Young Adults

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In the Spotlight: Young Vincentians John Paul and Francis Brissette
In the Spotlight: Young Vincentians John Paul and Francis Brissette 500 500 SVDP USA

JOHN PAUL AND FRANCIS BRISSETTE GREW UP IN RHODE ISLAND WATCHING THEIR MOM WORK WITH HER LOCAL SVDP COUNCIL. Learning about Blessed Frédéric Ozanam was an inspiration for the brothers.

“Frédéric founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul when he was just a student,” Francis says. “He and his friends ignored people who said young people couldn’t make a difference and they got to work serving the poor.” Motivated by Ozanam’s example, John Paul and Francis helped start “Necessities for Neighbors” through the SVdP Rhode Island Council. Youth volunteers fill bags with essential items like soap and shampoo, and a handwritten note of encouragement. These bags are distributed by Vincentians on their Home Visits to individuals and families in need.

“We saw how SVdP Vincentians throughout America share the same heart for service.”

But the brothers wanted to do more. “We had a unique set of skills to offer SVdP,” John Paul says. “We could help spread their message
more effectively on social media, especially to people of our generation.”

The brothers’ @Franchismo10 account was already well-established on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, and their creative videos regularly garnered millions of views. “We partnered with SVdP USA to highlight their work on social media,” Francis explains. “We pretty much lived on a plane for a year and a half, visiting Councils around the country and telling their stories to an online audience.”

The brothers knew they could help SVdP, but they had no idea how much they would learn along the way. “We saw how SVdP Vincentians throughout America share the same heart for service,” John Paul says. “But communities are unique, and it was incredible to see each Council tailoring its activities to meet the specific needs of their neighbors.”

“In Arizona, we helped Vincentians hand out water, something our Conference in Rhode Island doesn’t do,” Francis continues. “But that was a pressing need for that community. In Baltimore, they offer culinary lessons to help people build skills for employment. We saw firsthand how SVdP Councils have the flexibility to do what is necessary for the people they serve.”

Though they’re relatively young, John Paul and Francis are long-time Vincentians — “It was our dream!”— and are working to connect
young people to the organization. John Paul was recently given the SVdP Youth Service award and is Vice Chair of his Conference.

“There is a misconception that today’s youth won’t get involved,” Francis says, “but our generation is passionate about developing creative solutions to meet the needs of those around us. People our age need to be invited to share their time and talents. We can’t write big donation checks, but we can carry boxes of supplies up three flights of stairs!”

“SVdP gave us a reason to serve,” John Paul says. “We saw the face of Christ in all the Vincentians we worked with, and we want to share that opportunity with our peers. Christ calls people of every age to put their faith into action by serving their neighbors in need.”

YOU CAN SEE THE BROTHERS’ VIDEOS ON INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, AND FACEBOOK AT @SVDPUSA AND @SVDPRI.

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01-25-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
01-25-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 150 150 SVDP USA

“Excuse me if I’m late in writing to you, but it’s the fault of my laziness.”
– Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati

 If you know me… I am sure you just read that line and laughed to yourself. I constantly find myself running from one thing to the next… and usually late. I stumbled upon this quote on Facebook as I was multitasking: watching a webinar “Successful Strategies to Engage Black Catholic Young Adults,” catching up on emails, and eating my first meal of the day. (Did I mention it is 8:36PM?) I then found myself doing a deep dive through the World Wide Web trying to fact check this quote… because it seemed too good to be true coming from a Blessed. I have always been inspired by how human our Saints and Blesseds were. (Maybe there is hope for me yet… despite my chronic lateness!) Did you know Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was named patron of Vincentian Youth in 2017? In the 1920s, Frassati was a young Vincentian involved in a SVdP Conference. He enjoyed visiting neighbors in need and had an unwavering love for the poor.

Unfortunately, it seems that this quote attributed to Blessed Frassati was one of those quotes inspired by knowledge of him, but not actually something he said. But while reading further, I found this validation, “He was often scolded for being late for meals, but he never revealed that his tardiness was due to feeding the poor, running errands to buy them medicine, or finding widows and their children a place to stay for the night.” Clearly he was not lazy, but doing all he could and as much as he could for those in need. As Vincentians, I know many of us can relate.

