Posts By :

Jill Pioter

  • No Comments
  • No Likes

Society of St. Vincent de Paul Gathers for Annual Midyear Meeting
Society of St. Vincent de Paul Gathers for Annual Midyear Meeting 2560 1702 SVDP USA

The National Council of the United States, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, will host its annual Midyear Business Meeting, March 16 – 18, 2022 at the Hilton at the Ballpark in St. Louis, Missouri.

About 200 Vincentian leaders and volunteers from across the country are expected to attend the event. The agenda is packed with education, spirituality, and best practice information about the Society’s work helping neighbors in need across the country.

Highlights of this year’s meeting include workshops on the Society’s recent work in the areas of safeguarding those we serve; growth & revitalization of the Society; and standards of excellence for local St. Vincent de Paul Conferences and Councils.

On Friday, March 17, Bishop John Quinn, recently retired as bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, will lead a spiritual retreat reflecting on the power of the Sacred Scriptures to transform our everyday and ordinary lives and relationships into moments of grace and encounter with God. That afternoon, attendees will gather at the Old Cathedral in downtown St. Louis for a Recommitment Ceremony and Mass.

“With more than 200 of our leaders from across the country convening in St. Louis,” says National CEO Dave Barringer, “we can focus together on what must be done as our members help so many families in need facing inflationary pressures, higher costs for rent and utilities, and other post-pandemic challenges.”

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is the world’s largest Catholic lay organization, with nearly 90,000 members serving in more than 4,400 parishes across the country. The National Council of the United States is headquartered in Maryland Heights, MO. Originally founded in Paris in 1833, the Society’s roots in the United States trace back to 1845, when the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul was established at St. Louis’ Old Cathedral.

For more information on the event, or to register, contact Manager of National Events Michele Schurk at (314) 576-3993 or mschurk@svdpusa.org.

  • 2 Comments
  • No Likes

Black History Month: Good Trouble
Black History Month: Good Trouble 90 135 SVDP USA

Written by: Fr. Perry Henry, C.M. Provincial

Black History Month is the annual celebration of the achievements and essential role African American individuals and communities have played throughout the history of our nation. It traces its origin to “Negro History Week” the brainchild of the noted black historian Carter G. Woodson in the early 20th century. In 1926 the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, an organization dedicated to researching and promoting achievements by Black Americans and other people of African descent sponsored a national Negro History week, choosing the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The event inspired schools and communities throughout the country to organize local celebrations, establish history clubs and host performances and lectures.

Since then, the month of February has been set aside to remember, lift up, and celebrate the many achievements of African Americans throughout our nation’s history — much of which, sadly, has gone without notice in official telling of the story of our country. It is an inspiring and affirming story of faith and courage, resilience, and resistance.

The theme given to this year’s Black History Month is ‘Black Resistance’, inviting us to examine how African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression. In setting the theme for this year’s celebration the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) asserted that ‘By resisting, Black people have achieved triumphs, successes, and progress as seen in the end of chattel slavery, dismantling of Jim Crow segregation in the South, increased political representation at all levels of government, desegregation of educational institutions, the passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964, and in recent years the opening of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History in Washington, DC. Black resistance strategies have served as a model for every other social movement in the country, thus, the legacy and importance of these actions cannot be understated.’

This month I was honored and delighted to address the young people of my home parish of Our Mother of Mercy Church in the city of Beaumont in east Texas for their annual Black History Month celebration. I am the first and only African American priest ordained from the parish since its establishment as a mission church in 1927 and a full parish in 1937. The parish was established to serve the rapidly growing black catholic community, many of whom migrated from southern Louisiana, into the black subdivision of the city of Beaumont called the Pear Orchard.

I shared with them my own story of growing up in that same racially divided city where the Southern Pacific railroad tracks clearly defined the boundaries between black and white neighborhoods. The black community on the southern side of the track where I lived — with our own schools, churches, businesses, medical clinics, community organizations, and cemeteries — provided a safe, affirming, and nurturing environment for its residents. I also shared with them my own story of the discomfort and insecurity I felt deep inside on those occasions when as a youth I had to cross those tracks for routines as simple as picking up grocery items at the supermarket on the other side of the track. On those occasions I was always aware that I was moving into a space where I might not be safe or accepted.

