Leadership

By John Berry, National President
Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA

“Let us love, not with words but with deeds.” Those words from 1^st John were used by Pope Francis to open the very first World Day of the Poor in 2017, and they remind us of the profound responsibility we share as Christians to act boldly in service to others. Tonight, as we begin this Catholic Social Ministry Gathering, I would like to share some thoughts on how we transform this divine mandate into action.

During our time together, we will be discussing issues important to our ministries and those we serve. We will discuss the calls to action required to address the many needs in the world. And we will also celebrate the profound joy that comes from growing in holiness through our response to Christ’s call to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to the homeless, welcome the stranger, minister to the sick, and visit the prisoner. The work of every Ministry represented here is a vital lifeline for countless people in need, individuals and families often standing at the brink of despair, searching for a glimmer of hope.

And we must not fail — not in our resolve, not in our compassion, and not in our duty to act.

A new year brings challenges and opportunities. This year, how will WE respond to them as we answer the call to serve? Amongst the excitement of new beginnings, the anticipation of fresh starts, there are also apprehensions about the changes and challenges that may lie ahead. But amidst these feelings, one constant remains: the enduring power of hope. And so, it is proper that the theme of our gathering is “Missionaries of Hope, Advocates of Justice.”

For Hope is the belief that even in the face of adversity, goodness and redemption are possible. It is the conviction that we can overcome obstacles, heal divisions, and build a more just and compassionate world. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

But hope alone is not enough. It must propel us to action, inspiring efforts that ripple outward, create lasting change, and make our world a better place. But we face a difficult challenge when frankly, we sometimes wonder if the world has lost its mind. A world where yesterday thousands of people marched to advocate for the sanctity of life, and politicians came out and spoke to them and had their pictures taken with them and then went right back up the marble stairs of the Capitol and continued to plan how to cut billions of dollars in aid to babies that are born to the poor and the homeless. A world where it is considered acceptable to cut billions of dollars in aid to the homeless, but it’s OK to spend trillions of dollars to plant a flag on Mars.

So, WE must become Advocates for Justice, transforming hope into action, and helping to heal our wounded world.

Our call to serve the poor, the refugee, the sick, and ALL those who suffer injustice and oppression is deeply rooted in Scripture. The Old Testament prophets often reminded Israel of their duty to care for the marginalized. We hear Isaiah proclaim:

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”

That call tells us that our work must be holistic and transformative, addressing both immediate needs and systemic injustices.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus presents us with a clear and unambiguous description of how God will judge whether we lived out his commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Jesus tells us that our service to others is not just a charitable act — but a divine mandate.

In the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we celebrate a rich heritage of charitable work that has come before us, since our founding in 1833 in Paris as an effort by six college students to find a way to put their faith into action through service to the poor. That small effort has become a fire that lights the world. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul today serves in 155 countries around the world, with 800,000 Members and 1.5 million volunteers. We provided more than 1.49 TRILLION Euros in Service to over 30 million people in 2023.

This year, we will celebrate the 180^th Anniversary of the founding of the Society here in the United States. St. Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, one of those 6 students and the founder of the Society, laid a foundation that continues to inspire us.

Our founders underscored the importance of charity as an inclusive act, not merely an exchange of goods — but a genuine relationship and community-building effort.

Our SVdP core value is deep, personal encounters with those we serve. It is this heritage of compassionate, relational charity that is the foundation of who we are and what we cherish and honor as we move forward.

Our Vincentians understand the words that George Bernard Shaw wrote many years ago, “The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them.” So, the SVdP commitment to a human-to-human, Christ-centered encounter with all those we serve is unwavering and ensures that we are never indifferent to their material needs, but more importantly, we are not indifferent to their need to be seen, to be heard, and to be loved; by us and by God. Our commitment to compassion and service is unwavering.

In his 2017 World Day of the Poor message, Pope Francis wrote:

“We may think of the poor simply as the beneficiaries of our occasional volunteer work, or of impromptu acts of generosity that appease our conscience. However good and useful such acts may be for making us sensitive to people’s needs and the injustices that are often their cause, they ought to lead to a true encounter with the poor and a sharing that becomes a way of life.”

