Servant Leader

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09-22-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
09-22-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 400 400 SVDP USA

Editor’s note:

The following is a shortened version of the letter from Rev. Tomaž Mavrič, CM, Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and leader of our Vincentian Family. Links to the compete letter in multiple languages are found later in this edition of the E-Gazette.

To the members of the Vincentian Family throughout the world:

Dear sisters and brothers,

May the grace and peace of Jesus be always with us!

We are fast-approaching the Feast of Saint Vincent that officially falls on 27 September, but, given the reality of a country, the celebration may be held on some other day to allow the greatest number of persons to attend.

We are seeing the return to in-person gatherings, which bring us joy and encouragement, since we are able again to witness as family, as persons of faith, participating in the Eucharist and other celebrations that a year ago were still hampered by the pandemic. This is an additional reason for us to put all our efforts and talents into making this observance of the feast of Saint Vincent de Paul a memorable one after these past few years of very limited gatherings or their prohibition.

In fact, the whole month of September is called a Vincentian month. Depending on the structure and program of the Vincentian Family in a given country, different events, gatherings, and initiatives may be offered throughout the month. These might include days of recollection for youth who are discerning a vocation to the consecrated life, as well as formation and charity initiatives to deepen our Vincentian spirituality and charism. We also invite others, who may not know Saint Vincent de Paul and the other Saints, Blessed, and Servants of God of the Vincentian Family, to get to know our Vincentian spirituality and charism through our words and deeds.

The title of this year’s letter for the Feast of Saint Vincent de Paul is, “From a Vincentian Family Structure toward a Vincentian Family Movement” and “Vincentian Centers of Spirituality and Formation around the world.”

Not so long ago, the international leaders of the different Vincentian Congregations of Consecrated Life and Lay Associations began to gather every year to build closer relationships and collaboration, as belonging to the same spiritual and charismatic group, even though each one retained its own specificity and uniqueness. This group began to be called “the Vincentian Family” and was symbolized by a tree with many branches. The central part of the tree with is roots is our common Vincentian spirituality and charism, and each branch represents an individual Congregation or Association. That is why we often use the word branches, having in mind the beautiful symbol of a tree.

The structured groups of Women’s and Men’s Congregations, and Lay Associations presently number 165. In addition, many other people, attracted and inspired by the person of Saint Vincent de Paul and the other Saints, Blesseds, and Servants of God of the Vincentian Family, do not belong officially to any of its branches. They are drawn to the Vincentian spirituality and charism through books, articles, the internet, radio, television, and social media. They would like to further their knowledge of the Vincentian way of thinking, speaking, and living, thus becoming active participants in the spirit of Saint Vincent de Paul, having the right to be called “Vincentians.” Already, a large number of persons who do not belong specifically to any group, because of their way of living out their lives, serving, thinking, speaking, and acting, embody the Vincentian spirit and charism. Here I see the further development of the Vincentian Family and this wonderful Vincentian Tree into what is becoming a so-called “Vincentian Family Movement.”

I would like to encourage all the international, national, and regional leaders of the structured branches of this beautiful tree called the Vincentian Family to invite as many members as possible of the Confraternities and the collaborators who do not belong to any specific group to participate in the different events that will be organized in the various countries throughout the month of September.

May Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Saint Vincent de Paul and all the Saints, Blesseds, and Servants of God of the Vincentian Family, intercede before Jesus for us all!

Your brother in Saint Vincent,
Tomaž Mavrič, CM

Please send us pictures and videos of the various celebrations you organized throughout the Vincentian month of September, or short articles about them, to these two email addresses, and we will try to share the information through different means of communication.

Javier Fernández Chento: chento@famvin.org

Hugo Marcelo Vera, CM: nuntia@cmglobal.org

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09-15-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
09-15-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1363 1363 SVDP USA

In a recent e-Gazette Q and A column, I screwed up. A member asked about how they might change the national logo for local use. Attempting to keep things simple, I ignored (actually, I just forgot) a relevant National Resolution. This column will re-visit and clarify the rules for everyone – I hope! – as we think about how the public views the Society locally and beyond.