Our community in the Pear Orchard provided that safe, affirming, and nurturing space for those of us who lived there. It also served as a space of resistance to push back against the forces of racial indignity, discrimination and injustice that pressed against blacks.

Since my childhood in the Pear Orchard our nation has made many advances in racial equality and justice, but the task isn’t completed. In setting the theme of ‘Black Resistance’ for this year, the ASALH acknowledged that for Black Americans “…every advance, improvement in our quality of life and access to the levers of power to determine our destiny has been achieved through struggle.” And our society continues to struggle to resist old and new racial challenges. I concluded my address to them by recalling the words of ex-congressman and civil rights activist, John Lewis, “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not a struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year; it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”

As we celebrate Black History Month this year, let us recommit ourselves to that noble struggle by getting into good trouble.

  • No Comments
  • No Likes

Winter 2023 Serving in Hope Newsletter Now Out
Winter 2023 Serving in Hope Newsletter Now Out 2141 2827 SVDP USA

The latest edition of our Serving in Hope Newsletter is now available!

Serving in Hope shares stories of how the Society of St. Vincent de Paul changes lives across the country. This issue’s cover story features Kelly, a survivor of Hurricane Ian, who was helped by Disaster Services Corporation, thanks to donations to our Annual Disaster Appeal. We also bring you the story of an SVdP Conference in Illinois who used two Friends of the Poor Grants from the National Council to bring life-changing aid to neighbors in need in their community. And you’ll meet a donor who wanted to support a Catholic nonprofit, and found the right blend of faith and service in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Serving in Hope is published quarterly and sent to all donors of the National Council. If you haven’t received your copy yet, click here to read Serving in Hope

  • 1 Comment
  • No Likes

1-19-2023 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
1-19-2023 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 900 900 SVDP USA

Dear Vincentian Friends,

September 30th is a long way away. That is when my six-year term as National Council President ends and someone else steps into the office. Last Friday we learned who that will be. The National Council Election Committee counted the 107 ballots submitted by your Council representatives and informed the Board of Directors that on October 1st, John Berry will become the 14th President of the National Council of the United States.

The election process began last summer with the nomination of four highly qualified candidates. In September at our National Assembly, the field was narrowed to Brian Burgess and John Berry. For the past several months, all members of the Society had the opportunity to cast a ballot for the candidate of their choice. Just as our founders did when they chose Jules Gossin to succeed Emmanuel Bailly, we prayed during those months that the Holy Spirit would direct our discernment. We trust that God’s providence has supplied the leadership we need for the future of our Society in the United States.

An eight-month transition period may seem long, but there’s much to accomplish during this time. In the months to come, I will be working with our current Board to continue the work we have been doing for the past five years, while John will have time to evaluate the organization’s needs and recruit new officers and board and committee members. It is important for him to have this time to put together a new team of servant leaders that is diverse, talented, and representative of the members of our Councils and Conferences across the country.

In 1844, after the Society’s first President, Emmanuel Bailly, resigned, Frederic Ozanam described the qualities he thought the next President should have. Frederic wrote: “He must have the habit of devotion, the spirit of true fraternity, the experience of good works; he must join the zeal which founds with the prudence which preserves; he must be able to maintain the Society in the paths of simplicity and prudent liberty along which God has led it.”

I have known John Berry for many years, and I am confident that you will find him to be that servant leader Frederic Ozanam described. Please join me in asking the Holy Spirit to guide John as he prepares to take office.