That true spiritual encounter touches us. It enriches us. It is a shared encounter. We Vincentians know that we get more from our encounters with our neighbors in need than we give.

But to be able to alleviate the suffering and need of those who we help, we must also recognize the need for adaptation to a world that is changing around us. Pope Francis, in Evangelii Gaudium, challenged us to rethink our approach to charity. He wrote:

“No one can demand that the poor remain on the margins of society, and no one should be indifferent to their plight. We need a Church that is open to the world, which listens to the poor, and which is ready to adapt to their needs.”

While Scripture provides us with timeless guidance, the challenges we face today require a modern lens. Thus, Pope Francis urges us to go beyond immediate relief and address the roots of poverty with innovative solutions.

As we strive to uphold the timeless virtues of compassion and charity, we must be ready to confront the future with boldness and adaptability.

And we must not fail — not in our resolve, not in our compassion, and not in our duty to act.

To serve effectively in an ever-changing world, we are challenged to open our minds and hearts. We must ask ourselves: How can we be more inclusive? How can we address the root causes of poverty, rather than just the symptoms?

The needs of the poor are evolving. And the face of poverty is changing; seniors, women, single parents, and the displaced middle class have become a larger part of the more than 5 million people we serve every year at SVdP USA. For example, today, issues like digital exclusion and environmental challenges require us to consider solutions we didn’t have before. Charitable organizations must be bold and imaginative.

Areas such as new technology solutions can create new avenues for assistance, education, and empowerment, but we must balance those with our commitment to the Christ centered human encounter between people.

As the world evolves, so do the needs of the poor. We know change often meets resistance, especially when it challenges traditions. Yet, it is through change that we grow and better meet the needs of those we serve.

To address the infinite misery of the present and future, we must be willing to think creatively. This means developing better systems to reach more people in an ever more mobile society, collaborating with other organizations such as the ones represented here at CSMG and those beyond the Catholic sphere, to amplify our impact, and continuously educating ourselves about the root causes of poverty and injustice. That is why CSMG is such an important gathering for all of us. Let us not lose this time we have together to strengthen the bonds between our organizations, create new collaborations, and refine our approach to solving the challenges we all face. We need to be open to innovative ideas from all members of our community, especially the younger generation, who bring fresh perspectives and energy to our missions and who we too often overlook.

To address the changes in the world today, and to achieve tangible results and real impact, we must answer the crucial question: What is that great balance that must be achieved between WHAT we do and HOW we do it? What we do is bring love, respect, and compassion, and that must never change. But how we do it must change. Our willingness to adapt will make what we do much better.

This year, SVdP USA is launching new initiatives to channel our hopes into concrete action. I am pleased to announce tonight that we will be opening our second National Office in Washington, DC in March. We will increase our efforts to advocate on behalf of those we serve and turn our focus more intensely towards the pressing issues of our time, particularly the scourge of poverty and homelessness that afflicts far too many of our fellow Americans. Recently recognized as the 59^th largest nonprofit in the United States by Forbes Magazine, SVdP USA provided over $1.7 Billion in services directly to over 5 million people in need last year through our network of nearly 90,000 volunteers. This unique, direct relationship we have with our neighbors in need gives us a perspective and view from the reality of the poor that we will be able to share with policy makers and like-minded nonprofits and other organizations. The new DC office will anchor that advocacy work.

The stark and shocking reality of America and the world today is that millions of our brothers and sisters lack basic necessities — affordable housing, nutritious food, and quality healthcare. Families live on the streets, children go to bed hungry, and the cycle of poverty persists. Imagine a mother putting her children down to sleep on a cold night like tonight — with no bed and no roof overhead. Or a child going to school hungry, unable to focus on learning. This is the reality WE must change.

And we must not fail — not in our resolve, not in our compassion, and not in our duty to act.

This is a crisis of conscience for our nation and every nation. It is a stark reminder that the pursuit of individual prosperity cannot come at the expense of the common good. We are called, as followers of Christ, to be our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. We are called to love our neighbors as ourselves.