Some people believe that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is just the parish or thrift store down the street, having no idea that we are a nationwide, much less global, organization. Others see us only as a major nonprofit and forget that we are a collection of usually parish-centric groups of their neighbors helping neighbors.  Identifying marks, or logos, can clarify or confuse this situation when we use multiple versions of the same design. When we choose very different logos to represent the same organization, we certainly confuse the public when they venture from one city to another or from state to state.

This was recognized in 2006 when our National Council adopted National Resolution 11 at its Annual Meeting. Here is most of its wording:

  • The name and the Logo of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul are protected and the exclusive property of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Council of the United States.
  • Use of the name and the logo can only be approved by the National Executive Director, who is the designated agent for Council of United States in this matter.
  • The Dimensions, Shape, Color, Font Style, Copy and Placement of the logo and the name are governed by specifications determined by the National Council.
  • The approval and authorization to use the name and or logo can only be secured through a written request and provided by a written response.  Properly established Conferences and Councils are permitted to use the Society’s name and logo consistent with this policy.

Okay, so what this means is that if your Council or Conference wants to replace the word “U.S.A.” at the bottom of the national logo with your local city, you need the written (email is fine) permission of the National CEO to do so.  This is required to maintain our trademark consistency and legal rights to protect our marks against fraudulent uses by others. Believe me, after nine years of battling other groups who have used our name and images for non-Society uses, even for good purposes, I can testify just how important this protection is for all of us in the Society. Others highly value the brand of the Society in our ability to raise funds, collect and sell used goods, and to be recognized for many types of charitable works.

Note that this Resolution was created before the current tax exemption policy for the Society. Therefore, another element needs to be considered, that of the “controlling” tax exempt status of the requesting Society group. For example, if a District Council wants its own version of the national logo, and it is organized under a Diocesan Council, then it also needs the permission of the Diocesan Council to avoid local confusion. The same goes for a Conference under its higher Council/s.

Any change to the national logo, whether it be temporary wording for a special event, or a color for a special day, or additional design elements that touch the existing design, changes the trademarked work and damages our ability to protect our rights are discouraged. All of us have a shared responsibility to maintain and protect the design as it is, and to change it only with specific permission as described above. I promise to help you navigate any questions you may have on logo permissions. We also have branding and logo specifics to help you under the “Resources” tab of the Members page of our national website. Click here to access now.

We will delete the Q and A entry from our archive. I am reminded that one of my roles is “Keeper of the Logo” which sounds like a Marvel movie character. Gee, I wonder who will play me in the next Avengers film?

Yours in Christ,
Dave Barringer
CEO

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09-08-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
09-08-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1367 1520 SVDP USA

A wonderful Annual Assembly of the National Council of the St. Vincent de Paul Society wrapped up last Saturday evening in Baltimore. I want to warn our members who did not attend that we who were there are returning home with many new ideas and zeal for the renewal of our Society. I hope you catch some of that enthusiasm. I am back home writing this column with the intent of featuring the highlights, and I am having trouble – not because of my aging memory but because there were so many of them.

It was not the National Assembly’s most important moment, but for me the most-moving highlight took place during our Friday-morning retreat. With fervor, nearly 800 Vincentians sang “Here I Am Lord” with musician and composer Dan Schutte. They sang “I will go Lord, if you need me, I will hold your people in my heart,” and there was no doubt they meant it.

A close-second highlight also came in song. At the end of an informative and passion-filled speech by Renato Lima de Oliveira, the President General of the Society’s International Council, he led us in Matt Maher’s powerful song, “I Need You Lord.” A song fervently sung and meant by the overflowing crowd of Vincentians made tangible the bonds of friendship we forge as we journey together toward holiness.

