Our parish conference of the St. Vincent de Paul Society officially launched in October of 2022. Dedicated parishioners provide direct service to people in our community who are experiencing poverty, personal crisis, and food insecurity. Our Vincentians help Christ the King to multiply our opportunities to practice the corporal works of mercy as a parish community.
Conference leadership currently includes the following parishioners:
- Co-Presidents: Mike & Heather Coyne
- Vice President: Tami Raciti
- Treasurer: Carol Rolfs
- Secretary: Randy Raciti
- Chaplains: Mike & Elizabeth Tomasek
Conference members regularly make home visits, packing food from our Food Pantry and delivering it to people who have made specific requests. Each visit supplies a week's worth of food to an individual or a family in need. The vast majority of these visits are made in the immediate neighborhood surrounding Christ the King. Each visit also enables our parishioners to establish personal connections with neighbors in need. They don't just drop off food—they engage those they serve in order to extend the love of Christ to them and establish a Christian relationship, which often has a much longer-lasting impact than the food delivery itself. In addition to these parishioners who make home visits, we also have parishioners who serve as call coordinators and food shoppers.
The parish conference continues to look for ways to expand its reach. The leadership team is looking to begin an emergency assistance program for people in immediate danger of getting evicted or having their utilities shut off. The goal remains to help our neighbors in need become self-sufficient, and this emergency assistance will help them buy enough time to get settled. This initiative is made possible through the generosity of parish donations that come through the St. Vincent de Paul envelopes.
If you are interested in joining this extension of the parish and becoming a Vincentian, please contact the parish office or email svdp@sbctk.com.
“The mission is not simple, for the impoverishments we would relieve are not simple. There are networks of privilege, prejudice and power so commonplace that often neither oppressors nor victims are aware of them. We must be aware and also understanding by reason of fellowship with the impoverished and by reason of patient learning. For the kingdom to come in this world, disciples must have the competence to see and the courage to act.” —Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross (2.14)