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Jill Pioter

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SVdP Director of Formation Published in Vincentian Heritage Journal
SVdP Director of Formation Published in Vincentian Heritage Journal 1200 628 SVDP USA

National Director of Formation Tim Williams is a featured author in the latest e-book edition of Vincentian Heritage.

Titled “2020 and Beyond: DePaul University’s Community Responds to Crises,” the edition focuses on the watershed issues faced by the United States in 2020, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and a highly divisive presidential campaign.

The issue features 14 perspectives on the Vincentian response to the crises that enveloped us in 2020, whose effects can still be felt today. Tim’s piece, titled “Learning Not to Despair of Our Own Age”: The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in This Time of Pandemic”, tells of how the Society used 2020 as a time of reflection and re-imagination, looking back on the Society’s past to inspire its future.

Article Abstract

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul marked the 175th anniversary of its founding in the United States. The Society’s usual works are described. Timothy Williams explains how the organization adapted to continue them during the pandemic, and particularly how it substituted for the home visits that have been the Society’s signature work since its founding. The Vincentian Family and the Society were created in times of political strife, widespread illness, and economic catastrophe, so the words and actions of their founders can inspire and comfort us now. The Society took special action in response to George Floyd’s murder. As Williams writes, “Our response began with self-examination, grounded in our spirituality and in our obligations to each other as Christians. To understand the faults we perceive in society, we must have the humility to examine and accept our own faults.” A webinar series allowed members to share their stories related to social issues, such as economic discrimination, crime, and violence. After the webinars, paired groups of members of different races shared more of their experiences. This strengthened their understanding of each other and equipped them to better serve their neighbors.

Read the Article

Click here to read Tim’s article, or click here to find the entire issue of Vincentian Heritage.

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Meet Us in St. Louis for the 2022 Midyear Meeting!
Meet Us in St. Louis for the 2022 Midyear Meeting! 750 450 SVDP USA

Meet us in St. Louis the for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s 2022 Midyear Business Meeting, March 16 – 19, 2022 at the Hilton at the Ballpark in St. Louis, Missouri! The agenda is packed with education, spirituality, and informative information about the Society and helping those in need.

Highlights include: Spiritual Retreat, Committee Meetings, Regional Meetings, and our Midyear Business Meeting. We look forward to seeing you in St. Louis!

Registration Information

  • Registration Fee: $300 per person thru March 1
  • Late Registration Fee: $325 after March 1
  • One Day Attendance (Regional, Formation, Stores, etc.): $150 per person, per day
  • Spouse/Guest Attendee: $150 per person (includes meals & social functions)
  • Register Now

Hotel Information

Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark
(314)421-17761

The Hilton Ballpark room rate for Midyear is $147.00. Room rate cut-off date is February 21, 2022.

Reserve Now. If you need assistance, please contact Michele Schurk

Meeting Agenda

Wednesday, March 16
  • 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM          Morning Mass Available Daily at Old Cathedral (On Your Own)
  • 3:15 PM – 5:15 PM             Governance Committee Meeting
  • 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM           Afternoon Hospitality – Exhibitor Showcase
  • 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM          Registration & Exhibitor Tables Open – Grand/Archview Foyer
Thursday, March 17
  • 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM          Registration & Exhibitor Tables Open
  • 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
    • National Board of Directors Meeting
    • Stores Committee Meeting with Executive Directors
    • Formation Committee Meeting
    • Hispanic Latino Task Force
    • Housing Task Force
    • Reentry Task Force
  • 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM          Vincentian Group Lunch
  • 1:15 PM – 2:15 PM              Opening Session with President Ralph Middlecamp
  • 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM            Regional Meetings
  • 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
    • Growth & Revitalization Committee
    • Voice of the Poor Committee
    • Executive Directors Meeting
  • 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM            Welcome Reception (Cash Bar) – Grand Foyer
Friday, March 18
  • 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM           Registration & Exhibitor Tables Open – Grand/Archview Foyer
  • 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM         Spiritual Retreat – Tim Williams
  • 10:15 AM – 11:15 AM          Keynote Address – Grand Ballroom
  • 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
    • Vincentian Group Lunch
    • Youth Committee (Working Lunch)
  • 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM             National Business Meeting (Part I) – Grand Ballroom
  • 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM             Vincentian Mass & Recommitment Ceremony – Old Cathedral
  • 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM            Enjoy dinner on your own (Opportunity for Regional Dinners)
Saturday, March 19
  • 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM           National Business Meeting (Part II) – Grand Ballroom
  • 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM            Vincentian Group Lunch – Archview Ballroom
  • 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM             Vigil Mass Available at Old Cathedral (On Your Own)