The most-important thing that happened at the Assembly was the choice made during Saturday’s Business Meeting, when your delegates chose the two candidates for whom you will vote in the months ahead to be your next National Council President. After listening to talks by the four candidates, delegates chose John Berry and Brian Burgess to advance as the final nominees. I want to thank all four highly qualified nominees for their willingness to serve. More will be shared with you about the voting process in the weeks ahead.

One of the specific initiatives we kicked off at the Assembly was promotion of a revised version of an evaluation of our organization at all levels. Started back in 2009, this evaluation framework is called our Standards of Excellence. We will be asking every level of our organization to engage in this self-evaluation process to ensure our Councils and Conferences are prepared structurally to meet the challenges we are facing in the years ahead. Please take this process to heart and use it to assess your current activity and structure and then to create the plans that will make us a stronger, better Society.

The talks, workshops, and liturgies at the Assembly were excellent. The workshops, especially, gave us much to take home and work on in the months ahead. At the meeting, we also celebrated our accomplishments and challenged ourselves to meet the needs of the changing world in which we serve our neighbors in need. We featured the 20th anniversary of the highly successful Invitation for Renewal Program. We also recognized the work of our Disaster Services Corporation, which has significantly grown its capacity and credibility since we established it five years ago. Thank you to all the organizers and presenters who made this an exceptionally great meeting.

Music always moves me and enriches my prayer life. That may be why hearing hundreds of voices singing “Here I am Lord” together in Baltimore was so powerful for me. I hope you, too, can say, “Here I Am,” and make that commitment to serve, to be a leader and to grow our organization. It is not easy work we do. Our need for being spiritually grounded in that commitment could not have been more powerfully communicated to us than it was by having our very own President General choose to sing, “Lord, I need You, oh, I need You. Every hour, I need You.”

I left the meeting in Baltimore with a desire to work for this Society with a renewed commitment in this last year of my presidency. That’s a commitment to serve all of you as we grow in holiness and live out our Vincentian mission together. Even though you may not have been with us at the National Assembly, I hope you choose to renew your passion for that mission with me.

Serviens in spe,
Ralph Middlecamp
National Council President

P.S. This Friday, September 9, is the Feast of Blessed Frederic Ozanam. Please take time to pray for his canonization, which we hope will occur in the near future.

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08-25-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
08-25-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1368 1387 SVDP USA

It’s easier to see when someone else does it.

Let’s call this the Annual Backpack Explosion. Every year at this time, schoolchildren are given the opportunity to pick up a free backpack, often stuffed with free pencils, crayons, pads of papers, and other school supplies. They can go with their parents to a convention center, a school, a shopping mall, an automobile dealer, or some other place that usually has lots of parking for families and of course some media to watch the lines of kids getting their selection of the free goodies. Sounds great, right?

At one level, of course this is a good thing, as we hope that every child is adequately and equitably prepared for the first day of school. However, on a large level, there is usually little or no coordination or communication with the groups organizing this chaotic attempt to do good. One result can be more, perhaps many more, backpacks than are needed, or certainly an uneven distribution than where the need is across a region.

Another unintended consequence is that expectations often change with repeated behaviors. What do the children and their parents now expect next year? Will they make plans to buy what they need for school, or wait for another handout? Will a simple backpack be enough, or will only a designer brand or the one with that year’s more popular superhero be the only one they will accept? Will generic crayons be good enough, or will that box of only eight colors satisfy them?

To any Society food pantry, dining hall, or Home Visit worker, the above examples might feel, well, familiar. We wonder sometimes if the families we see every week at the pantry are trying hard enough to find other solutions, and then we feel guilty about feeling this way. We try as Vincentians not to judge others. Then we judge ourselves when we work really hard, but the people we serve don’t always appreciate our service and even demand more than we gave them last time.

We must also ask ourselves, and we can see this with the backpack program as well, does this program really help the intended beneficiary audience all that much, or is it more about helping the volunteers or donors feel good about helping others? The answer can change over time, and this can be a bitter pill to swallow!

