Society of St. Vincent de Paul

  • 2 Comments
  • No Likes

Contemplation — A Culture of Love
Contemplation — A Culture of Love 1080 1080 SVDP USA

In 2018, a set of seven “Cultural Beliefs” was incorporated as Statute 2 in Part III of our Rule. Because the Society has always been governed by both the Rule and tradition, the Cultural Beliefs were not really new, but by articulating and adopting them as part of our Rule, we solidified their place as a fundamental aspect of our practices.

We often hear phrases about cultures: a culture of success, a culture of poverty, a culture of life, and so on. What unites cultures is a shared set of beliefs, whether written or unwritten. In our work, we often encounter people in poverty, especially generational poverty, in which there is an underlying belief that this is simply the way things are. After a certain amount of time without having money for things, you begin to internalize the idea that maybe a nice home, a new car, a better job, or even a cup of coffee at Starbucks are not just expensive, but they are simply not for people like you.

When we hold beliefs closely, unconsciously, deep in our hearts, they affect the way that we behave. Part of the foundational culture in the United States has always been a hopeful boldness; the same belief that enabled our forebears to load up the covered wagon and set out to cross the great plains on foot also led our great explorers to climb into a rocket and hurtle through space to walk on the moon. It’s the epitome of a cultural belief: if we believe it, we can do it.

And so, in serving the neighbor, we bring with us our beliefs: belief in Jesus Christ, belief in His saving power, and belief in the full worth and dignity of every single human person. By serving in hope, we give permission to hope, sometimes to people who have fallen into despair. We believe in our neighbors.

Importantly, “hope” is not simply a trite, feel-good slogan, it is one of the three theological virtues, inseparable from the other two, just like our three Essential Elements, through which we live the Theological Virtues: we serve in hope, we pray in faith, and in friendship we love one another and the neighbor.

In remarks to the General Assembly in 1837, Bl. Frédéric expressed our Cultural Belief in One Society and at the same time explained how the Essential Elements unite us, saying “The distances that stand between the most loyal of friends do not separate the Christian spirits or wills that come together to love one another, to pray, and to act…”

A culture is built and fed by beliefs. We believe in one God, in one Society, and in building a civilization of love. May we build our civilization of love by welcoming all into our culture of love.

Contemplate

How can I better ensure that my actions always follow my beliefs?

Recommended Reading

Building a Civilization of Love in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

Seven Duties of a Council President

If you tried to register for the “Seven Duties of a Council President” webinar last week, you may have encountered a broken link in the e-Gazette. Please register here.

  • 7 Comments
  • No Likes

06-22-2023 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
06-22-2023 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1080 1080 SVDP USA

At some point we lamented the loss of our local Sears, Montgomery Ward, at least one major family-owned downtown department store, Blockbuster, Circuit City, Tandy Leather, Burger Chef, Lums, Howard Johnson’s, K Mart, Toys R Us, and currently Bed Bath & Beyond and Party City. Add to these national players the restaurant we loved and some small neighborhood retailers.

We hold these as beloved establishments. However, when asked about them we often say something like “I loved the Sears store. My mom used to take us there as children” or some such memory that shows that we didn’t go there much, or at least not recently. We remember with our hearts, but we keep them alive (or not) with our feet.

The list includes many establishments that once thrived and were regarded as leaders in their category and in sales. They had devoted followers and popular offerings. So, what happened and what can we as Vincentians learn from this?

In most cases, they did not keep up with customer needs and demands. Maybe their fashion offerings went stale. Perhaps they didn’t provide enough value for their prices. It could have been a culture of bad hours, rude employees, dirty shops, or complicated checkout lines.  We fall in love slowly, but out of love quickly, with consumer brands. Two or three bad experiences and we change our spending habits.  Even established champions like Sears, which once dominated both catalogue and store retailing, succumbed to new competition and better ways for customers to shop.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a national retailer with our more than 400 stores, but the lessons to be considered here go beyond retailing. How often do we review what we offer – all of our service “products” – to see if they meet the needs of those we serve?  Do we keep up with what people in need really require, or do we do things the way we have always done them because it is easy? Some examples:

  • Do we operate food pantries on weekday mornings while many of those we serve are working and can’t get to us at that time?
  • Do we have Conference meetings at times/days that are inconvenient to those younger adults who we claim we want to join us?
  • Are our service applications complicated, and required to be filled out each and every time someone comes back to us for help? (Remember how we hate being asked for our phone and email every time at some stores?)
  • Do we still provide services that are offered nearby by government or other nonprofits (and sometimes better), but don’t offer other unavailable but urgently needed services, because “we don’t do that”?

A full Conference and Council review of what we do and how we do it, once annually, keeps us fresh and relevant in the eyes of our members and those we serve. Just because we are old doesn’t mean we are set in our ways. This applies to many of us individually, but also collectively as the Society!

Please do not take this suggestion for review as an invitation to no longer do Home Visits! Yes, even “signature offerings” should be held to a process review. Yes, it may be more efficient, or more convenient, for Vincentians and the person in need to replace the Home Visit with a service counter setting, or by phone or online such as was required during the pandemic. We never conduct Home Visits for these reasons. We do them in respect of those being served, and this never gets outdated. In fact, in these days of so many impersonal connections, they should be treasured!

Just as we adapted and changed when it was suddenly necessary in the pandemic, we likewise should continue to adapt to new transportation, financial, communications, and other technologies, new systemic change solution offerings, and in whatever other ways, new or existing, that improve our mission to “build a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need.” Likewise, if we can improve Society working conditions for employees, Vincentian and other volunteers, within the law and our means, we should be watchful for these opportunities.