Serviens in spe,
Ralph Middlecamp
National Council President

  • 1 Comment
  • No Likes

Contemplation: The Heart of the Matter
Contemplation: The Heart of the Matter 1080 1080 SVDP USA

There are times when the demands of serving the neighbor can weigh heavily on us, sometimes because there are so many calls to answer, and sometimes because our efforts often seem to be in vain; the poor remain poor, the struggling continue to struggle. We are called to serve in hope, but how do we raise our own spirits? How do we return to what Bl. Frédéric called “the rays of charity which at the beginning came sometimes to illuminate and warm our souls”? [Letter 90, to Curnier, 1835]

Our own physical rest and health, of course, is not only for our own benefit. As St. Vincent once explained to St. Louise in telling her to get some rest, “Increase your strength; you need it, or, in any case, the public does.” [CCD I:392] And as our Rule reminds us, “Vincentians are available for work in the Conferences only after fulfilling the family and professional duties.” [Rule, Part I, 2.6]

Resting our bodies is often enough to restore our energy, but not necessarily our zeal when we feel weighed down by the feeling that our work is not accomplishing enough; when the neighbor continues to struggle, no matter how much we help. It is at these times that it becomes most important to reflect deeply upon the nature of our works, and the purpose of our Society.

We are not the Society of Rental Assistance or Food Pantries. We serve in hope not only of offering some material relief, we serve in the hope of eternal life in Christ, and we visit the neighbor to share that hope through our friendship, our prayer, and our love.

In the history and traditions of the Society, and of the whole Vincentian Family, our visits have been not only to the poor in their homes, but to hospitals and prisons. As Chaplain of the Galleys, St. Vincent de Paul brought prayer, and hope, and the love of God to thousands of prisoners without freeing a single one. For the rest of his life, he could hardly speak about the galley prisoners without weeping.

The emotional burden we carry with us from sharing our neighbor’s suffering is part of our expression of love, and we can take great solace in knowing that we truly lighten their burdens by sharing them. And just as we share the neighbor’s burden, we pray that the neighbor may share our hope. We visit to show them that God has not forgotten them; that they too may share in the hope of everlasting life.

Knowing this hope in our own hearts, serving in His name and for His sake, may our hearts not be burned out, but on fire, and our souls “in a continuous state of joy and happiness”. [SWLM, A.14b]

Contemplate

Do I always seek first to offer the suffering of the neighbor to God, and the love of God to the neighbor?

Recommended Reading

The Spirituality of the Home Visit

  • No Comments
  • No Likes

SVdP Announces New Episodes of Our Faith in Action on EWTN
SVdP Announces New Episodes of Our Faith in Action on EWTN 1080 1080 SVDP USA

“Our Faith in Action: Today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul” will release its final five episodes with a special weeklong event on EWTN Global Catholic Network. From February 6 – 10, one new episode will air each day at 5:30 PM EASTERN / 4:30 PM CENTRAL.

The series follows SVdP members, known as Vincentians, on their spiritual growth journey through service to people and families in need. From the Society’s traditional Home Visits (where we bring friendship and aid to neighbors in need), food pantries, and assistance with rent and utilities, to innovative health care, financial and mentoring programs, Vincentians see the face of Christ in those we serve.

In this series, Vincentians volunteer across the country to bring effective, personalized help to people in poverty and share their stories of Christ’s love along the way.

“We are proud to share Our Faith in Action. It’s been a real labor of love and collaboration between our National Council and local groups across the country,” said SVdP National President Ralph Middlecamp. “We hope that when viewers see what Vincentians do in their communities through these shows, they will want to put their own faith into action and come join us!”

The one-week event of Our Faith in Action: Today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul will air daily on EWTN cable channels from February 6 – 10 at 5:30 PM EASTERN / 4:30 PM CENTRAL. Each episode will re-air the following morning at 2:30 AM EASTERN / 1:30 AM CENTRAL. Click here to find the EWTN channel in your zip code. Click here to view the program schedule, and click here to watch live.

