Mass to celebrate ministry's 125 years in Mobile

Submitted by Bill Migley
For The Catholic Week
MOBILE — The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its presence in the Archdiocese of Mobile. This will include a Mass of celebration which will be celebrated by Archbishop Thomas J. Rodi at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23 at the Cathedral-Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Deacon George Ralph will be the homilist. 
All Vincentians throughout the diocese are invited, as well as all friends and benefactors of the work of the Society, and all pastors, priests and religious of the archdiocese.
Being a Mass on Sunday, this Mass satisfies the Sunday obligation. The theme of the celebration is “We Are Called." A reception will follow the Mass in the Portier House. Posters will be displayed in the Cathedral from each SVdP Conference telling historical information of each Conference.
SVdP was founded in 1833, in Paris. It quickly spread to neighboring countries in Europe and came to the U.S. in 1845 when the first Conference in the US was founded at what is now the Old Cathedral in St. Louis. 
Vincentianism soon spread to the South to both New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Then the first Conference in the Mobile Diocese was founded at the Cathedral on Feb. 2, 1896. The founding members included Felix McGill, the founder of the McGill Institute which is now McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, John Rapier, the owner of the Mobile Register newspaper and the Postmaster of Mobile, and James McPhillips. 
SVdP has been serving the poor in the diocese ever since, including when the diocese included all of Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Today there are 19 conferences in the diocese, with 21 parishes affiliated with them. 
The anniversary could not be publicly celebrated last year due to Covid concerns.