When we create a program, we often forget to create an exit plan, or even an evaluation plan. We get so excited to start something that we forget to think about its consequences, intended or unintended, on the people we serve, the community, and even on ourselves. We might notice an impact on our wallets! But what about the impact on the way people’s behaviors change because we changed ours? Have we created not only a new resource, but a new dependency? Is the resource we think of as a temporary fix viewed by others as a continuing benefit in time, money or other advantage?

We also forget in our rush to start something to tell others, especially our friends, that we are about to do something good. Sure, we have a grand opening announcement. However, we often do not tell other nearby Conferences parishes, other faith groups, government agencies, and others about our programs, our resources and especially our limitations. Then we wonder why that family shows up in the middle of the night asking for our help, telling us they were sent by our “friends” across town.

Sometimes we think we are just a few good people doing a few good things from the church basement. In truth we are a lot of great faith-filled people, doing many good and Holy things all over the country. People notice, as do other agencies, churches, community groups, the media, you name it. People in need talk to each other, and they have our name as a trusted friend on their lips to tell each other who they can go to for help.

We owe it to our neighbors, especially those in need, our partners and funders, and ourselves, to re-assess our work constantly in light of its impact today and tomorrow. We may be making a difference, but is it still the one we wanted? Is it the one Christ would want us to make with what we have?

Yours in Christ,
Dave
CEO

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08-18-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leader
08-18-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leader 1363 1363 SVDP USA

When we retire, or ultimately when God call us home, we think about what we accomplished. We also think about what we have left behind for others who follow behind us. Did we destroy things in our wake, do little or nothing, or leave a foundation of strength for others to continue to build upon?

It’s not about me, but as examples I’m proud to be an Eagle Scout but much prouder to have helped dozens of other young men to reach the same rank. I’m a pretty fair communications pro, but there are a dozen even better nonprofit PR professionals who survived working under me to become leaders. Most dear to my heart, the time and attention invested along with my wife to raise a child pays dividends every day with a young high school teacher and coach who calls me Dad. You doubtless have many of your own great examples!

It is often not about personal lineage but about culture and experience. As Vincentians we live out in practice the lessons of Vincent, Louise, Frederic, Rosalie, and others who served before us. We often ask how we might undertake a project in the way a former President would have done it, or certainly how the Society’s culture prescribes as written down in our beloved Rule.

God gives each of us gifts at different times in our lives, be they time or talents, friendship or funds, hope or help.  How do we spend them now for the greater good, and then how do we leave some of them behind for the next generation of our family, and for our next generation of our Vincentian friends? These are questions for us as individuals, as a family, and even as a Conference.

The poor will always be with us. The challenges of today, however, may look quite different tomorrow, and may even be in different places. For example, America looked quite different 100 years ago. The Church is experiencing today the result of not paying attention to demographic changes that happened slowly over the decades. Real estate did not move with the population and demographics or languages. Jobs moved. Infrastructures crumbled. Economies shifted for better or worse. Our own families dispersed across the country and even the world.

Fortunately, the Society serves everywhere, and we can take a national, even global approach to poverty and disaster relief. We can build new Conferences while combining others when parishes are forced to close. Through Twinning, we can move resources from more advantaged areas to those in need. Our legacy as the Society stays the same; we serve people where they live.

As an older social construct in America, the Society can think and act across time. At more than 177 years old, we have seen it all – wars, pandemics, depressions, you name it – and we’re still here and still serving. We might make adjustments and deliver our works differently to fit the times and the safety requirements, but we are still here, two at a time and at your door, help in hand as the Face of Christ. That’s a legacy to keep going, isn’t it?

When we come together for the National Assembly in Baltimore, we will talk about our legacy as individuals and how each of us can take action to reflect what is likely already in our hearts. We can commit to continue to serve the Society in serving our beloved poor after we ourselves are called home. We will go home to rest, but our resources will be able to work on our behalf by those who come after us. And we can do this with just a little planning with our families and our advisers.

