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John Berry
07-03-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

07-03-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

Who do You Say that I Am?  The unbreakable bond between faith and service In this past weekend’s Gospel reading we hear Jesus ask Peter and the other Apostles the question “Who do you say that I am?”  My Pastor, and I’m sure many of yours, used this Gospel reading, and this question in particular,…

SVdP USA National President John Berry Urges Congress to Protect Medicaid and SNAP 1080 1350 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

SVdP USA National President John Berry Urges Congress to Protect Medicaid and SNAP

SVdP USA National President John Berry Urges Congress to Protect Medicaid and SNAP As Congress tries to pass the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, my fellow Vincentians and I are deeply troubled that some members of Congress see the bill as a hammer and our social safety net as the nail. While the Senate…

06-26-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

06-26-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

Mentoring When I think of mentoring, several people come to mind depending on the stage of life I am reflecting on. Did I recognize at the time their impact on my life? Not often. Did I ever see myself moving into the role of mentor? No, and “What would I have to offer?” was typically…

St. Vincent de Paul’s House in a Box Unpacks Healing 2560 1920 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

St. Vincent de Paul’s House in a Box Unpacks Healing

St. Vincent de Paul’s House in a Box™ Unpacks Healing Walking amid the ashes and ruins of the wildfires in January, Ana Gonzalez could feel the anguish of families who were now homeless. Gonzalez, with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, was there to offer comfort, hope, and something else. For 20 years, the…

A Prescription for Hope in SVdP Pharmacies 2560 1707 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

A Prescription for Hope in SVdP Pharmacies

A Prescription for Hope: How SVdP’s Pharmacies Change Lives One Pill at a Time Every day, Society of St. Vincent de Paul pharmacist Kellie Elisar sees the fallout of a broken system: Patients who can’t afford insulin, seniors choosing between blood pressure medication and groceries, grieving spouses who can’t pay for prescriptions. “I find some…

John Berry
06-19-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

06-19-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

Finding Hope in God’s Unexpected Gifts Two weeks ago, in my Servant Leader column, I wrote about the temptation of doing too much and the need to avoid falling into the trap of trying to save the world, while only  hurting yourself. That column received a lot of comments on the National website, and people…

Michael Acaldo
6-12-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

6-12-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

Vincentian Friendship – A Priceless Gift Photo: A picture of Vincentian Friendship! From left to right, Rosie Martina, long-time Vincentian, Denise Terrance, SVDP Baton Rouge Director of Food Services, and Michael Acaldo pose for a quick photo in September of 2024 at the SVDP Charitable Campus in Baton Rouge. Through 36 years of my Vincentian…

John Berry
06-05-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

06-05-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

“It is a ruse of the devil, by which he deceives good people, to induce them to do more than they are able, so that they end up not being able to do anything. The spirit of God urges one gently to do the good that can reasonably be done, so that it may be…

Michael Acaldo
05-29-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

05-29-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

Inspiration and Innovation: Living Our Vincentian Charism in Today’s World “What the world needs now is love, sweet love — it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of…”  This 1965 hit from Jackie DeShannon sums up the world’s deep need for Vincentian love — now more than ever. Where did I get the…

Second Chances: SVdP Hosts Senate Event on Re-entry Solutions 2560 1920 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

Second Chances: SVdP Hosts Senate Event on Re-entry Solutions

Second Chances: SVdP Hosts Senate Event on Re-entry Solutions Phil Conley didn’t grow up expecting to speak in the halls of the U.S. Senate. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, he lost his father at a young age and saw violence, drugs, and incarceration shape nearly every aspect of life around him. “The only…

SVdP Bridges Access to Reemployment in Iowa through Back2Work Programs 2560 1936 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

SVdP Bridges Access to Reemployment in Iowa through Back2Work Programs

SVdP Bridges Access to Reemployment in Iowa through Back2Work Programs In 2017, two years into his tenure as CEO of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) in Des Moines, Iowa, Steve Havemann had an eye-opening realization: 34% of the people being served by SVdP Des Moines had been incarcerated at some point in…

05-22-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • SVdP USA

05-22-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

Embracing the Call to Servant Leadership With just over four months left in our fiscal year, many presidents are approaching the end of their terms. Some feel relieved and are looking forward to transitioning into a mentoring role. For others, however, it brings mounting anxiety as they struggle to find someone willing to step into…

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