New President Wants to Guide St. Vincent de Paul Society’s Growth in Archdiocese

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Scott Miller is hoping for growth in the St. Vincent de Paul Society after being installed last month as archdiocesan council president at St. Agnes Church in Manhattan.

The society has 31 conference groups in the archdiocese, a number Miller would like to see increase.

“I would like to build up the society, which would include opening more conferences and establishing more districts, with the aim being to establish stability for the archdiocesan council,” said the 44-year-old Miller, who worships at St. Ignatius Loyola parish in Manhattan and St. Patrick’s in Brooklyn, where he resides.

“I would also like to build collaborative relationships with other ministries in the Archdiocese of New York, in order to serve our faithful community. It is a little-known fact that most of our members are of an older generation.  I would like to appeal to the younger demographics within the archdiocese and bring ‘fresh blood’ into the society.”

 Worldwide,  the society’s 800,000 members and 1.5 million collaborators in 138 countries assist 30 million materially poor people.

“I have always believed it was important, at least for myself, to not just claim ‘I am Catholic’ but rather to be Catholic,” Miller said. “The Church, as founded by Jesus Christ, is a missionary Church, where we are called upon to serve, especially those of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are most in need.  

“The society’s purpose in working to help the poor is something I have always felt drawn to.”

Miller, who was elected to a three-year term as archdiocesan council president, has been a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society since 2015, when he was a parishioner of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan. He previously served as conference treasurer and conference president. 

At St. Ignatius Loyola, he’s been a member of the society’s St. Lawrence O’Toole Conference and served as conference spiritual advisor from April 2018 until September.