By Ronald Lee,
First Vice President, Lincoln Diocesan Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul
The Lincoln Diocesan Council of St. Vincent de Paul held its annual banquet at North American Martyrs Parish in Lincoln Sunday, March 15.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) is made up of a “network of friends, inspired by Gospel Values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships and service to people in need.” Volunteer members, known as Vincentians, “are women and men of all ages and backgrounds who have answered the call to live their Catholic Christian faith by serving all those who are needy and suffering, for in them, we see the face of Christ,” according to the Mission Statement.
The event March 15 was attended by 120 Vincentians and guests, including 14 members of the clergy and religious orders. Vincentians represented the 11 parish conferences: St. Joseph in Beatrice, Cathedral of the Risen Christ, Cristo Rey, North American Martyrs, St. John the Apostle, St. Joseph, St. Michael, St. Patrick, St. Peter and St. Teresa in Lincoln, and St. Vincent de Paul in Seward (St. Damien conference).
During the past fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025), SVDP received 4,037 calls for help. Of those calls, Vincentians worked 1,217 cases, spending $578,152 in aid, for an average of $475 per case.
Volunteers make home visits to almost everyone they help, sitting with neighbors and talking about their needs. SVDP specializes in providing emergency services to those who are homeless and have no place to stay, are facing eviction, have received utility shutoff notices, are short of food, or face a host of other immediate crises.
Nationally, in the past year, SVDP served more than 5 million people and provided $2,286,944,138 in Vincentian services. Forbes ranked SVDP as the 45th largest charity in the country.
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Courtesy photos
Stephen Uram, the national director of poverty programs for SVDP USA, was the keynote speaker March 15. He discussed efforts the National Council of St. Vincent de Paul is making to better serve the least fortunate. This includes advocating for beneficial federal and state legislation, working to facilitate cooperation among faith-based charities, and aiding new efforts to work for affordable housing and to establish new programs to bring families permanently out of poverty. Uram invited members to sign up to be advocates for legislative issues, emailing Congress and state legislatures to support legislation.
Larry Ellerbeck, president of the Lincoln Council, presented three awards to outstanding Vincentians for their charitable work. Phyllis Kool, president of the North American Martyrs conference, received the Top Hat Award for her successful campaign to increase conference membership.
Bryan Dahlberg, former Council president, received the Robert Haller Social Justice Award for his work with a prisoner re-entry ministry.
Mike Romberg, member of the St. Patrick conference, received the Jim Conroy Spirit Award for his decades-long dedicated service to helping the poor.
Those interested in joining the Society may contact a parish conference president or the SVDP Council at www.lincolnsvdpcouncil.org/become-involved.html. New members are always enthusiastically welcomed into the Vincentian family.