Episode Descriptions

  • Episode 16: The Next Generation of Hope
    In this episode, join Vincentians in Rockville Centre, Louisville, and Austin as Young Adult Vincentians share their love of the Society with those in need, offer a one-stop shop for assistance, and visit a neighbor in need.
    (Rockville Centre, Louisville, Austin)
  • Episode 17: Heirlooms and Home Visits
    Episode 17, titled “Heirlooms and Home Visits,” travels to Minneapolis and Atlanta. We follow along as Vincentians use religious artifacts to support their work helping neighbors in need, and bring friendship and help along on a Home Visit, one of the hallmarks of the Society’s work.
    (Minneapolis, Atlanta)
  • Episode 18: Recycling and Revamping Homes
    In this episode, Vincentians in Austin, Fort Wayne, and Lane County Oregon walk alongside a neighbor in need as she navigates a new path, use their carpentry skills to help rebuild lives, and utilize recycling to create jobs, reduce waste, and better their community.
    (Austin, Fort Wayne, Lane County)
  • Episode 19: Helping Friends in Need Find Success
    Follow as Vincentians offer refuge via a housing program, help men transitioning out of incarceration, and support those in need in the Latinx community.
    (Louisville, Rockville Centre, Seattle)
  • Episode 20: Building Faith in People of All Ages
    Help Behind Bars” visits Wilmington and Minneapolis, where Vincentians serve their communities by offering support to incarcerated women and providing assistance via Home Visits, a hallmark of the Society’s work.
    (Wilmington, Minneapolis)

Five additional episodes of Our Faith in Action: Today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul aired last November; you can catch up with them here!

Click here to download bulletin announcements, for use in your parish bulletin or Conference Facebook page.

  • 2 Comments
  • No Likes

11-17-22 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
11-17-22 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 900 900 SVDP USA

Television watchers are used to mid-season breaks, long gaps between seasons, and mid-season replacements that all make it difficult to get into a viewing routine for their favorite shows. I’m not sure if the DVR was the answer, or part of the cause, for this programming chaos! Add in a pandemic that severely affected production schedules, and it’s no wonder that the Society’s very own TV show got delayed for its second season. But we are back!

When Season Two of “Our Faith In Action: Today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul” (or as we lovingly refer to it, OFIA) finally airs this month on the EWTN cable network, it will have been more than three years since our last broadcast. Our Society’s production team of the Orlando Council’s Trace Trylko, independent videographers and hosts, and National staff couldn’t travel during the pandemic, and local services schedules were also thrown out of whack. Fortunately as the show illustrates, the Vincentian services continued during the entire period, even with sometimes significant COVID adaptations.

Set your DVRs or watch live during the week of November 28, daily Monday through Friday at 5:30 PM Eastern / 4:30 PM Central to see five new episodes of OFIA on EWTN. (With as always, programming subject to change.) Another five episodes will air later; at this time we expect this in February. That’s correct, we will air during the week of Giving Tuesday and for some people, the start of the holiday volunteer and giving season. We thank EWTN for this special opportunity – we can’t ask for funds during the broadcasts, but we really appreciate the exposure of our works nationwide to the EWTN viewers, potential material and financial donors, members, and volunteers!

Each episode features SVdP works in at least three different U.S. cities, told from the perspective of our members, their work and commitment, and how they see the Face of Christ in the people they serve. We will feature Home Visits, food pantries, systemic change classes, health programs, workforce development, and so much more that is testament to the variety of Society work as it is most needed in each local community. We also feature local clergy who extoll the works of the Society in their neighborhoods. We could not get to every community, but while you may not see your Council, you will more than likely see your work! Overall for Season Two we travelled to more than 30 locations.

You might also see a sampler of work that your Council or Conference might consider as a new practice, or best practice, for the future. Being creative unto infinity, our Conferences tweak program elements to fit their local needs, so there is always a different approach we can learn from each other.

Please consider watching the 30-minute shows as a Conference, either “live” or recorded. Have a viewing party! Consider using the shows, or parts of them, in your local promotional efforts. Our National office can help you get the clips you need, and the shows will all be on our website for sharing once EWTN airs them twice. The Society owns all of the content except for the EWTN commercials, so everything you see on the show is available to you!