It is an honor to be able to write a Servant Leaders column. I promise my procrastination in writing this was not due to laziness, but to prioritizing serving our neighbors in need, as well as filtering through the numerous thoughts I wanted to share with you all.

Starting the year off, some of our young adult Vincentians had the opportunity to attend SEEK — a Catholic event hosted in St. Louis for College Catholic Students. There were over 20,000 young people present. SEEK is the perfect way to start off the new year. The joy of Christ radiates the space with young people passionate to find their way through this crazy world guided by their faith. You may have seen some of the videos on social media about just how generous and selfless some of these young people were. There was a request shared prior to the event, challenging the young adults to “Pack for the Poor.”

Planning ahead isn’t necessarily every young persons’ strength, so during the event, we had a sign with the challenge, “Would you give the shirt off your back?” We thought this was a great conversation starter, and even a way to encourage these young people to return another day with items of clothing that they no longer wanted or needed, as many purchased new items at the gift shops and vendor tables. But, to our surprise, every time we turned around, we saw someone else removing their t-shirt or taking off a layer and leaving it in the pile. It was truly inspiring. Our workshop had a full house, with over 600 young people attending. (I promise you, we spoke to many many young people who are eager to find ways to get involved back home!) Reach out to your local Catholic universities, Newman Centers, Diocesan and Parish Young Adult groups, and young people in parish pews. Invite them to serve alongside you.

As I continue to write this and listen to this webinar on engaging young adult black Catholics, everything they are discussing is the same across the board. If we truly want younger and more diverse members, we need to do better. We need to invite. We need to make space. We need to listen. We need to make new members feel welcome and encouraged. Don’t be afraid of a little change. New ideas and perspectives can inspire and uplift. Let the Holy Spirit be the driving force, and don’t be afraid to invite someone, and don’t be afraid to invite them again. Look even within our own families, our children and grandchildren, our friends, our parishioners. Tonight I received a text from a friend jokingly with an invite for an event, “… I suppose we can just keep going back and forth with these invites, until one of us gives in…” Sometimes it is just not the right time. We have to be understanding and patient; personal invites are always what works. When the time is right, the Holy Spirit will give them the nudge.

Flipping back to my open tab on Frassati, I read on. He encouraged his college classmates in a speech on charity to join Conferences. This brought me back to standing on the stage a few weeks ago talking to our SEEK audience, “I don’t know if you are all aware of these institutions that were so marvelously conceived […]. It is a simple institution suitable for students because it does not involve commitment apart from being in a particular place one day a week and then visiting two or three families every week. You will see, in just a little time, how much good we can do for those we visit and how much good we can do for ourselves.” (Now, most Conferences meet less than once a week!) Honestly, if it wasn’t for these personal encounters with those we serve, I honestly don’t know if I would continue serving as a Vincentian.

There was a time Blessed Frassati was frustrated within his Conference for abandoning a needy family, and so he resigned and joined another Conference. As a Vincentian for almost 10 years now, I can relate to this. Although in my heart, my want to abandon and resign is always outweighed by my passion to help and encourage a change of heart for my Vincentian friends. Although sometimes Conference meetings can be discouraging, I find immense inspiration from the young members in one of the youth Conferences I help facilitate. On their days off from school, they often volunteer at various capacities on projects or offer their time to shadow on Home Visits. Although when first beginning, they didn’t have an understanding of poverty. Throughout the years, through encounters, poverty education, and long discussions, I am constantly impressed by their forward thinking, generosity, and compassion.

In a recent situation, we were presented with an opportunity to help a family with their last steps out of generational poverty. This young mother is embarking on her last semester of nursing school, and is steps away from the finish line, but a health situation set her a few steps back. Something like education can be hard for some to feel as an essential need when others do not have food or roofs. It was encouraging to hear these young Vincentians explain the importance and life-changing assistance we could provide to this family; helping not only this young mother, but opening doors for the future of her two small girls.