Daily Mass

Daily Mass will be offered at the Old Cathedral at 7:00 AM
Additional Information

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Contemplation: Thy Will Be Done
Contemplation: Thy Will Be Done 940 788 SVDP USA

We often use the word “discernment” simply as a synonym for decision-making, with an added sense of prayerful consideration. While this captures part of the meaning, discernment could also be considered the opposite of decision-making. When we discern, we seek not our best option between two choices, but true insight into God’s will in the situation. But how can we do that?

A friend of mine once asked a fellow Vincentian who was explaining the constraints of his Conference guidelines, “Is that how you will explain it to St. Peter?”

Discernment, he was suggesting, isn’t so much the actual decision, but the process by which we arrive at it. In this, he echoed St. Ignatius of Loyola, who argued in the Spiritual Exercises that to make the best choice, we should always “consider what procedure and norm of action I would wish to have followed in making the present choice if I were at the moment of death.”

In other words, while the decision itself is important, how we go about making it is even more important. Recall St. Vincent’s teaching that “God does not consider the outcome of the good work undertaken but the charity that accompanied it.” [CCD I:205] How, then, can I share the love of God (charity)? How can I do God’s will, not mine? In this way, all choices become a single choice; a choice by which we are called to live our whole lives.

Father Hugh O’Donnell’s definition of Vincentian Discernment cuts to the heart of it: “Discernment is a prayer-filled process through which each of us can discover the difference between what is my will and what is God’s Will.”

At the heart of it, discernment is meant to lead us to the discovery of God’s plan – for us, for our lives, and for our Vincentian organizations. To help us, we often follow the process that Fr. O’Donnell explained, which begins with what St. Vincent called “unrestricted readiness.”

In unrestricted readiness, we set aside our anxieties about whether we are right, how we will convince others, or even about how things will turn out. Instead, we enter into discernment with both our minds and our hearts wide open to accepting God’s will.

Simple decision-making is about closing off all choices but one. Discernment is about opening ourselves to the one true choice.

Contemplate

Do I sometimes let my own biases or pride blind me to God’s will for me and for my Conference?

Recommended Reading

Vincentian Discernment and Apostolic Reflection by Rev. Hugh O’Donnell, CM

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St. Vincent de Paul Dental Clinics Transform More Than Just Smiles
St. Vincent de Paul Dental Clinics Transform More Than Just Smiles 697 590 SVDP USA

Various St. Vincent de Paul Conferences across the U.S. are home to dental clinics providing quality dental services to those in need. And while those served have a big reason to smile, so do the volunteers and staff who make it all happen.

Here’s the story of one dental staff member at SVdP Phoenix’s Virginia G. Piper Dental Clinic. The video follows Betty, an SVdP dental assistant who was born in Mexico and came to the United States as a young child. She’s faced insurmountable obstacles in her life, but with help from the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, she’s been able to accomplish a great deal — and is about to take another big step towards achieving her dreams.

To learn more about the SVdP dental clinic in Phoenix, visit their website.

