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12-05-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • Jill Pioter

12-05-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

My dear Vincentian Brothers and Sisters, As we enter this sacred season of Advent and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, we are reminded that this is a time of joy, love, and celebration. Yet, for many among us, the holiday season can also be a time of profound difficulty and pain. It…

Contemplation: Be Quite Cheerful 800 800 SVDP USA
  • Kristen Blacksher

Contemplation: Be Quite Cheerful

By Timothy Williams, Senior Director of Formation and Leadership Development  The Lord loves a cheerful giver, we are taught, and yet, when a friend needs a favor that seems inconvenient, when a call to the Conference helpline disrupts our plans for the evening, or whenever the needs of others call us to give not only…

Contemplation: Keep Your Heart Ready 800 800 SVDP USA
  • Kristen Blacksher

Contemplation: Keep Your Heart Ready

By Timothy Williams, Senior Director of Formation and Leadership Development  When driving on a long trip, we can easily let our minds become distracted by the radio, a phone call, or just our own thoughts and worries, causing us to miss a turn or an exit. We suddenly find ourselves in an unfamiliar place, wondering…

11-27-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • Jill Pioter

11-27-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

The Beautiful Exchange In early 1997, I was in the final stages of my reconciliation with the Catholic Church, a process that had begun in earnest eight years earlier and which would be consummated at the Easter Vigil that year. During those months, I had a spiritual director, a Carmelite hermit named Fr. John of…

11-21-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • Jill Pioter

11-21-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

“God knows the sufferings of his children because he is an attentive and caring father. As a father, he takes care of those who are most in need: the poor, the marginalized, the suffering and the forgotten. No one is excluded from his heart, for in his eyes, we are all poor and needy.” –…

Contemplation: When Will That Day Come? 800 800 SVDP USA
  • Kristen Blacksher

Contemplation: When Will That Day Come?

By Timothy Williams, Senior Director of Formation and Leadership Development  “When I am formed,” a teenaged Frédéric lamented, having been assured by his spiritual director that his many doubts would be eased at that time, “When will that day come?” [13, to Materne, 1830] He might as well have asked when the Grand Canyon would…

11-14-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • Jill Pioter

11-14-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

Thankful for You! As Thanksgiving approaches, our Vincentian family has so much to be thankful for. This time of thankfulness is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to do an inventory of the blessings in our lives. Recognizing all of our blessings assures us of God’s love for ourselves and the important work we…

Contemplation: To Be Vincentian 800 800 SVDP USA
  • Kristen Blacksher

Contemplation: To Be Vincentian

By Timothy Williams, Senior Director of Formation and Leadership Development  “A Conference meeting” the Rule instructs, “shall incorporate Spirituality, Friendship, [and] Service” [Rule, Part II, Statute 7]. These three, of course, are the Essential Elements of the Society, and importantly, we are expected not to incorporate or highlight only one of them, but all three.…

11-07-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • Jill Pioter

11-07-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

The other day, I was speaking to one of our Vincentians and she asked me, “Hey, what ever happened to VisionSVdP?” I must say I was a little taken aback by the question, and I asked her why she was asking. I told her that VisionSVdP was going full speed ahead and that we were…

Contemplation: A Boundless Reserve 800 800 SVDP USA
  • Kristen Blacksher

Contemplation: A Boundless Reserve

By Timothy Williams, Senior Director of Formation and Leadership Development  “Money,” our Rule tells us, “must not be hoarded.” [Rule, Part I, 3.14] Members of the Society have always understood this to mean that every dollar we have is meant to serve the needs before us today; we do not save up for a rainy…

10-31-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA
  • Jill Pioter

10-31-24 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders

BOO! I am your scariest trick-or-treater! Yes, I’ve been told that I have a face for radio. It’s that time of year, and today’s the day that we’re going to see the little gremlins coming to our door, yelling “trick or treat.” I can’t wait for it to get started. Much like our upcoming elections,…

Contemplation: Our Vincentian Hearts 800 800 SVDP USA
  • Kristen Blacksher

Contemplation: Our Vincentian Hearts

By Timothy Williams, Senior Director of Formation and Leadership Development  In his encyclical, Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis focuses on the importance of the heart to the practice of our faith; not merely the physical, biological heart, but the heart which is the core of our being, the union of body and spirit. Not surprisingly, he…

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