Organizational Structure

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul of Vancouver Island is a registered charity. The Society was legal incorporated in 1953 under the British Columbia Society's Act, and as such has a defined Constitution and Bylaws.  The Society is lead by an Executive Director who is accountable to a Board of Directors who is accountable to the Vincentian membership through the Vancouver Island Patricular Council.  The Society bylaws were updated in 2019 and can be found here.

The stakeholders of the Society include the people we serve, our donors, our local, provincial and federal funders, and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul National Council of Canada. The Society prides itself on transparency and accountability. This website was developed as a way to enhance accessibility to our services and programs and increase awareness within our communities of the works of the Society.

The Society on Vancouver Island is part of an international family of Vincentians who follow both the Rules and Statutes of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul of Canada and the laws and regulations for Registered Charities and nonprofit Societies in British Columbia and Canada. The Vancouver Island Particular Council ensure that the Mission and Vision of the Society is maintained and that the decisions and directions of the programs and services are in keeping with the 'Rule' of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul internationally.

Particular Council

Historically, the need for a Particular Council manifested itself as soon as the Society began to grow out of its 'only one' Conference composition in 1835 and started to become a multi-celled organization.

A Particular Council is usually composed of four to twelve conferences in the same vicinity. For example, a town, a rural region, a diocese or, in the case of a large metropolitan area, a neighbourhood or district. It is the first level of councils within the Society. However, its size may vary depending on local practices and geography.

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul of Vancouver Island Board of Directors is accountable to all Vincentians on Vancouver Island and reports to a voting membership comprised of the members of the Vancouver Island Particular Council which follows the geographic boundaries of the Catholic Diocese of Victoria (all of Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands). 

The Particular Council:

• Animates and coordinates the activities of conferences in their ministry;
• Serves the conferences by furthering charitable activities;
• Makes sure that the conferences do not do anything to jeopardize the Society.

The Particular Council keeps conferences informed about:

• Changing social conditions,
• New issues and programs,
• Modification of, or additions to internal policies and procedures, as well as changes in the Operations Manual,
• Major events.

The Vancouver Island Particular Council encompasses eleven conferences on Vacouver island. There are conferences in Campbell River, Courtenay, Port Alberni, Nanaimo and the Capital Regional District.  Each conference is made up of volunteer members called Vincentians.  For more information about the conference activities and locations throughout Vancouver Island please clink the conference link here. 

Canadian National Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
Society of Saint Vincent de Paul International