CALGARY, Alta. (CCN) — It has been 192 years since Frédéric Ozanam and his friends founded the Conference of Charity — which would become the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP) — at the Sorbonne in Paris in 1833.
In 2025, a brand-new student-led SSVP conference at St. Mary’s University in Calgary is determined to honour the charitable organization’s mission to “live the Gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice and joy.”
During the group’s Oct. 29 meeting in the basement of the university’s student association building, mentor Lance Berrington, who volunteers with the St. Pius X Parish SSVP conference, spoke about the spirit that guided Ozanam and his friends as they humbly served the impoverished in the French slums.
“This story reminds me that our society is never big or important,” said Berrington. “It was about presence. It was about a few students with very little of their own who chose to walk alongside those who had even less. Their courage and compassion have carried forward for nearly 200 years and are part of the same chain of service today.”
This past February, Brielle Schoorlemmer, a psychology student, was asked by the university’s chaplain, Fr. Troy Nguyen, whether she was interested in starting a SSVP conference on campus. She had not heard of the non-profit growing up in northern Alberta. After discerning, she felt a call to participate.
“Within the campus ministry we have amazing people that we get to interact with all the time,” said Schoorlemmer. “I pictured in my mind that (SSVP) will be something like that — and it is. It’s great. We’re with all our friends and we’re helping other friends.”
Isabel Ferdyn, enrolled in English studies, was approached by Nguyen at the same time as Schoorlemmer. Like her friend, Ferdyn felt drawn to starting an SSVP conference because “she found it very interesting and something that would be fun to do, especially to help the people who are among us in our classrooms.”
John Carandang, also studying psychology, was invited by Schoorlemmer to attend the first SSVP meeting on Aug. 22. He agreed without knowing anything about the organization.
“I joined unknowingly, and then gradually I just enjoyed being here and serving the society, and also our friends and classmates,” said Carandang.
Mary Clare Franco, pursuing a social justice and Catholic studies degree, decided to join because it would be “good to get more involved with the community, especially with the university, because I hadn’t done a lot of volunteering with it previously.”
St. Mary’s University’s campus ministry coordinator Keelin Kennedy also supports the group.
In addition to convening each Wednesday at 9 a.m. for fellowship and spiritual growth, the St. Mary’s University SSVP conference was extensively involved in the “StMU sCARES away Hunger” month-long food drive in October. This collaborative project between the society and StMU Cares sought to secure needed non-perishable food items during each of the four weeks.
On Oct. 26, members of the group joined forces with fellow St. Mary’s students, members of the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy young adult group and Golden Homes Builders employees to help with the Diocese of Calgary’s Feed the Hungry program. Volunteers set up in St. Mary’s Cathedral hall, prepared hampers, plated meals, prepared salad, desserts and beverages, welcomed guests, served the main meal and assisted in the cleanup.
The group is gearing up to host a pie and coffee function on Nov. 17 to promote its presence on campus. Afterwards, the team will collaborate with StMU Cares to provide Christmas hampers to community members in need.
All agree that camaraderie, cultivated through acts of service together, is one of the great early blessings. Franco said its Catholic identity has also inspired inner growth.
“I didn’t realize how Catholic and faith-based (SSVP) was and how grounded in Christ you have to be before you go out to the fore,” said Franco. “I think it’s really neat that you have a spiritual background that you can use to feed yourself as you’ve given yourself to others.”
Carandang said “it is mind-blowing” for him to consider the significant impact “this society can have on local students,” and the ripple effects SSVP has throughout Calgary and beyond.
“It’s just fascinating that a society can do this kind of stuff,” he added.
None of the students is graduating this year, so they have time to grow the St. Mary’s University SSVP conference’s campus imprint and membership ranks.
Schoorlemmer’s message to Catholic young adults “is that you are never too young or too old” to get involved, and that it is such a blessing.
“It’s interesting how we can just come together, work as a team and give of ourselves in a beautiful way.”