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Current SVdP Leaders Take Inspiration From the Past in Newly Published Articles
Current SVdP Leaders Take Inspiration From the Past in Newly Published Articles 1344 1792 SVDP USA

Two articles by current SVdP leaders look back at the Society’s roots, in the latest issue of De Paul University’s Vincentian Heritage Journal. National Director of Formation Tim Williams shares with us two new articles by Ray Sickinger, Ph.D., and Ralph Middlecamp.

François Lallier, Friend of Frédéric, Co-Founder of the Society

As a young law student at the Sorbonne, François Lallier noticed another student speaking out boldly in class, defending the Church against attacks on it by professors and fellow students. After class one day, he saw this young man outside, at the center of a group who were listening to him intently. Lallier took this opportunity to introduce himself to Frédéric Ozanam, and that, to paraphrase the closing line of Casablanca, was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Lallier, along with Ozanam, four other students, and Emmanuel Bailly, would together found the Society of St. Vincent de Paul just a few short years after this meeting, but their friendship would continue undimmed for the rest of Frédéric’s short life.

In an article published in the newest Vincentian Heritage Journal, Raymond Sickinger, Ph.D., National Council board member and Professor Emeritus of history at Providence College, tells the story of this founder using sources most Vincentians have not previously read, including Circular Letters Lallier wrote while serving as Secretary-General, his personal correspondence with his friend Ozanam, his speeches, and other documents.

Lawyer, judge, gentleman, and Vincentian, François Lallier’s story is an important part of our heritage.

Read François Lallier: One of the Pillars of the Building Started

Emmanuel Bailly, Mentor and Co-Founder of the Society

In the Ozanam Orientation, we learn that of the seven founders of the Society, there were six college students and one “older gentleman.” In 1833, Emmanuel Bailly was 39 years old.

National President Ralph Middlecamp, avid student of the Society’s heritage and history, shares in the latest issue of the Vincentian Heritage Journal the fascinating story of Père Bailly, whose offices hosted the first Conference.

Newspaper publisher, businessman, and college professor, Bailly was from a family with strong Vincentian roots, his father having been entrusted with some of Saint Vincent’s papers to safeguard during the French Revolution.

While his business ventures had varying degrees of success, his commitment to mentoring young men and defending the faith were unwavering. Bailly was truly a father figure to the young men who elected him as President of that first Conference, which earned him the nickname Père (father). He also served as Spiritual Advisor, and was discovered to have contributed generously to the secret collections at the early meetings.

It was Bailly’s deep knowledge of the Rule of the Congregation of the Mission that helped him, as co-author of the Society’s Rule in 1835, to guide its basic structure and outline.

Middlecamp’s article offers fascinating details of Bailly’s interesting life, family, and connections.

Read Emmanuel Bailly: The Advisor and Friend of Christian Youth

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SVdP Madison Partners With Portillo’s Hot Dogs to Raise Money and Awareness
SVdP Madison Partners With Portillo’s Hot Dogs to Raise Money and Awareness 2560 1920 SVDP USA

Portillo’s Hot Dogs recently celebrated the opening of a second Madison, WI location, and invited the Madison Society of St. Vincent de Paul to be their charitable partner during two Sneak Peek days.

Sneak Peek guests received a free meal from Portillo’s, and in return, were encouraged to make a $5 donation to SVdP Madison. Local Conference members were there to process donations, as well as share stories of those served by local SVdP programming and services.

Through the event, the Conference connected with around 200 new donors. Portillo’s generously matched $5,000 of giving over the two days. In total, SVdP Madison raised $18,767, beating both their records for the single and double day totals! Congratulations to SVdP Madison. Thank you for all that you do to serve neighbors in need.

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Contemplation: A Conference in Heaven
Contemplation: A Conference in Heaven 940 788 SVDP USA

The Society is united by our three Essential Elements of spirituality, service, and friendship. [Rule, Part III, Statute 1] Frédéric once remarked that perhaps friendship was “the reason that in Paris we wished to found our little Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and it is also for this reason perhaps that heaven has seen fit to bless it.” [142, to Curnier, 1837] Like the Communion of Saints, bound together in baptism and in Christ, our Vincentian friendship, bound by charity and friendship, remains unbroken by death.

