ST. VINCENT DE PAUL
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Our Mission & Works

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​St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store and Social Services is both a retail thrift store and a ministry.  Officially, we are an association of employees and volunteers dedicated to serving needy people in three counties in Southeast Idaho in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul. We welcome all people with dignity and respect and try to provide them with a sense of hope.

St. Vincent de Paul offers assistance for those who cannot afford their most basic needs.

Mission and History

Patron
Now a recognized saint both in the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion, St. Vincent de Paul was a Roman Catholic priest in France in the 1600s who poured himself out for the poor.  He was a man of deep faith, keen intellect, and enormous creativity who has become known as the ‘The Apostle of Charity’ and ‘Father of the Poor.’ 

Founder

Fast forward approximately 200 years from Vincent de Paul to Frédéric Ozanam, the founder of the worldwide society as it is organized today.  In 1833 in France while just in college, Frédéric answered a challenge from another student that the Church had done much good work in the past, but "what do you do now?" Frédéric took the challenge and on his 20th birthday decided to found the 'Conference of Charity' to assist the poor. In a short time, they changed their name to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul in honor of their patron and this is how the Society was officially formed in 1833.  Today, the Society is an international charitable organization fulfilling this simple man’s mission to the poor all over the world.   

Mission Statement of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul 
Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its patron, St. Vincent de Paul, and founder, Blessed Frédéric Ozanam.
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"You are the servant of the poor. They are your masters…” - St. Vincent de Paul
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“Make it a practice to judge persons in the most favorable light at all times...”   - St. Vincent de Paul

Meet Us 

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Beth Huston
Store manager
​Beth has worked in various positions prior to coming to St. Vincent de Paul.  Her college experience is a unique mixture of business classes and liberal arts studies which combine to make a great background for the Store Manager position, since she oversees the business operation of the store as well as the social services department.  Beth has been an active member of the Catholic community in Pocatello and held various volunteer and professional positions there as well. Beth is married to Michael and has four adult sons and loves to sing, cook, garden, and hike.

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Sister Mary Colman Pyle
Social Services Director
Sister Mary Colman has been with St. Vincent de Paul as the Social Services Director for many years.  She brings extensive experience with a double Master's degree in Education as well as Social Work.  She is a trained Montessori teacher for primary grade school children, a specialist in education for people with learning disabilities, a case worker, and a licensed Social Worker.  She is a
sister with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist.  In her spare time, she likes to garden, craft things from her own spun wool,
​and sing.

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Keith Riemersma
Board of Directors President
Keith is the Board of Directors President where he has served us well.  He has lived in Pocatello for
40 years. He has a
master's degree in Mechanical Engineering and recently retired from a
Navy contractor at the
​Idaho National Laboratory after 38 years. Keith
has extensive experience with service to the local Catholic community,
serving as School Board President of Holy Spirit School and Grand
Knight of the Knights of Columbus. He enjoys working with the Board
of Directors to find productive ways to help the poor of our area.​
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Sue Johnson
Board of Directors Treasurer
Sue has been volunteering for St. Vincent de Paul for a while, primarily in the role of Treasurer for the Board of Directors.  She is well suited for this position as she is retired from the position of CEO at a local credit union.  Additionally, she is the mother of five children, 11 grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.  She plays pickle ball with friends and is a long-time member of the Catholic
​community here.  






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Kerry Hennessy
Board of Directors

Kerry has lived in Pocatello
all of his life. He graduated from Idaho State University College
of Business and began a career with British American Tobacco
Co., from which he is recently retired.  He has been married to Polly for 39 years and has
raised 3 wonderful children.  He
is enjoying volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul because it
gives him the opportunity to
share his time and talent
helping the less fortunate. He is also the District Deputy for the Knights of Columbus
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Ted  Peterson
Board of directors

​Ted is a retired occupational therapist who taught in the
Idaho State University Master
of Occupational Therapy
program for 12 years.  He
originally joined St. Vincent
de Paul's social services
program as a home visitor and
was later asked to fill a Board
vacancy.  In addition to
regular Board duties, he edits
our conference's monthly
eNewsletter. Ted also heads
up the Catholic Community's Paraclete Ministry of visiting
and taking Communion to
​the homebound. 


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Kelley Olenick
Board of Directors Secretary 
​As a volunteer at SVdP, Kelley hopes to draw on her 33-year vocation as an audiologist
where she helped others re-engage with the world through better hearing. Retired in 2021,
she would now like to figure out how to fill the world with love for others (packaged with chocolate and a force field around the keyboard to repel dog hair).
When she’s not writing grants or meeting minutes for SVdP, she is talking to one of her 3 kids, reading a good book in the back
​of a coffee shop,  or dragging her husband and dogs on a random
4- wheeling adventure.
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Mitch Johnson
Board of Directors
Mitch has been associated with St. Vincent de Paul off and on for 15 years.  He was Treasurer for 11 years and is now a Board member. He came to the organization with a varied background of data processing, accounting, and clerical in the banking, accounting, and insurance industries. He also has some experience at the federal and state levels.  He retired in March 2020.
He's been married for over 48 years, and they have one son who lives close which allows us lots of visiting time with the  grandchildren and great grandchildren.
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Rosemary Nett
board of Directors
Rosemary is a wife and mother to 4 children, 11 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren which gives her a lot of life experience to apply while volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul.  Professionally, she was a registered nurse where she worked at Southeastern Idaho Public Health Department as an immunization nurse.  She has been a St. Vincent de Paul Board member for 6 years, including acting as Board President, and volunteer for 12 years.  In her spare time, she likes to knit, garden, and read.

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Deacon Scott Pearhill
Spiritual Advisor
Deacon Scott Pearhill was ordained to the diaconate in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise in October, 2011 and serves at Holy Spirit Catholic Community.  He is the Spiritual Director for St. Vincent de Paul in Pocatello, where he has been a helper in various capacities for over two decades. Deacon Scott and Marcy were married in 1992 and have two sons, Gabriel and Robert.   






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