President-elect witnessed plight of the poor

Members of Society of Saint Vincent de Paul make personal visits

Jean-Noel Cormier is the national president-elect of the Society of
Saint Vincent de Paul. He takes the helm this summer. (Photo: CCN)

Jean-Noel Cormier, president-elect of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, first witnessed poverty during his childhood in a small town in New Brunswick. His passion for the poor drives him forward as head of the society.

“It was a small village,” Cormier said. “We were not that rich. But we had kids poorer than us."

He remembers going to encourage some of the poorer kids to go to school. They drank water from mason jars, he said, too poor to afford drinking glasses. “It kind of stayed with me,” Cormier said.

There was one family with 21 children in the house and only ten pairs of boots. The first ten out the door “went out okay,” the rest had to make do, he said. He recalled how poor families “went to the basement of the church to get clothing and food.”

For full story, see The B.C. Catholic website.