A new president for the Society of Saint

“II had the impression of having received a lot in my childhood, my adolescence and my professional life. When you pass a milestone like retirement, you want to experience something else: I chose to give”confides Hubert Derache, former officer graduated from Saint-Cyr, father of four children and widower for 10 years. “My wife was with the Saint-Vincent teams, I went to join the Society of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, a related movement. I entered as a simple volunteer, in 2018, in a “conference” (group of volunteers) of my parish of Crac’h-Saint-Philibert, in Morbihan, with the intention of replacing the departmental director who could not find a successor. »

Hubert Derache discovered dynamic teams, and, under his leadership, despite the context of the health crisis in 2020, three conferences were born, in a department that already had 17. “ A second for young people has been launched »he underlines, sensitive to the fact that 17-35 year olds, students and young professionals, get involved in the field of solidarity.

In loyalty to Frédéric Ozanam

In France, the Society of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul (SSVP) has 850 conferences (including 50 called “young conferences”). “I want to come back to the spirit of Frédéric Ozanam who, at 20, created the first; it was in 1833”, he recalls. Misery was then great in Paris, in the popular districts. Students from the Sorbonne had gathered around Frédéric Ozanam (professor of foreign literature in this university), in the service of the poorest, thus founding the movement.

“Currently, the difficulty for the young generation is the high turnover in the teams, but it doesn’t matter! », observes Hubert Derache. If one of them comes to spend six months within the association before continuing his life elsewhere, he will always be welcome. “We will find him, often when he has retired, in the conference service for seniors. »

Her experience as a volunteer enabled her to understand the importance of the relationship forged with the people we visit in their homes and with those, homeless, encountered in the street. During the health crisis, in Vannes, the Vincentians organized marauding; exchanges were possible while the soups cooled.

In Auray, a day center will open soon, coordinated by the parish of Saint-Gildas with three associations, including the SSVP. Hubert Derache also supports a national initiative, carried out by the Morbihan teams, of a reception stop in Lorient, which will make it possible to offer eight one-week stays intended for the families they accompany throughout France.

Spirituality in all action

When the SSVP has found him a successor to the departmental presidency, Hubert Derache will devote himself fully to his national responsibility. “I want to be a servant president, as Frédéric Ozanam or Saint Vincent de Paul would have said”, he slips. He promises to help the teams in the provinces to set up new projects and consolidate those already underway.

Anxious not to give in to charitable activism, he knows the importance of spirituality in any action: a walk, a board meeting, a service to a person… always begins with prayer. “When you have your nose to the grindstone, it can take a back seat. However, with our small arms and our good will, we do not do much. The grace received in prayer makes it possible to do much more. » The commitment strengthened his faith.

To know
Two spiritual highlights will be offered to Vincentians: a retreat in July 2023 at Notre-Dame-de-La-Salette and a pilgrimage to Lourdes in 2024. Information: Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.

A new president for the Society of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul