Young Adults

First Round of Nominees Announced for Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award

First Round of Nominees Announced for Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award 2560 1280 SVDP USA

This year, the National Youth Committee hosted a Society-wide search for young people doing amazing work in their community. Vincentians from around the country nominated youth from their Councils for the new Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award which will be presented at the National Assembly in Baltimore.

“As a committee, we were blown away by the number of submissions and the incredible projects these youth were doing on behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul,” said John Paul Brissette, National Youth Committee Chairperson. “Each week leading up to the National Assembly, we will be shining the spotlight on the nominees and their stories. Our goal is to encourage and celebrate our youth involvement in SVdP with excerpts directly written by those who nominated them.

This week, we would like to introduce our first two nominees:

River Vogelsang — Diocesan Council of Phoenix

River Vogelsang is currently a freshman in high school. He first joined the Mini-Vinnies in fifth grade at his middle school and served as his Conference’s president for two terms. Under his leadership, his Conference doubled in size and expanded service projects and activities. They participated in food serving, ministering to the homeless, food drives, and much more. River was the featured speaker at two Phoenix Diocesan Council board leadership retreats. Last year, River represented his District Council at the National Assembly in Houston. His dedication and commitment to serving the poor has touched the hearts of many long-time Vincentians. Few people his age have so fully and ardently embraced the mission and works of the Society. In the endearing spirit of our youth, he quietly emulates the essential virtues of St. Vincent de Paul. You only need to meet River to know that he is a true Vincentian, and to believe that, because of his efforts, and those of his youthful compatriots likewise infused with Frederic’s zeal, the future of our Society will be in good hands.

Madeline McMillen — Columbia River District Council Southwest Washington

Madeline and her mother, Wendy, reached out to the Society when she was just 13. Since age 11, she had been collecting toys at Christmas to provide to non-profits for distribution. In 2018, she chose to collect toys for SVdP. In 2018, she collected 725 toys, but that number has grown each and every year. In 2021, she collected 972 toys, a record number. In the past four years, she’s collected a total of 3,319 toys to give away to 4,513 children in 1,657 families through the SVdP Christmas gift program. Madeline has a helpful heart and shows leadership, dedication and perseverance. She has brought so much joy to families during the Christmas season.

Be sure to see the e-Gazette each week leading up to the National Assembly for more nominee highlights!

Young Catholic Professionals: Thy Will be Done

Young Catholic Professionals: Thy Will be Done 1421 1421 SVDP USA

Last week, a delegation of Young Adult Vincentians from across the country met with other Young Adult Catholics at the Young Catholic Professionals annual conference in Dallas, Texas. This year’s theme, Thy Will Be Done, focused on guiding attendees in finding the right path through life’s peaks and valleys to align themselves with God’s will.

“The quote that stood out to me the most this week was actually the theme of the weekend, “Thy Will Be Done.” It’s more than just a prayer it’s a call to action. Our entire life should be dedicated to doing God’s will,” said Francis Brissette, Vincentian with NextGen in Rhode Island and co-chair of the Communications Committee. “SVdP already does so much in answering that call to action and I was inspired by that quote to do as much as I can with SVdP in their mission because no organization truly lives by that quote “Thy Will Be Done” like SVdP.”

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was proud to be a sponsor of the conference’s break out session, “The Making of a Saint.” SVdP CEO, Dave Barringer, served as a mentor for the breakout where attendees and mentors broke into small groups, listened to the speaker, and then had time to evaluate a case study within their groups. With about 500 Young Adults Catholics in attendance, the National Council was blessed to send a delegation of 16 Young Adult Vincentians to represent the Society.

“Learning and hearing from other on how they are able to balance their work and spiritual life is instrumental in professional atmospheres we were taught to be Catholic Youth Adults not Young adult that are Catholic!” Said John Paul Brissette, Vincentian with NextGen in Rhode Island and chair of the SVdP Youth Committee.

Throughout their time at YCP, SVdP’s delegation worked to teach the other attendees about the unique opportunities that being a part of the Society can offer a young adult throughout their spiritual growth journey. They gathered contact information from attendees that were interested in learning more about SVdP.

“It was refreshing, inspiring, and motivating talking with other young Catholic people, exploring ways that we can connect and help each other put our faith into action,” said Kat Brissette, National Board Member and Chairwomen of the Young Adult Committee.

At YCP, we were excited to introduce a new SVdP promotional item, SOCKS! The socks feature the Society’s Essential Elements: Spirituality, Friendship, and Service. And they were available in both English and Spanish. The socks were a huge hit, and people loved showing off their newest fashion accessory, especially at the closing gala!


YCP offered SVdP’s delegates such a great opportunity to explore their faith and rededicate themselves to their Vincentian work.

“The energy to engage people in a spiritual way is something I think will reinvigorate my Conference and possibly bring new Vincentians to the table to help our neighbors in need,” said Jonathan Field, a Vincentian with the Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Conference in Attleboro, MA.

Pray, ask, advertise: I realized I need to pray more for our efforts and ideas on how to better serve. I liked how it was stressed that SVdP empowers anyone to find local needs and will help carry out solutions,” Said Kayla Palacios, Vincentian with the St. Philip Neri Conference in Midwest City, OK. “I plan to ask others if they receive any common requests/themes in my area that are not addressed and see how we can help. Lastly, always letting others know about our organization to get the word out.”

It was an exciting opportunity and we look forward to continuing to encourage the involvement of Young Adults in the work of SVdP to helping those in need. We hope that through connections made at YCP, we will welcome new SVdP members and hopefully see some of our new friends at the SVdP National Assembly in Baltimore!

“YCP was truly life changing where I was able to experience community and the Vincentian Spirituality,” said Tina Tacati, Vincentian with the St. Eugene Conference in Brownsville, TX.