It is so frustrating to see how these young people were able to grasp this so quickly, and my Conference didn’t seem to see it at all. I challenged these young Vincentians with some of the responses I received from my Conference, and their responses were so eloquent. This work is not too mature for high schoolers. Young people can begin serving as early as they feel comfortable. The conversations and works may look and sound different, but the younger we begin talking, educating, and advocating, the more young servant leaders are developed. Someone on the webinar remarked, “The Church needs young people and young people need the Church.”

I know the last few columns have been focused on change — Let’s change our mindsets. Let’s change our attitudes. Let’s change our hearts. Let’s change the world.

God Bless,
Kat Brissette
2nd Vice President and National Vice President of Youth, Young Adults, and Emerging Leaders

PS: This message was brought to you Kathleen, caffeine, and the Holy Spirit!

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2023 National Assembly Youth Poverty Simulation
2023 National Assembly Youth Poverty Simulation 1024 683 SVDP USA

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Youth from Around the World Gather in Lisbon for World Youth Day 2023
Youth from Around the World Gather in Lisbon for World Youth Day 2023 640 480 SVDP USA

Once every three years, youth and young adult Catholics from around the world come together to celebrate World Youth Day, a worldwide encounter with the Pope. WYD is open to all young people who want to take part in a festive encounter centered on Jesus Christ together with their peers. It is an opportunity to personally experience the universality of the Catholic Church, and to share with the whole world the hope of many young people who are committing their lives to Christ and His Church.

This year’s World Youth Day was held in Lisbon, Portugal.

“WYD 2023 with Pope Francis truly showed how universal the Catholic Church is. People from around the world, speaking different languages, different nationalities, and cultures came to WYD with one commonality — God being our Father,” said John Paul Brissette, a member of the National Youth Committee. “Just being in the city with millions of young Catholics praying, praising, and signing was a sight and a feeling I will never forget. Although we may be speaking different languages, we are all saying the same thing.”

“My favorite part of the World Youth Day experience was being able to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima in Fatima, Portugal,” said Luna Mata, Development and Communications Coordinator for SVdP Dallas. “Visiting the place where our Blessed Mother stood and taught us so much was incredibly humbling and beautiful.”

In collaboration with World Youth Day, the International Society of St. Vincent de Paul took the opportunity to gather its young people together in celebration of the Vincentian Charism. This gathering was called The International Vincentian Youth Meeting (ICYM) and the theme was “I am neither from here nor from there, but from wherever God wants me to be.” The theme was inspired by a sentence from St. Vincent de Paul to the Daughters of Charity in 1634. 

As part of these celebrations, the U.S. Council sponsored a number of Youth and Young Adults to travel to Portugal and participate in these special events.

“Before we attended World Youth Day, we had the privilege of attending the Vincentian Family Gathering where we had the opportunity to share our Vincentian Charism with other Vincentians from around the world,” said John Paul. “We discussed common struggles Vincentians face and tried to work toward solutions together. The weekend was filled with friendship, services, and spirituality.”

“We followed in Mary’s footsteps with ‘haste’ throughout World Youth Day, so ending with this spiritual blessing and joy from our Mother was incredible,” said Luna.

We are so blessed that the SVdP U.S. National Council was able to be a part of this experience. It was a transformative experience for all the young people who participated. They returned with renewed zeal for their Catholic faith and those that attended on behalf of SVdP have a renewed dedication to the Vincentian mission. God bless all who participated!

The next World Youth Day will be held in Seoul, South Korea in 2027.

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Next Nominee for Youth Award Announced
Next Nominee for Youth Award Announced 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 Member. “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 next nominee:

Amy Lee – Los Angeles

Amy started volunteering near the end of elementary school because her parents were already Vincentians. She began delivering food to homeless shelters. When Amy entered high school she became more engaged with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. She began to encourage her friends to join and volunteer with her, she succeeded. Amy and her friends began collecting and delivering socks, shirts, pants, and daily necessities as well as serving the homeless at meal sites. In 2019, Amy attended a Vincentian retreat to grow in spirituality with her fellow Vincentians. Her service earned her the 2019 President’s Service Award. In 2021 she attended another Vincentian retreat as well as the San Pedro district annual meeting. I know she will be a member that will continue to volunteer in the future to the best of her ability that is why I nominate Amy Lee for the Alex Garvey Excellence in Youth Award.