Legacy gifts are not at all exclusive to the wealthy. Anyone can, and should, have a will to protect their family. Many of the bequest gifts we receive at the National Council are from working people who leave a small to moderate amount, and these gifts are added together with many others to make a huge difference. You know, just like your Vincentian service now.

Vincentians don’t try to wish away the problems of the poor; we help families to solve them. We can do the same for the desired future of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul itself. Rather than just hope for its strong and sustainable future, we can help to build it. We can do this in part through prayer, yes of course, but also through the simple yet intentional act of thoughtful, prayerful giving. I ask you to join me in this legacy activity in the near future.

Yours in Christ,
Dave Barringer
CEO

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08-11-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leader
08-11-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leader 1367 1520 SVDP USA

Dear Vincentian Friends,

Have you read any good books this summer? I just finished reading the newly published biography of Amélie Ozanam. It won’t make the list of New York Times bestsellers or any list of great summer reads, but I found it compelling. Amélie, as most of us know, was the wife of our principal founder, Frédéric Ozanam. That is about all any of us knew about her until Matthieu Brejon de Lavergnée wrote this wonderfully detailed biography.

Amélie turns out to have been much more than a supportive spouse for a brilliant Sorbonne professor. All of us who love Frédéric will have our understanding of him enriched by seeing him through Amélie’s perspective. Her biography includes 50 pages of her letters, which are insightful and charming — and contain firsthand details of the couple’s life together that cannot be found elsewhere.

It is clear from this biography that Amélie was a true partner to Frédéric. He was not always an easy man to live with, but he was a better person for having her in his life. Those of us who value the legacy of our founder owe Amélie a debt for keeping the memory of him alive. She worked with several biographers and saved many of his personal artifacts that are now on display in our international headquarters in Paris. She was especially dedicated to preserving his writings; her efforts included overseeing several posthumous publications and writing many of his friends to have letters he sent them returned for preservation.

Amélie was 33 years old when Frédéric died. She never remarried and was often seen publicly in her mourning dress. She continued to lead an active social and family life, however. Her main task was raising their daughter, Marie, with the help of family and friends. Many of Frédéric’s friends would stay in touch with her, and she participated in several charitable activities in Paris.

I found reading Amélie’s letters included in this book touching — particularly so those written in the months when she and Frédéric were engaged but separated. He was teaching in Paris, and she was living with her parents in Lyon. Her writings are romantic, insightful, humorous and occasionally a bit confrontative.

We all need people in our lives who love, challenge and support us. In Amélie, Frédéric Ozanam had such a person. A quote from one of her letters to Frédéric serves as an appropriate subtitle for the book, “A heart with much love to give.”

Serviens in spe,
Ralph Middlecamp
National Council President

P.S.  In full disclosure, the National Council is the publisher of this book and — working with the author, Matthieu Brejon de Lavergnée — arranged for the translation of this work from French to English. I had the pleasure of reviewing the proofs with Raymond Sickinger and Timothy Williams, but seeing the final product in print exceeded my expectations. The book can be ordered from the National Council office.

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08-04-2022 A Letter from Our Servant Leaders
08-04-2022 A Letter from Our Servant Leaders 1363 1363 SVDP USA

At the national Invitation For Renewal (IFR) experience, we utilize a protected conversation environment in which the participants can share their joys and challenges, frustrations, victories, and concerns. At times we get some real doozies!

This recent time though was different, and not in a good way. Several participants expressed that they were close to quitting – either their Society leadership role or their Vincentian experience entirely – before they journeyed to St. Louis to undertake a five-day, four-night immersion into the Society’s culture, history, and governance as well as into their own relationship with Christ. The experience “pulled them from the abyss” and, thank God, re-energized them to continue their Vincentian journey.

