No distinction is made in serving those in need. We serve everyone regardless of race, creed or any other affiliation. Spirituality is emphasized in all Vincentian works through the guidance of a Spiritual Advisor in each Conference and Council. We are taught to seek the face of Christ in the faces of those whom we visit.
Though many different types of involvement are possible, the principal works of the Society in Hawaii are:
An abundance of talent is available, at any time on any day. We are not and 8 to 5 or part time operation. Vincentians are unpaid volunteers, normally parish based, who work very closely with the Pastor and/or the parish administration. They offer unique skills resulting from many years of expertise developed through Vincentian Training, their church involvement, and their professional or other life experiences, all combined to serve the needs of the poor. They specialize in home visits and are quite adept at identifying problems or needs. Relatively little bureaucracy enables quick response by members. Thus, clients are served quickly and efficiently. It is important to understand that although independently structured, SVDP and other charities can and do work well together. Close cooperation with other private and government social services agencies is exercised. Our closest association is with Catholic Charities and Parish Outreach Coordinators. We compliment each others unique strengths and abilities. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul takes referrals from virtually any source. In fact, our opening meeting prayer calls us to “seek and find the forgotten, the suffering or the deprived”. We often enlist the help of other agencies, private and government in an effort to obtain help for a client.
Other details of operation are:
There are times when a client may be refused help. This is especially true if outright fraud or abuse is detected, or when the client(s) refuses to cooperate with the Society in implementing a solution to their problem. The need for such cooperation is made quite clear to the client(s) on the first visit. For several good reasons, SVDP members’ names and home telephone numbers are kept confidential. This information is normally provided to the Parish Office in the form of an on-call roster. Since someone in the parish office usually contacts our members others have no need for such information. This fact is normally stressed to all who may have occasion to contact a member. We do not want clients to get our home telephone numbers. The Society is obligated to assist in Disaster Relief to the extent that their resources allow. At present we have very limited capacity to do this. Disaster operating procedures will be developed in the future. In the meantime, should a disaster occur, we will cooperate to the fullest extent possible.