Become a Vincentian

Four people standing together who have placed their hands on top of each other's hands.

Join Our Mission

When you join the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Our Lady of Guadalupe Helotes Conference, you are committing to fellowship, training, and spiritual guidance in the service of our neighbors in need. Our members, known as Vincentians, come from different backgrounds, occupations, ethnicities, incomes, and ages.

Membership is open to people of all faiths who want to follow the spirit of our founder, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and our patron and namesake, St. Vincent de Paul.

If you’re looking for a way to practice your faith in a meaningful way, then you are in the right place. Friendship, Spirituality, and Service are our fundamental elements, and we strive to live those every day as Vincentians. Seeing the face of Christ in our brothers and sisters in need of our help is also what connects Vincentians to each other.

Types of Membership

Full Members

Active (Full) Members are those who participate regularly in the prayer life, meetings, and charitable activities through personal contact with the poor of the Vincentian Conference into which they have been received. An Active (Full) Member accepts the Rule and Statutes of the Society, belongs to the Catholic Church, and is received as a Vincentian brother or sister in the Society’s Conference. These members are expected to:

  • Attend regularly scheduled meetings (at least twice a month)
  • Help plan and facilitate service activities
  • Participate in service activities and religious observances

Associate Members

Associate Members are those affiliated with the Society by formal action of the Conference with which the member will be joined. Associate Members include those who sincerely and publicly accept the Society’s Rule but may or may not belong to the Catholic Church and may or may not attend Conference Meetings or engage in the works of the Society on a regular basis. Associate Members are kept informed of the developments and activities of their immediate groupings, as well as the general progress of the Society, particularly in the local area or diocese. They are invited to attend the general meetings and special observances of the Society and to participate in its charitable activities.

Formation and Required Training

Formation is a process of becoming. As Vincentians, we seek to follow Christ’s teaching in the model of St. Vincent and Blessed Frédéric. This process includes individual prayer, study, and discernment, but also formal workshops and training sessions.

  • Ozanam Orientation – All Active Members must attend an Ozanam Orientation within one year of joining SVDP Helotes. Associate Members are not required but are encouraged to attend. The Ozanam Orientation is the primary training program for Vincentians. Other volunteers may benefit from it and discerning their service and faith paths. Ozanam Orientation will help you extend your knowledge of SVDP, grow spiritually as a Vincentian, and help you better serve your neighbors in need.
  • Virtus Training – The Archdiocese of San Antonio requires all Vincentians and volunteers to undergo three online Safe Environment Training courses: Sexual Harassment, Protecting God’s Children, and Vulnerable Adults.

For more information on the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Our Lady of Guadalupe Helotes Conference, contact us.

Vincentian Membership FAQs

If you have any other questions, please get in touch with us.

To grow in your Vincentian vocation, the spirituality, friendship, and service that you should receive should be a part of your personal life, too. You will be encouraged to find ways to develop and live out these values in all aspects of your life, especially through attentiveness to prayer. [Rule 2.2, 2.6] Your Vincentian life should also include giving service to those who are less fortunate through one of our programs or activities. Attending our monthly membership meetings and serving on a project committee to get to know your fellow Vincentians will enrich your experience.

Membership, or Vincentian service, is not limited to Catholics but open to all persons, Christian or other, who feel they are called to put their faith into practice or those who support our mission of serving our neighbors in need.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul comprises women and men who seek their personal holiness through works of charity. In this essential way, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul differs from charitable associations or agencies whose principal objective is not the spiritual advancement of their members but the doing of good for someone else. We don’t provide transactions – we create and nurture relationships.

While it is true that all Vincentians are volunteers on some level, not all are called to be Vincentians. Being a Vincentian transcends volunteerism and is a true vocational calling. For most Vincentians, this calling is a lifelong calling. Being a Vincentian is about a way of life, a way of being, a way of living out our Baptismal call and the Gospel values given to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.