6-12-25 Weekly Questions & Answers – Clarification

Clarification to the June 12, 2025 Q&A 

Q: If a Vincentian moves to a new parish, can they remain with the Conference in their old parish or should they join the Conference in their new parish?

The recently published answer to the question above included the statement, “Members of the Society should affiliate themselves with their local parish Conference and Diocese. This will allow the member to continue to be considered a full-time active member.”  This could be interpreted that Vincentians must move their membership to remain an active member. We offer several important clarifications on this answer. There is nothing in the Rule or in Statute 3 that states an active member must be a member of the parish in which he or she worships, only that they must be Catholic, participate in the conference’s service, and regularly attend meetings (so they can participate in prayer and conference spiritual growth). [Rule, Part III, Statute 3]

Also, the answer included the statement, “it is possible for the pastor of a parish to make a restriction that only his parishioners be involved in ministry in his parish. If he so decides, we must honor that.” Phrased this way, the statement may be misinterpreted, so we wanted to clarify. First, and most importantly, the pastor does not in any way control eligibility for membership in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. As the Rule makes clear regarding our relationship with the church hierarchy, “The Society is legally autonomous as to its existence, constitution, organization, rules, activities, and internal government. Vincentians freely choose their own officers and manage the Society’s activities and assets with full autonomy…” [Rule, Part I, 5.2] The Rule further explains that even “When the Holy See reviews the Statutes of the Society, it cannot invalidate any of these rights.” [Rule, Part II, 1.1] Selection of Members, then, is governed by our Rule, which allows, for example, even non-Catholics to join as Associate Members.

Having said this, it is important to note the vital importance of maintaining good relationships with our pastors, not only for the practical reasons that we operate in parishes with the permission of the pastor, but because “Respect of the members for the hierarchy provides the foundation for harmonious reciprocal cooperation.” [Rule, Part I, 5.1]

In the first Conference, Emmanuel Bailly recognized the importance of a close relationship with the pastor, keeping him regularly informed of the Society’s activities, inviting his participation in meetings and celebrations, and deferring to him in matters of Catholic faith and morals. In other words, our autonomy should never be asserted as a way to “win” a disagreement with our pastors, but should rather, as part of a healthy relationship, be a source of confidence for the pastor, and a motive of dedication for ourselves that we seek to serve the good of church, the needs of the poor, and the glory of God.