The very first Rule explained that the Society’s unity “will be cited as a model of Christian friendship, of a friendship stronger than death, for we will often remember in our prayers to God the brothers who have been taken from us.” [Introduction, Rule, 1835] We continue to honor this tradition, praying at every Conference meeting for our departed Vincentian Brothers and Sisters.

Our primary purpose is to “journey together towards holiness… perfect union with Christ…” [Rule, Part 1, 2.2] so we have good reason to hope that our departed Vincentians continue to pray for us, as well!

Indeed, while trying to establish a new Conference in Siena shortly before his own death, Frédéric wrote to the pastor, telling him of the many Conferences that had been established around the world, adding also that “we have certainly one in Heaven, for more than a thousand of our Brothers have, during the twenty years of our existence, gone to the better life.” [Baunard, 394]

We should never forget that one of the corporal works of mercy, alongside feeding the hungry and giving alms to the poor, is to bury the dead. When our fellow Vincentians depart this earth, we should always offer comfort to their families, while also celebrating their entrance into “the better life.” Our Vincentian Celebrations book includes several ceremonies to help plan these occasions.

We serve in hope! Not merely the hope for material comforts, but the eternal hope that we may be united with Christ and with each other in heaven. And so, we pray with and for each other, including, always, the departed. As confident as Blessed Frédéric’s assurance of a Conference in heaven may have been, he asked his fellow Vincentians, in a will written on his 40th birthday, not to cease in their prayers for his own salvation, saying:

“Do not allow yourselves to be stopped by those who will say to you, he is in Heaven. Pray always for him who loves you dearly, for him who has greatly sinned. If I am assured of these prayers, I quit this earth with less fear. I hope firmly that we are not being separated, and that I may remain with you until you will come to me.” [Baunard, 386-7]

May we honor our founder with our own unceasing prayers for all our Vincentian brothers and sisters!

Contemplate

Do I pray regularly for departed Vincentians, and ask their prayers for me?

Recommended Reading

Book of the Sick

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SVdP Dentist on Wheels Clinic Opens in Contra Costa County
SVdP Dentist on Wheels Clinic Opens in Contra Costa County 1093 658 SVDP USA

Offering free dental care for local residents without dental insurance, St. Vincent de Paul of Contra Costa County (SVdP) has partnered with Dentists on Wheels (DOW) to open its Dentist on Wheels Pittsburg Free Dental Clinic. The free dental clinic will be able to treat most patients’ needs — from screenings, cleaning, and checkups, to fillings, crowns, extractions, and dentures. All dental equipment and furnishings have been donated to the 3-chair clinic, which will be staffed by volunteer dentists.

The Need for Dental Care Access

Many neighbors in need lack dental insurance, and access to dental care is normally out of reach for uninsured, low-income residents. Tooth pain and other dental issues can cause a massive drop in quality of life for those suffering.

Tooth extraction is an inexpensive means of addressing dental pain, but it can create many long-term issues that profoundly impact a patient’s quality of life. By providing accessible preventative care and restorative procedures, the free dental clinic will lessen the number of extractions happening in Contra Costa County and keep the county smiling.

For many years, SVdP of Contra Costa has partnered with La Clinica Dental and LifeLong Dental Clinic to provide free dental services to people in need. The program began when a trainee in SVdP’s Workforce Development Program found that he had a hard time securing employment because he was missing several teeth. By underwriting the cost of his dental care and replacement teeth, SVdP successfully helped him obtain a job and become self-sufficient.

With that, SVdP’s Dental Program was born, with SVdP underwriting the cost of treatment and referring patients to La Clinica and Lifelong Dental.