Please help us to advertise the broadcasts this month. Include OFIA mentions in your parish bulletins and other Church and community communications. The National Council will have a broad social media presence to highlight the shows, but please help us to share the postings where you can. We want this great display of Vincentian services to be in front of as many viewers as possible – we are humble, yet proud of what we do for our friends in need. Also, one can’t help but want to join us when you see the hearts of our Vincentians in their work with neighbors. As the Society rebuilds our membership post-pandemic, the OFIA shows can be a great tool to introduce the Society’s charism and works to potential members in the comfort of their living rooms.

As Thanksgiving approaches just before the OFIA airings, I’m thankful as the show’s executive producer for the opportunity to work with so many in our Society to have this second season finally get on the air. Our Vincentian story is so big and so very beneficial that it deserves this broadcast spotlight. I’m thankful for all the Councils and Conferences that took part in our production for sharing their works and their heartfelt experiences of what it means to be a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. None of what you will see on the shows is scripted. In these days of often fake reality television, the “Our Faith In Action” experiences may be the more genuine human experiences as Vincentians demonstrate God’s love on camera. I pray that you will view these special programs and share them with others.

Yours in Christ,
Dave Barringer
CEO

  • 2 Comments
  • No Likes

Our Faith in Action Returns for Second Season
Our Faith in Action Returns for Second Season 1080 1080 SVDP USA

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is excited to announce the premiere of season 2 of “Our Faith in Action: Today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul” with a special one-week event on EWTN Global Catholic Network beginning on November 28 at 5:30 PM Eastern/4:30 PM Central. Five episodes will air over five nights.

The series follows SVdP members, known as Vincentians, on their spiritual growth journey through service to people and families in need. From the Society’s traditional Home Visits (where we bring friendship and aid to neighbors in need), food pantries, and assistance with rent and utilities, to innovative health care, financial and mentoring programs, Vincentians see the face of Christ in those we serve.

In this series, Vincentians volunteer across the country to bring effective, personalized help to people in poverty and share their stories of Christ’s love along the way.

“We are very excited for the premiere of season 2 of Our Faith in Action. Creating this show has been a labor of love and collaboration between the National Council and our Councils and Conferences across the country,” said SVdP National President Ralph Middlecamp. “We hope that in seeing the work being done by their Vincentian brothers and sisters, individuals will find inspiration to put their own faith into action and join the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in their communities.”

The one-week event of Our Faith in Action: Today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul will air daily on EWTN cable channels from November 28 – December 2 at 5:30 PM Eastern/4:30 PM Central. Click here to find the EWTN channel in your zip code. Click here to view the program schedule.

Episode Descriptions

  • Episode 11: Finding New Beginnings
    In this episode, join Vincentians as they prepare kids for the upcoming school year, offer returning citizens a new career path, and work to shrink barriers for friends in need through the Bridges to HOPE program. Tune in to learn how Vincentians put their faith in action every day across the country.
    (Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit)
  • Episode 12: Feeding Minds and Bellies
    In this episode, join Vincentians as they tutor children in need, help feed their neighbors in need at a food pantry, and offer scholarships and mentorship to promising high school students. Tune in to learn how Vincentians put their faith in action every day across the country.
    (Orlando, Madison, Phoenix)
  • Episode 13: Homelessness and Home Visits
    In this episode, learn how thrift store shoppers can find affordable hidden treasures, and join Vincentians as they take on homelessness in one of the country’s biggest cities and visit with a neighbor in need. Tune in to learn how Vincentians put their faith in action every day across the country.
    (St. Louis, Los Angeles, Huntsville)
  • Episode 14: Helping Friends in Need Find Success
    In this episode, Vincentians offer bilingual services to help friends in need build a new life, a Family Success Center supports struggling families, and those targeted by predatory lending are helped by the Society. Tune in to learn how Vincentians put their faith in action every day across the country.
    (Seattle, Louisville, Austin)
  • Episode 15: Building Faith in People of All Ages
    In this episode, Vincentians put their woodworking skills to good use to help neighbors in need, while others make sure no food goes to waste, and Vincentians build a home for the homeless youth in their community. Tune in to learn how Vincentians put their faith in action every day across the country.
    (Fort Wayne, Atlanta, Lane County)

Five additional episodes of Our Faith in Action: Today’s Society of St. Vincent de Paul will air on EWTN in early 2023. Stay tuned for airtimes and dates! In the meantime, catch up on Season 1 here.

