About St. Vincent de Paul Chapel · Dayton, Ohio
St. Vincent de Paul Chapel is a small Eucharistic chapel located inside the St. Vincent de Paul Shelter for Women and Families at 124 West Apple Street in downtown Dayton, Ohio. It serves the guests, volunteers, and staff of the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Dayton, one of the Miami Valley's longest-running Catholic charitable organizations, which has been assisting the poor in the Dayton area for over 75 years. The chapel was converted from an abandoned storage unit into a prayer space, was 100% privately funded by 55 families, and was dedicated by Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. It hosts weekday Mass, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and a weekly Rosary, and remains open daily for personal prayer.
- Established
- approximately 2018
- Patron
- St. Vincent de Paul (the chapel shares the patron of the surrounding Society of St. Vincent de Paul)
- Rector
- Fr. Frantisek (Francis) Fedorisin (chaplain / celebrating priest)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
St. Vincent de Paul Chapel is unique in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati because it is literally set inside a working homeless shelter, making daily Mass and Eucharistic Adoration a direct ministry to Dayton's poorest neighbors. Visitors can worship alongside shelter guests, volunteers, and Vincentian members in a setting where prayer and corporal works of mercy visibly meet. For Catholics seeking a contemplative weekday Mass, a Tuesday holy hour of Adoration, a Thursday communal Rosary, or simply a quiet chapel for personal prayer in downtown Dayton, the chapel offers a rare combination of traditional liturgy, devotion to the Real Presence, and hands-on charity.
Mass times at St. Vincent de Paul Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Available from Fr. Frantisek Fedorisin during weekday mornings (by contact via [email protected])
Adoration times
- Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. (Eucharistic Adoration with rosary, Gospel reading and reflection; an additional Adoration hour is described on some pages as Monday–Friday at 10 a.m.)
- Chapel open daily 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. for personal prayer
History of the Chapel
The St. Vincent de Paul Chapel was created inside the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's Shelter for Women and Families on West Apple Street in Dayton, Ohio, by converting a former storage room into a Eucharistic chapel. It was dedicated c. 2018, with Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati preaching at its Five Year Anniversary Mass. The renovation was financed entirely by 55 private donor families.
- Society of St. Vincent de Paul global founding: April 23, 1833, Paris (Frédéric Ozanam)
- Dayton District Council of SVdP founded: 1948
- Dayton SVdP begins sheltering homeless: 1985 (old downtown fire station)
- Shelter relocated to Apple Street: 2005
- Separate men's and women's/family shelters added: 2009
- Chapel dedicated: c. 2018; Five Year Anniversary Mass celebrated c. 2023
Architecture & Sacred Space
Because the chapel is a converted interior room inside an operational homeless shelter, it has an intimate, human-scale footprint rather than the proportions of a parish church. Liturgical furnishings include an altar for Mass and a Monstrance for Eucharistic Exposition, accented with incense, candlelight, and silver and gold vessels. The Society characterizes it as 'humble but beautiful,' a contemplative haven deliberately sized to shelter guests, volunteers, and staff.
- Former use: musty, abandoned storage room
- Altar with Monstrance for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament
- Use of incense during Adoration
- Candlelight and silver/gold liturgical vessels
- Donor-funded by 55 families
Clergy & Spiritual Staff
Pastoral care of the chapel is provided by Fr. Frantisek (Francis) Fedorisin, who celebrates the weekday Masses and is available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and other pastoral care on weekday mornings. Spiritual direction across the Dayton Vincentian ministries is led by Deacon Mark Danis, the Society's Director of Spirituality, who also leads Adoration.
- Fr. Frantisek Fedorisin — chaplain, contact: [email protected]
- Deacon Mark Danis — Director of Spirituality, leads Adoration with rosary
Sacraments
Because the chapel exists within an active shelter rather than a parish, the usual sacramental 'register' is not the focus; instead, the chapel prioritizes the Eucharist, Eucharistic Adoration, and Reconciliation for the shelter community and visiting faithful.
- Eucharist: Mon/Wed/Fri 9:30 a.m.
- Reconciliation: available from Fr. Fedorisin during weekday mornings
- Eucharistic Adoration: Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.
Ministries & Outreach
The chapel is the spiritual center of the Dayton District Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which runs the Shelter for Women and Families (124 W. Apple Street) and a separate men's shelter, supported by parish-based Conferences conducting home visits to the poor. Together these works assisted more than 50,000 neighbors in need in 2025.
- Shelter for Women and Families — 124 W. Apple Street
- Shelter for Men (separate campus)
- Parish-based Conferences (home visits)
- Volunteer corps
- Director of Spirituality — Deacon Mark Danis
Visiting the Chapel
Visitors should enter through the main door of the Shelter for Women and Families at 124 W. Apple Street, pass through security at the front desk, turn right through the double glass doors, and find the chapel entrance halfway down the hallway on the left. Mass, Adoration, and Rosary are open to all, but schedules may change with the needs of shelter guests.
- Address: 124 West Apple Street, Dayton, OH 45402
- Entry: through Shelter for Women and Families, via security
- Chapel location: right through double glass doors, halfway down hall on the left
- Open daily 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Annual Report & Finances
The Dayton Society of St. Vincent de Paul publishes an annual report each year on its website, summarizing ministry outcomes, shelter services, and donor support. The most recent publicly available report covers fiscal year 2024.
- FY2024 Annual Report (PDF) available on stvincentdayton.org
- Covers shelter occupancy, services to neighbors, donor support
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Frantisek (Francis) Fedorisinpresent chaplain
Available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and other pastoral care during weekday mornings; celebrates the chapel's weekday Masses.