Okay, so 28 members and leaders got a positive shot in the arm. What about the rest of our 90,000 brother and sister Vincentians? How are they feeling these days, after months of isolation due to COVID, and extreme changes in how we conduct the Society’s services and businesses? If they have not been able to go to Mass, or to meet in person with their Conference, has this dampened or eliminated sense of fellowship affected them? Overall, how has their relationships with God and with their fellow Vincentians changed over the past two years? And what can any of us do about it?

Our focus throughout the pandemic, as always, has been primarily on the people we serve. We recognize their challenges before we see our own. After all, on average a family in poverty has fewer resources – financial, faith, and friendship resources – than we likely have. We knew that life would be tough for them as pandemic conditions changed, especially for people in need. Yet while we raced to act to keep up with our services, and even to create and nurture needed new ones, did we leave our own needs behind?

We have seen this in others, such as first-responders who kept serving in the hospital, police, and fire stations at the sacrifice of their own mental and physical health. Without asking for it, they were often celebrated in the community and nationally as the heroes they are, because everyone learned of their sacrifices and risks, often voluntarily taken. Vincentians, however, often work behind the scenes, humbly and in the “shadows.” They don’t seek recognition; in fact, they often actively avoid it! They would rather the attention be on the plight of the poor, the unemployed, the sick and others who need our help. “I’m good” they might say to anyone asking. But are they really?

We may have recently taken stock of our Society locally to ask how our programs are delivered, and if what we have always done still works in times of changing conditions, technologies and outside resources. Now we must also take dedicated time to ask how we ourselves are holding up. We may have been through a faith and volunteerism Hell, and it isn’t getting that much better very quickly unless we act. The first step is to recognize where we are, then we can do something about it.

What can we do as brothers and sisters? As always, we can pray together, share with each other, and get back to meeting in person not just to perform the Society’s business but also simply to be there for each other. We can share all those frustrations we have seen and experienced recently, and ask for help. Chances are that what you experienced was the same for others in the room. How can we support each other, and perhaps make it better? We start with our ears and our hearts, and then our heads and hands. Break out the tissues, the beer, the laughter or whatever it takes to have honest conversations about our Vincentian experiences.

We talk a lot, including in this space, about the continuing need to recruit new members. Can we honestly recruit truthfully and joyfully if we ourselves are beaten down and battered by life over the past year or more? Can we invite others to join us if we’re not sure ourselves if we can continue?

It may be easier to keep the members we have than to find new ones, but it will still require conscious effort. Let’s take time to retrench and renew. Don’t put it off, start now! Despite the challenges, we know deep down that there is still much to celebrate. There is much to look forward to in our service and commitment to each other and to God. We can and must take the necessary steps to re-discover the joy we had when we started.

God still lives in us. The Face of Christ is still within us and in each other. Step back to take a breath, to re-center and to check on our fellow Vincentians. We need to be okay before we can make it more okay for others. Whether to ask for help or to offer it, please reach out to a Society member today.

Yours in Christ,
Dave Barringer
CEO

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07-28-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leader
07-28-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leader 1367 1520 SVDP USA

Dear Vincentian Friends,

A topic that I have talked and written about for the past few months is the need for our Society to increase our capacity to serve. We need to increase our membership, need to be better prepared to meet the changing environment we live in, and need to attract more supporters of our work. A key to this effort will be improving our communications about who we are and what we do.

A speaker at a past National Assembly observed that the Society is a wonderful example of the Gospel mandate to not let our left hand know what our right had is doing when we perform acts of charity. He reminded us, however, that the Gospel also tells us to not put our light under a bushel. I have shared this story before, but I repeat it because we need to walk the appropriate path between these two poles.

Frederic Ozanam was keenly aware that we are called to perform our acts of charity with humility and confidentiality, but he also reported the work his Council was doing in Lyon back to Paris, often on a monthly basis. We know that because we have letters of his with those reports, which sometimes included an apology if the report was sent too late to be shared at the meeting of the Council General.