Click here to download bulletin announcements, for use in your parish bulletin or Conference Facebook page.

  • 1 Comment
  • 1 Like

Contemplation: Falling Forward
Contemplation: Falling Forward 940 788 SVDP USA

There is a commonly used exercise in corporate training events called a “trust fall.” In it, one person stands with his back to the others, with arms crossed and eyes closed, then simply falls backward from a platform, trusting his team members to catch him. The point is not to overcome a fear of falling, but to build trust that you will be caught before crashing to the floor.

In a similar way, St. Vincent teaches us to “abandon all that we love to Him by abandoning ourselves to all that He wishes, with perfect confidence that everything will turn out for the best.” [CCD VIII:298] To abandon all that we love seems to be a very demanding call, but it is the same one to which Christ calls us.

As Vincentians, we are called to abandon ourselves to His will by hearing the cry of the poor whose calls often interrupt us, demanding that we abandon our plans for that evening, or our precious free day, or an activity we enjoy, in order to serve Christ in their persons.

Indeed, we are called to share not only our time, but our talents, our possessions, and ourselves. [Rule, Part I, 2.5.1] You might even say that we are called to share, to abandon, “all that we love” to God in the person of His poor. Sometimes, we pat ourselves on the back too quickly when we pay the bill, and sometimes we wallow in regret too deeply when our whole Conference treasury is not enough.

But the Home Visit is not a math problem – it is an encounter with Christ, and an opportunity to imitate Christ. We don’t know, before the visit, whether we have the means to meet the material needs that will be presented to us. All that we know is that Christ is calling, and we must answer – it is the call, and the will, of God. So, if we begin our works of charity with the understanding that we are doing God’s will, then we must accept that the outcome of those works also will be His will.

We serve not with resentment for what we have given up, nor with regret that we haven’t been given enough, but with the joy of knowing that we are serving Christ exactly as he asked us to do, with exactly the gifts we have been given to share.

We serve in hope not that the light bill will be paid, but in the hope of eternal union with Christ and with the neighbor, trusting that the gifts we have been given are enough. We serve in hope, we serve in faith, and we serve in love.

We don’t fall backward, but forward, our hearts and our eyes open, and our arms spread wide. Our whole vocation is a “trust exercise” – trust in Providence.

Contemplate

Do I sometimes place more trust in myself than in Divine Providence?

Recommended Reading

Faces of Holiness

  • No Comments
  • No Likes

A Week in Prayers: September 26 – 30
A Week in Prayers: September 26 – 30 940 788 SVDP USA

Monday, September 26

Lord, I thank You
For the gifts You have given me
For all that I have
And all that I am
Given to be shared
Amen

Tuesday, September 27

Pray for us, St Vincent de Paul
That we may love God as You did
With the strength of our arms
And the sweat of our brows
Never hesitating to do the hard work

Pray for us, St Vincent de Paul
That we may always be gentle
With the neighbors we serve
Offering our smiles and good cheer
For in them we see and serve Christ

Pray for us, St Vincent de Paul
Amen

Wednesday, September 28

Lord Jesus, lead me
Away from worldly distractions
That tug at my sleeve
Or stand in my way,
Diverting my attention
From the kingdom.
Lead me, Lord Jesus,
I seek to follow.
Amen

Thursday, September 29

Lord, in Your name
I will seek out and find
The poor and the suffering
Lord, for Your sake
I will give my time, my talents,
My possessions, and myself
Lord, by Your grace
I will be a humble servant
And cheerful giver
Lord, with Your love
I will be filled
Even as I share it
Amen

Friday, September 30

Thank You, Lord,
For all that I am,
For the gifts I do not deserve,
Given by You
To be shared with all.
I will empty myself,
My Lord,
To be filled with Your light
And Your love,
Only to share that, too.
Amen
Daily Prayers are written by Tim Williams, National Vincentian Formation Director.
Enter your
text here