth and for the evangelization of those visited.

The Fundamentals of Vincentian Spirituality are reinforced in the answers to
3 questions:

• Do we see the face of Jesus in those whom we serve?
• Are we the Good News of Jesus Christ to each person/family that we visit?
• Most importantly, did they all see Jesus in us?

VINCENTIAN SPIRITUALITY

Queen of Heaven Conference members and all Vincentians seek - through prayer, meditation on the scriptures, the teachings of the Church, their daily lives and in relationships with those in need - to bear witness to the love of Christ. Each Vincentian searches for his/her own holiness, evangelizes by example and through loving care of those in need - especially fallen away Catholics or those with no faith community to support them.

The Rule of the Society directs that meetings be held “regularly and frequently.” The Queen of Heaven Conference meets every 2nd and 4th Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in the Parish Office Conference Room, 5311 Phoenix NE. The meetings are imbued with the spirit of friendship, simplicity and Christian joy; they are essentially spiritual and fraternal gatherings. Members of the Queen of Heaven Conference invite anyone interested in answering Our Lord’s call to serve his “little ones” to join us at one of our meetings.

For more information please call Erasmo Garza at 710-4175 or e-mail us at: svdpqoh@hotmail.com.