I hope you looked at the 2022 Impact Report released by the National Council last week. It is an excellent example of a best practice I hope all of our Councils and Conferences will adopt. Formerly, we called these our Annual Reports. They were full of financial data and membership information. While that may be interesting to some people, what most people want to know is how did we make a difference in our communities and in the lives of those we serve. That is why we now provide an impact report.

When you read the report, you will see a few articles that provide statistics for volunteer hours worked or funds provided, but you will also find stories about how we made a difference in people’s lives. The report relates, too, some of what our members experience as they serve. As we focus on systemic change and advocacy, tables of data, and statistical charts fail to capture much of what we do.

Certainly, we must be very careful to protect those we serve. Even if neighbors in need agree to let us share their stories, let’s be sure we are not pressuring them to share their names and images. Confidentiality remains a strong and still-needed tradition in our Society.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a light that we must not hide. Our Society gives help and hope to neighbors in need and offers our members the opportunity to put their faith into action. The light our Society shines provides much-needed hope to the communities we serve and real credibility for the community of Catholics to which we belong. If our pastors, fellow parishioners, community leaders and donors understand who we are and what we do, we will have a strong Society able to attract new members and supporters to better serve our neighbors in need.

Serviens in spe,
Ralph Middlecamp
National Council President

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07-21-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
07-21-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1363 1363 SVDP USA

Some days it feels like the world is upside down. Conflicting information, opposing trends and biased news accounts make it difficult to get a fair reading on what life looks like for everyday Americans. All I know for certain is that the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s members are part of every American community, and often are called upon to help when things get rough.

Here are just a few data points that make me scratch my head in confusion:

  • Inflation is at historic levels, stated at 9.1 percent, yet regular expenses such as food (12.2%), new vehicles (11.4%) and airfares (34.1%) are measured even higher.
  • Gasoline (up 59.9%) and other household energy costs (21.9%) are up over 12 months but again, perceived by many as even higher, usually referenced by the cost to fill their vehicle’s gas tank.
  • Jobs appear more plentiful than ever! And wages have risen, especially for lower-wage jobs. Yet almost 95 million – 30 percent – of Americans are now on Medicaid, and more than 41 million receive federal food stamps averaging $228/month.
  • Rent costs are rising quickly after many months of abatements and other COVID-related freezes. Meanwhile, housing sales were red-hot until just a few weeks ago. Homelessness in any case appears economy-proof and just as prevalent.
  • Energy costs and supply chain issues dominate the blame game for rising costs, yet corporate profits still look good! Why then is the stock market down so low? Americans worry about both today’s finances and their retirement funds – if they have them

What’s a Vincentian to do? Fortunately, we are a hardy bunch, and we focus on the individual and family. We do not judge those we serve; however, we should be informed and prepared. What do the stats above and other changing, often contradictory economic stories suggest about how our Conference should respond to help our neighbors?

First, it has always been part of our Society’s work and obligation to those we serve to advocate. Our Voice of the Poor groups and our Conferences know the real-life stories of our communities, and these are powerful advocacy perspectives to share with elected officials and others who create and manage policies. If nothing else, we should explain how almost any policy might create unintended, unanticipated consequences for the poor.

Second, all this dynamic change underscores the importance of the Home Visit. That’s right, our help still begins with a relationship and assessment of needs. Yes, we serve anyone who comes to us asking for a food box. A Home Visit, however, can lead that family to additional resources we can provide for other needs.

It also may lead to more sustainable solutions to reduce the need to return to us later. Thus third, we can advance our systemic change tools of employment assistance, job training, and education, predatory lending alternatives, financial literacy, and other local supports.

Absent forethought and planning, a Conference can continue to give food and gas cards, and pay rent and utility checks for people all day, every day. This won’t change anyone’s life for the better by putting a financial Band-Aid on the problem. We can’t spend our way out of this problem. (By the way, this might be a good lesson for others as we advocate!) We can, however, spend our precious time and dollars wisely toward lasting change.