So, how do we translate our hopes and dreams into meaningful action?

Primarily, we must open our eyes and our hearts to the suffering around us. We must acknowledge the realities of poverty and homelessness in our own communities. We must listen to the stories of those who are struggling, and we must seek to understand their experiences.

We cannot help if we do not understand. And we cannot understand if we do not listen.

Secondly, we must challenge the systems that perpetuate poverty by advocating for affordable housing, living wages, and access to quality education and healthcare. When we advocate for policies addressing affordable housing or living wages, we embody Isaiah’s call to ‘loose the chains of injustice.’ Our faith and our actions must walk hand in hand. We must support organizations that are working to address the root causes of poverty, including systemic racism and economic inequality. Our Washington DC office will advocate in partnership with USCCB, Catholic Charities, CRS, and other willing and like-minded nonprofits on these matters. Together we can drive the changes needed to address poverty at its source.

And finally, we must cultivate a spirit of solidarity and collective action. We must remember that we are all interconnected, and that the well-being of each of us is dependent on the well-being of all. We must work together to build a society where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

As we look ahead, I am inspired by what we can accomplish together. Imagine a community where every child has access to food, every family has a safe place to call home, and every individual feels valued. Together, we can make that vision a reality.

The task before us is daunting, but not insurmountable. We cannot solve the problems of poverty and homelessness overnight. But we can, each one of us, make a difference. We can be a force for good in the world. We can build a more just and compassionate society, a society where everyone can live a life of dignity and hope.

And we must not fail — not in our resolve, not in our compassion, and not in our duty to act.

Our goal must be not just to alleviate suffering, but to encounter the divine in our service to others. By looking to the future with hope and embracing new ways of doing things, we serve in ways that are both meaningful and transformative.

In his 2023 message for the World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis wrote:

“Our daily efforts to welcome the poor are still not enough. A great river of poverty is traversing our cities and swelling to the point of overflowing; it seems to overwhelm us, so great are the needs of our brothers and sisters who plead for our help, support, and solidarity.” … It is easy to delegate charity to others, yet the calling of every Christian is to become personally involved.”

This call to perseverance in the face of what at times seems like hopelessness reminds us that our efforts, though sometimes modest, are significant. Every novel approach, every innovative idea, can make a profound difference. Each of us matters.

Addressing the topic of individual impact, Robert Kennedy once spoke to university students in South Africa amid the struggles against apartheid. Kennedy spoke passionately about how individual effort, which at times can seem fruitless and insignificant, does make a difference. He said:

“Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events. It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

We stand poised to face new challenges with courage and creativity. As we move forward, let us do so with hearts full of love, minds open to innovation, and spirits grounded in the timeless values of our faith.

Together, we can make a difference that echoes through the ages, bringing hope and healing to a world in need.

My Brothers and Sisters, the call to serve is a divine mandate that transcends time and tradition. Let us be committed and courageous in our approach to answering that call.

Let us commit, in the spirit of the Gospel of Matthew 25, to serving Christ in the least of our brothers and sisters.

Let us commit to be courageous in adapting our charitable efforts to meet the evolving needs of the poor.

Let us commit to embrace this new year with renewed hope and a renewed commitment to action as instruments of God’s love and mercy in the world.

Let us commit together to build a beloved community where all are welcome, where all are valued, and where all can flourish.

Let us commit to be bold, compassionate, and innovative as we work together to build a future filled with hope and healing.

And let us commit that our efforts will reflect the love of Christ in every act of charity we undertake.

Together, let us be the light that dispels the darkness, the hands that heal, and the hearts that love unconditionally.

As we move forward with courage and faith; without fear or apprehension let us be inspired by the words of Blessed Frederick Ozanam, ‘Let us not be discouraged; let us be better,’

In closing, I offer you the words of St. Vincent de Paul: ‘Go to the poor: you will find God.’ This simple yet profound directive guides all of us in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in our mission to serve with love and compassion, and I invite you to make it your guide as well.

Thank you and God bless.