The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-09-25
- 49,
ST. VINCENT De PAUL
st. Peters Conference, the
First in This city. to
Celebrate Its For
tieth Anniversary.
HISTORY. OF THE ORGANIZATION
Bishop Bailsy's Commendation
of the Good Work
General Catholic News.
HISTORY. OF THE ORGANIZATION

On Sunday. October 8, at eight +. Al,
the Rev. Alphonsus Coppers, 5. j., OF
Frederick, Md, will deliver a lecture IN
ST. Peters Church on Frederick Ozanam,
Professor at the Sorbonne and founder OF
the Society of ST. Vincent de Paul. The
reverned lecturer will have for audience
the Jersey City conferences and their
friends. The event will assume the pro-
portions of an anniversary celebration OF
st. Peters Conference, whose mempe
can well feel proud OF the fact that their
predecessors were the first gentlemen OF
the city to band themselves together for
purposes of charity under the patronage
of st. Vincent de Paul. The organization
of this particular conference dates oacK
to Sunday. October IA, 1857. when, at the
suggestion OF the Rev. Father Kelly, a
meeting OF the parish was called in the
basement OF the church. The following
officers were on that occasion duly elect
ed:-Alr. H.. l.. Richards, President; MI
J. Nj. Brann, Vice President; Mr.. J.. NJ
Smyth, Secretary Mr.. James Gilyary,
Treasurer. !.
The society will therefore have attained
its fortieth yea on Sunday next ana It's
history during that LONG series OIL years
has n an unbroken record OF siene
charity, zeal n holiness. Coo anu the
recording angel alone know how many
strong and honest hearts or stricken
brothers these IONS of St. Vincent dc Faoi
have raised from the depths of depression
and by timely aid enabled to-hope again.
God and the recording angel alone know
how many widows have been saved 10
their helpless offspring by the assistance
of these gentlemen. God and the record
ing angel alone know how many innocent
boys and girls AVE been rescued from
bodily starvation and the worse dangers
TO which poverty exposed their young
and tender souls. Means have been dis
tributed with a lavish hand to the
needy; homes nave been provided for
the homeless, beds Of comfort for
the sick, and children whose faith
and morals were endangered have been,
in the words of an old chronicler of the
society. ..snatched from the jaws of
wolves and furnished with an educa-
ton calculated to make them, at the same
time, good and useful citizens and sons
of God. The writer of this notice mas
4 the rare pleasure of reading over the
minutes of meetings held between Octo-
Der 4, 1857, and the present time, ana ne
confesses to a feeling of admiration Dor
dering on reverence. for the names OF
the humble heroes VINO figure proml-
nently in them. The worn page OF the
Sscretary's worm-eaten volume contain
incidents of misfortune that feelingly ap-
neal to ones better nature Landeinstances
of generesityathat help to make a man
prouder of his fellow men. The wonder
of the thing, too, is that SO mucn goou
of On a11tflA RXnenS6-
The collections at the weekly meetings
seldom amounted to ten dollars AL times
the funds ran low, and with some alarm
announcement to that effect was mace
at a meeting. But s~trAightway Provl-
dence interfered in the person Of some
willing b~enefactor or speak-
er, and a rich donation, OF. the proceeds
depleted e~xchequer. Thus in February,
1855, a lecture by the revered Bishop Bay
ley netted a sum bordering on $2oo: n en-
abled the society to continue its good
work with renewed vigor. The Rev. IA
Their CaIlan and the Rev DR.; Moriarty
to the funds in the same practical way.
Bishop Bayley took a deep interest in the
society from the start. In evidence 81
minutes a letter addressed by him to St.
Peters Conference soon after It's organ
ization.
BISHOPS HOUSE, Newark, y. z
April 26, 1855.
My Dear Sir-Your communication OF
the I'D inst, in the name OF the society
of st. Vincent de Paul at Jersey CITY, re-
questing my appreciation of the soclety,
has been received. The statement Whlch II
makes in regard to the Formation, ano "a
bors of the association was read by me
with a great deal of pleasure, no. only on
account of the great good you nave &C,
complished, but because your success Will
animate others to form similar assocla-
lions In other portions. of the diocese. The
olorCV ore so few In number tndI trey
stand in great need of such assistance IN
order to aid those who are poor to- pro-
tect them against the many n to
believe, disposed to regard the society Q!
St. Vincent de Paul as designed by God
to meet the peculiar wants OF our time,
and certainly there Is no country where
1t is more needed or whore 1t can do more
good than in these United States, where
we have so many poor emlgrants deprived
of that protection, those social influences
for good which they enjoyed in their ma
tive land. 1t seems peculiarly fitted to
be a powerful auxiliary to the clergy IN
wolves. / must sincerely and cheerfully
give my appreciation to the society a.
Jersey City, of which you are the Presi-
dent. l wish thai God will bless thu
good work in which you are engaged
With kindest regards to the members OF
your society,
Your friend. etc,
JAMES, Bishop of war
To say that this conference has during
Its existence of forty years done a world
of good is but small praise and only hall
the truth. Besides the grand work OF
relief it accomplished, besides the good
drink and fuel 1t provided for the INDECENT
besides the medicine it purchased for thu
! needy sick, besides the peddler's packs
\with which 1t equipped men borne dowr
by misfortune, but brave enough to take
hny. even the most desperate chances
Jhese gentlemen of the st. Vincent Dc
Paul Society nave by apostolic zeal made
their conduct worthier of the master
have by cherishing a practical love ol
God in the neighbor invested life with 3
halo OF grandeur to which it would other
wise be- stranger and nave transmitted
as a rich legacy to their children thu
blessing Of God and the hercfsm of theil
own example. Some idea of the manifold
good they brought can be gathered from
the fact that during Ave or six months
of each 4of the forty years they prac
tically sxpported forty families. Sixteer
hundred Families were therefore made
happy during this term by their kin
~visitaticnk and timely relief; On an aver
charity six hundred dollars yearly ant
placed every cent of the t~wenty-foul
thousand dollars thus expended where 1
was sure to do most good. ALI interested
in the noble work OF relieving the dis
tressed, all ambitious to use their wealtl
to good purpose n become true almoner
Of God should attend this lecture of Rev
Father Cooper n yielding to inspira
. ton enroll themselves members of tn
Society OF st. Vincent de Pau TIL.
ofHcerS for the present year -