The world may be topsy-turvy. The Society can as always be both a faith-driven voice of reason and a force for good, navigating the crazy with steady, thoughtful approaches that help one family at a time, over time. We must realize that yesterday’s tools may or may not work, or work sustainably, for today’s problems. Just as we pivoted and adapted to the pandemic, now we must do the same for the economic and political realities of today.

Let’s meet soon as a Conference with a sole special-agenda intention of stepping back to discern the community’s present needs. Let’s then re-design as needed our resources and responses in line with our Society’s mission, our faith, and our best hopes and dreams for our neighbors in need. The rest of the country may be bonkers right now. As Vincentian friends and the face of Christ for those we serve, we can rise above it all to help families make better sense of their situations and to give them our greatest gift -hope – for their futures.

Yours in Christ,
Dave Barringer
CEO

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07-14-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
07-14-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1368 1387 SVDP USA

This isn’t a stores column, but let’s use a store as an example. When reviewing a Thrift Store, I always request that the manager and I close our eyes and we suddenly appear in the middle of the store. What do we see, and what is the store trying to tell us?

In a recent overseas stores tour, the request led me to see a lot of signage about sustainability. That’s a fairly new term for what stores used to call “reuse, renew, and recycle” to which all Thrift Stores can contribute. While such sustainability is a great stores benefit and certainly a very Catholic objective, it is not why we operate our stores. Rather it is one of many good business practices we undertake in the course of our work.

Thus a second and most important question, for all our works: Why don’t we tell more people about our actual mission in what we do to meet it?

Our mission is to bring people to holiness, done through the serving of the poor, assisted with the operations and revenues of, in this example, the store. Our members often complain that no one knows enough about the Society. However, we continue to tell them only what we do. What we often fail to tell them is who we are.

It is natural to confuse activity with intentions. Our communities see our food pantries, pharmacies, and other programs, and so assume that these are the Society’s mission. Even worse, for privacy reasons we purposely don’t show the public our core Home Visit service, so they have no evidence that this is any aspect of our Society’s mission. At best they know we “help the poor,” and because that’s often enough to stimulate donations and good will from most people, we leave well enough alone.

This might all be fine if our mission was to attract volunteers and funds to help our neighbors in need. That’s dangerous thinking because many good people don’t need a faith basis to be charitable. As pro football coach, Bill Parcells once said, you are what your (win-loss) record says you are. What does our Society program, signage and advertising “record” say we are? Could we easily be confused with another social services organization, another used goods store, or a parish ministry?

Marketing people look for the “unique offering” that distinguishes you from the competition, and hopefully provides an advantage in attaining organizational goals.  A unique offering of the Society in a few words is that we offer our members the chance to see the face of Christ. That’s one heck of an offering, right?

We are not embarrassed by our Catholic faith, nor by our members being driven by it to serve the poor. We can be much more intentional about this in our materials messaging, signage, and especially in our language. When asked what the Society does, the proper response might be different for a parishioner than someone else, and that’s fine. Whether the response is, “We help our members grow in holiness through serving the poor,” or “We are Catholics and others who put our faith into action by serving the poor,” at least both point to the same north star of our mission. Yes, we accomplish lots of other good outcomes! We provide sustainable solutions for clothing and household goods. We make efficient use of medications and food supplies to help the most needy. We pay rent and utility bills. We teach neighbors how to be more self-sufficient. We advocate. We do all this and so much more, which, again, is fantastic.

Let’s not confuse what we do, though, with who we are. Others, perhaps many others in our community, can do what we do. No one else is who we are, the members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. We are not simply good people doing good works, we are disciples.  And we pray that others will join us and share in our vocation.

I invite you to close your eyes during your Vincentian service, and then re-open them. With this fresh view, what do you see?  Do others see it too?

Yours in Christ (see, isn’t that easy?),
Dave Barringer
CEO

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