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Next Round of Nominees Announced for Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award
Next Round of Nominees Announced for Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award 1728 864 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 Member. “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:

Aaron Wohlberg – SVdP St Charles Borromeo

Aaron has been a member of the St. Charles Borromeo St. Vincent de Paul Conference as a Mini Vinnie for two years. As a Mini Vinnie, Aaron has dedicated himself in service to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. As a Mini Vinnie Aaron has served our Conference in many ways. He has helped with the Backpack Program for two years. The Backpack Program provides weekend meals for 50 children in the Orchard

Farm School District. The Assistant Principal of Aaron’s school described Aaron as, “Willing to help wherever needed without being asked.” His Troop Leader describes him as, “Respectful and helpful to the older scouts and adult leaders.”

Kate Polakowski- SVdP St Andrew Conference of Sierra Vista, AZ

She has been involved in our St Vincent de Paul Council’s food drives, walks for the poor, Thanksgiving food basket distributions, and community food bank monthly commodities distributions. She serves the needs of the poor for 17 hours per week while completing her Associates Degree as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She puts into action in very many ways the Vincentian charisms of spirituality, friendship, and service.

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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!

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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. 

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Young Adult Vincentians Use Social Media Fame to Support Their Neighbors in Need
Young Adult Vincentians Use Social Media Fame to Support Their Neighbors in Need 1386 1364 SVDP USA

John Paul Brissette, a member of the SVdP National Youth Committee, and his brother, Francis Brissette, have Vincentian blood pulsing through their veins. Their mother, Renee, is the Executive Director of the Rhode Island Council, and along with their siblings Kat and Peter, they are founding members of Rhode Island’s Youth and Young Adult Conference, called Next Gen. 

Over the past couple of years, John Paul and Francis have worked hard and become social media influencers. They publish family-friendly comedy content using various internet platforms like Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube.

“We grew from two brothers whose only follower was our mom, to a follower base of nearly two million in just over a year,” said John Paul.

Recently, the brothers decided it was time they returned to their Vincentian roots. They wanted to use their internet fame to help those in their community who were suffering. “We knew we were given a gift from God, and with having some of the best fans in the world, we knew we needed to give back.”

They hosted a 24-hour live stream on Twitch as a fundraiser for SVdP Rhode Island’s Necessities for Neighbors program. The live-stream offered the brothers an opportunity to teach people about SVdP and the work that Vincentians do to help neighbors in need. They also spent time playing games and making people laugh, something they are very good at. 

“We raised over $2,500 and counting, and promoted an Amazon wishlist for people to purchase toiletries and other items for Necessities for Neighbors,” said John Paul. “We also posted a video to YouTube promoting the stream, with ad revenue going directly to SVdP Rhode Island.”

The following weekend, they promoted and sponsored the first-ever Do Gud Day. It was an event which promoted youth volunteering in a fun and competitive way. Sixteen youth and young adults were split into two teams, who held a friendly competition of filling backpacks with toiletries and notes to give out to people in need in the community through SVdP Rhode Island’s Necessities for Neighbors program. Kat Brissette, their sister and SVdP National Board Member, designed the day by creating a program and resources that can be packaged and used in any location.  

“JP and I have been given a gift which every day feels like dumb luck. Our mantra is ‘you were put on this world to make a difference,'” said Francis. “And when you are just two kids from Rhode Island, or young people anywhere,  you tend to struggle with figuring out just how you can make a difference. With our internet fame, which we believe is a gift from God and something we have always dreamed about, and our work with the Society, we now feel like we’re finally making that difference in the world.”

To watch the video about Do Gud Day, click here.

If you are interested in following the Brissettes and their social media accounts, you can find all that information on their website: https://broskiesstudios.com/.

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