Conferences of St Vincent de Paul 1Foundation and spread to 1916
Conferences of St Vincent de Paul
Original title: Conferencias de S. Vicente de Paulo
Account of the Conferences of Saint Vincent de Paul in Madeira, small lay charitable societies that aid the 'shamefaced poor' in their homes, with foundation dates of the Funchal and rural conferences from 1875 onwards and statistics for 1916 and 1939.
1Foundation and spread to 1916
The Conferences of St Vincent de Paul are societies or associations of a small number of individuals, devoted exclusively to helping the shamefaced poor in their own homes. This city has three conferences: that of the parish (freguesia) of São Pedro, established on 10 January 1875; that of Santa Maria Maior, set up on 19 July 1908; and that of Santa Luzia, on 8 December 1911. In 1913 Conferences were founded in the suburban parishes of São Martinho, Santo António, São Roque, Nossa Senhora do Monte and São Gonçalo, and in the rural parishes of Machico and Santa Cruz. In 1914 Conferences were established in the parishes of Câmara de Lobos, Arco da Calheta, Porto do Moniz and Serra de Água; in 1915 in the parishes of Porto da Cruz, Santana, Ponta do Sol, Gaula, Camacha and Caniço; and in 1916 in those of Campanário and Estreito de Câmara de Lobos.
Printed reports of the activity of these Conferences exist for various years, the one for 1916 being the last we have been able to examine. The total receipts and expenses of these Conferences for that year, 1916, were 5,974.50 and 4,760.37 escudos (Portuguese currency from 1911, = 1,000 réis) respectively.
2Situation by 1939
To bring the information set out above up to date, we would add that this city has 6 conferences: that of the parish (freguesia) of São Pedro, established on 17 January 1875; that of Santa Maria Maior, set up on 19 July 1908; that of Santa Luzia, founded on 8 December 1911; that of the Sé (Funchal Cathedral (Sé)), established on 8 December 1927; and those of São Luís de Gonzaga and São João Evangelista, organised respectively by the Catholic Youth and by the students of the Lyceum (Liceu).
Besides those listed above, there are conferences in the parishes of Santo António (4 conferences: two parish conferences and two in the localities of Trapiche and Alecrins), São Martinho, São Roque, São Gonçalo, Monte, Santa Cruz, Gaula, Camacha, Caniço, Machico, Porto da Cruz, Câmara de Lobos, Calheta, Porto Moniz, Ribeira Brava, Campanário, Serra de Água, Prazeres, Paul do Mar, Santana, Faial, São Roque do Faial, São Jorge, São Vicente, Ponta do Sol and Porto Santo.
The Central Council of the Society of St Vincent de Paul has its seat in Funchal and consists of seven members; every year it publishes a report on the activity of all the conferences in Madeira. From the report for 1939 we have taken the following statistics: number of conferences in the Madeira archipelago, 36. There are 842 active members, 19 aspirants and 730 subscribers. Every year 671 poor families are visited. During 1939 the conferences distributed 80,507.50 escudos (the Portuguese currency from 1911: 1 escudo = 100 centavos = 1,000 réis).
On 8 December 1939 the Central Council of Women’s Conferences was likewise set up. There are 10 women’s conferences, at the Colégio de São Luís (Funchal), Santa Luzia, Santa Maria Maior, Santo António, Camacha, São Martinho, Santana, Machico, Arco da Calheta and Faial respectively.
They have 150 active members, 20 aspirants and 267 subscribers, and 164 poor families were visited during 1939, the last year covered by the report we consulted. During that year these conferences distributed the sum of 10,483.65 escudos.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 06-
The first Saint Vincent de Paul conference in Madeira was founded in São Pedro, Funchal.
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The Santa Maria Maior conference of St Vincent de Paul was installed.
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The Santa Luzia conference of the Society of St Vincent de Paul was founded.
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The Conferences of St Vincent de Paul spread to suburban and rural parishes.
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Sé conference established.
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The Central Council of the women's Conferences of St Vincent de Paul was constituted.
Place
Places mentioned · 11
- Alecrins
Funchal. Site of one of Santo António's conferences.
Alecrins is a locality in Santo António parish, Funchal, and the seat of the Alecrins entail founded in 1577. It was the site of the now-vanished chapel of Nossa Senhora da Quietação (1670) and its quinta, and of one of Santo António's conferences of São Vicente de Paulo.
- Funchal
Seat of the Central Council.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Machico
Rural conference founded 1913.
The parish of Machico was the landing place of the discoverers Zargo and Tristão Vaz and the seat of the captaincy of Machico; the parish was founded c. 1450. The Elucidário covers its clergy and stipends, chapels, historical events, mineral springs, localities, population and notable natives.
- Porto Santo
Has a conference by 1939.
An island of the archipelago, settled alongside Madeira and forming one of the three captaincies. It has always constituted a single parish, dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Piedade, whose church was repeatedly sacked. The Elucidário records the Moorish pirate raid of 1617, its own Misericórdia and a rainwater channel built on this drought-prone island.
- Santa Cruz
Rural conference founded 1913.
Santa Cruz is a parish and one of Madeira's oldest settlements, named after a cross Zarco had raised there at the discovery. The Elucidário covers its early ecclesiastical history, collegiate church, chapels, noble settlers and localities.
- Santa Luzia
Funchal. Conference founded 8 December 1911.
Santa Luzia is one of the four urban parishes of Funchal, in the upper, northern part of the city. It was created in 1676 from parts of the Sé and Monte parishes; its present church was completed around 1741, and it became a julgado of the Funchal comarca in 1927. It is noted as the dampest district of Funchal, and the council archive was stored there from 1807.
- Santa Maria Maior
Funchal. Conference installed 19 July 1908.
A partly urban parish in the eastern part of Funchal, the oldest of the archipelago, also known as Nossa Senhora do Calhau or Socorro. Its church is the former St James church, and it is noted for embroiderers producing the finest work. It became a julgado of the Funchal comarca in 1927.
- São Pedro
Funchal. Parish of the first conference in Funchal, founded 1875.
São Pedro is the most populous of Funchal's four urban parishes and the place where Zargo made the first settlement. The parish was created in 1566, suppressed in 1579 and restored in 1587. The Elucidário covers its clergy stipends, church building, chapels, notable institutions and boundaries.
- Sé
Funchal. Conference established 8 December 1927.
The Sé is the central urban parish of Funchal, lying wholly within the city, split from Santa Maria Maior in 1557 and seated in the cathedral; it is the city's commercial, administrative and official heart. The Elucidário records its churches, notable buildings, judicial role as starting point of the eastern comarca, and several notable people born there, and notes that the Bugio belongs to it administratively.
- Trapiche
Funchal. Site of one of Santo António's conferences.
Trapiche is a locality in the parish of Santo António, Funchal, with a quinta whose chapel was built in 1814 and after which the chapel of São João e Santana is commonly named. In 1923 the Brothers of São João de Deus founded a psychiatric hospital there, the Casa de Saúde do Trapiche. The quinta was briefly used by the seminary, and the locality was the seat of one of Santo António's conferences of São Vicente de Paulo.