MATTOON - The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Immaculate Conception Parish in Mattoon is celebrating the 75th year of its founding. A reception in honor of the anniversary will be held Sunday, Nov. 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the parish center, 19th and Richmond. Parishioners and people from the diocese are invited to attend.
In 1932, during the Great Depression, Immaculate Conception pastor Father Thomas Cusack called the men of the church together to form a conference under the direction of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Fifty men attended the Nov. 6 gathering and the society was organized with 13 active charter members and 18 honorary members.
At that first meeting, $9.41 was collected to help the poor. At the next meeting a week later, $1.30 was added to the treasury. After that, a "secret collection" was given at each meeting, a tradition which continues today. Moreover, that collection is deposited in the same small black metal box that has been used since 1932.
Father Cusack also established a Thanksgiving Day Collection for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which is still taken up every year. Several of the members of today's society, headed up by president Mike Martin, are the children of original members. The society meets once a month and holds fund-raisers throughout the year. However, the Thanksgiving Day collection remains the most successful fund-raiser.
During the early years, aid was given in the form of goods such as clothing, shoes, eggs, milk and free health care from local medical professionals. For the first 25 years, baskets were delivered on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Increased funding during the next 25 years provided more services as time went on. In 1984 women were invited to join the society.
Ledger books kept over the years illustrate how economic times have changed. In 1932 the total expenditures of the St. Vincent de Paul Society were $454.86, while the total expenditures for 2006 were $18,825.
Today money collected through the parishioners and townspeople is used to provide funds for food, rent, utilities and medicine for people in Mattoon who are in need of assistance.