Dentists on Wheels

Dentists on Wheels was founded by Shab Farzaneh, who learned that many low-income people without dental insurance have teeth pulled when they experience pain or decay. Extractions have many negative impacts, including the loss of enjoyment of food, limited job opportunities, and even changing a person’s facial structure. She was determined to provide a better solution, and began to mobilize a team of volunteer dentists, including Dr. Neda Oromchiam, Retired Dentist and DOW Dental Director.

DOW partnered with SVdP because of the Society’s long history of serving the most vulnerable. The 3-chair clinic is located at the SVdP Family Resource Center in Pittsburg, CA. Additional resources at the SVdP Family Resource Center include a free dining room, free medical clinic, free food pantry, daytime homeless shelter, employment & training program, clothing & furniture and other services.

The clinic is also sponsored by The California Wellness Foundation, John Muir Health, Refera, Fremont Bank, Digital DOC, Optum, Q-Optics, Shoreview Dental, The Patterson Foundation, Dr. Amanda Backstrom, NSK Dental Instruments, XDR Radiology, as well as many dental specialists and private donors.

You can help by donating to the free dental clinic at www.dentistsonwheels.org or www.svdp-cc.org.

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Contemplation: The Holy Joy of Your Heart
Contemplation: The Holy Joy of Your Heart 940 788 SVDP USA

In our dedication and zeal, we sometimes feel as if we cannot rest as long as there are neighbors in need of our help. As laudable as this sentiment may seem, in practice it serves neither ourselves or the neighbor if we do not pause for both mental and physical rest.

Writing to a missioner who had labored without rest for many weeks, St. Vincent urged him to slow down: “Have you somewhat moderated your excessive fervor? I beg you, in the name of Our Lord, to do so.” [CCD II:27] Of another priest, whom Vincent believed may have literally worked himself to death, he remarked, “In short, his zeal made him do more than he was able.” [CCD II:375]

Of course, St. Vincent was not afraid of hard work! After all, it was he who said we must “love God…with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brows.” [CCD XI:32] Yet we also must be mindful that “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” The harder we work ourselves without respite, the less able we will be to continue the work. And so, advising St. Louise not to feel guilty about her own exhaustion, Vincent once went so far as to tell her, “I am ordering you, moreover, to procure for yourself the holy joy of your heart by all the relaxation you can possibly take…” [CCD I:145]

There is always more work to be done, but there is only one of you. We prepare to follow God’s will by resting our hearts in His peace and love, filling ourselves to overflowing so that we may share that love with the neighbor. We must also reserve and recover our physical strength through rest, knowing that “There is no act of charity that … permits us to do more than we reasonably can.” [CCD II:68]

In a sense, pushing ourselves to do more than we reasonably can could be seen as an act of vanity; believing ourselves so indispensable that our efforts cannot be spared. But trusting in providence doesn’t mean only that the money or materials resources we need will be provided, it is trusting that God has called enough people to do His work, as well.

When you think about it, when we insist on carrying too much of the load ourselves, we can even rob others of the opportunity to serve more fully!

Our Rule reminds us that work in our Conferences comes “only after fulfilling the family and professional duties.” [Rule, Part I, 2.6] Certainly among those personal duties is care for our own well-being, including rest and relaxation.

Caring for ourselves is not just for ourselves. As Vincent once reminded Louise, “Increase your strength; you need it, or, in any case, the public does.” [CCD I:392]

Contemplate

How can I better share God’s love by sharing God’s work?

Recommended Reading

Mystic of Charity

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SVdP USA Launches “Serving in Hope” Newsletter
SVdP USA Launches “Serving in Hope” Newsletter 2550 1782 SVDP USA

The National Council of the U.S., Society of St. Vincent de Paul is pleased to share the inaugural issue of Serving in Hope, a new quarterly newsletter dedicated to sharing inspiring stories of the ways the Society is making a difference in the lives of those we serve. Whether you’re a donor, friend, or Vincentian, you further the charitable mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul with your prayers and generosity.

Click here to read the first issue and learn about just some of the ways that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is serving in hope in communities across the country.

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