While we have served in the United States since before the Civil War, we continue to seek holiness and relevance through change and innovation to improve relationships among our friends in need, and to serve in ways that give them assurance that the Society cares, listens, and does its very best to help them.  Christ’s love is never outdated. Our Gospel values are eternal.  May we never have a going out of business sale, and may we never be just a fond memory of the past. Instead, let’s keep looking ahead to a bright tomorrow in our communities!

Yours in Christ,
Dave Barringer

  • No Comments
  • No Likes

National Council Welcomes International Twinning Coordinator
National Council Welcomes International Twinning Coordinator 400 400 SVDP USA

The National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul is excited to welcome the new International Twinning Coordinator, Valeria Vlasich.

Valeria will focus on managing the International Twinning program. She will continue to connect Conferences and Councils across the United States with Conferences in need in other countries.

Valeria is from Mexico City, Mexico. She attended Sacred Heart School and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Global Affairs from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico.

Valeria has always been passionate about nonprofits and volunteering. She was very interested in diplomacy which drove her to take an internship at the Mexican Embassy in Budapest, Hungary.

“I think I’m most passionate about connecting cultures through service and building bridges to connect people instead of separation,” said Valeria. “I love the idea of community and support, and that’s the reason I’m especially excited about joining SVdP.”

She got married in February 2022 and currently lives in St. Louis with her husband.

If you would like to contact Valeria, she can be reached at (314) 576-3993 ext. 225 or by email at vvlasich@svdpusa.org.

  • 4 Comments
  • No Likes

Contemplation — Dropping Pebbles
Contemplation — Dropping Pebbles 1080 1080 SVDP USA

“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s,” Christ said, “and to God the things that are God’s.” With these words, Jesus answered His doubters’ attempt to find contradiction in His teachings, but also gives us some wisdom to carry with us on our home visits. After all, the neighbor we serve is made in the image of God. What is it, then, that is the neighbor’s due? What belongs to him?

Naturally, we are called for assistance with material needs, and seeking to meet those needs is the most basic of our works. To pay the light bill, the water bill, the gas bill; to assist with car repairs or rent; to provide food; all these things and more we do gladly, and the reward of these works is immediate, both for the neighbor, whose urgent needs are met, and for us, who feel fulfilled by offering this service. Faith without works, as we know, is dead, and these are our works, performed for the love of God alone.

Yet at the same time, and much more importantly, we are called to bring God’s love to the neighbor. To reassure them, by our kindness, our presence, and our prayers, that they are not forgotten. We are called to help them find their own way to God, to seek “the full flourishing and eternal happiness of every person.” [Rule Part I, 2.5.1]

Each bill we pay is, in a sense, merely a Caesar that must be paid; a Caesar who will never really be satisfied. Payment provides temporary relief, but not “eternal happiness.” And it sometimes happens that the neighbors have material needs that are so overwhelming that there is no chance we can meet all of them, or they struggle with illnesses or addictions that are simply not within our power to heal.

What then?

Each measure of kindness that we pour out, each prayer we offer, each bit of ourselves that we bring along and leave behind on our visit is a sharing of God’s love. It may not give us the same sort of immediate satisfaction that a repaired car might give, and it hurts our hearts to know that neighbor may continue to suffer in ways we cannot help, but it is in our acts of love, our presence, our sitting, and our listening, that we give them what is truly theirs: their dignity, and their hope.

We may never know how far in the pond the ripples may spread and grow from the pebble of kindness that we drop, but it isn’t for us to know. It is for God to know. It is for us to let go of the pebbles, to “do all the good we can, and trust to God for the rest.” [Baunard, 81]

Contemplate

Do I sometimes seek to measure success only by the bills we pay?

Recommended Reading

Turn Everything to Love

  • No Comments
  • No Likes

SVdP News Roundup June 10 – June 16
SVdP News Roundup June 10 – June 16 1080 1080 SVDP USA

With 100,000 Vincentians across the United States and nearly 800,000 around the world, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering. Read some of their stories here:

INTERNATIONAL

NATIONAL

  • No Comments
  • No Likes

A Week in Prayers June 12 – June 16
A Week in Prayers June 12 – June 16 1080 1080 SVDP USA

Monday, June 12

Place Your hands upon me, Lord,
Heal me with Your touch,
Steady me when I falter,
Or my troubles are too much.

Give me strength to share, O Lord,
For all of life’s demands,
And for my friends and neighbors,
Lord, let me be Your hands.
Amen

Tuesday, June 13

I love You, Lord Jesus, believe me.
I give You my heart in full.
I give You this day,
And all that will I do,
Happily, joyfully, and willingly.
What else can I do?
Amen

Wednesday, June 14

Awake me from my slumber, Lord,
Clear my eyes of sleep.
Help me to see You clearly, Lord,
In the falling rain, in the rising sun,
In the rustling leaves and darting birds,
In the face of a passing stranger.
Help me to love You more, Lord,
And to love You at first sight.
Amen

Thursday, June 15

Jesus, Son of God,
Who humbled Yourself as man,
Help me to follow
The way that You showed:
To love as You loved,
To serve and not to be served,
To give my life for others,
One day at a time.
Amen

Friday, June 16

O my Jesus,
Who came not to be served,
Let me take up Your mantle
And serve.
O my Jesus,
Thine is the kingdom,
Let me help build Your kingdom
On earth.
Amen

Daily Prayers are written by Tim Williams, National Vincentian Formation Director.
  • No Comments
  • No Likes

SVdP Stores Corner — Promoting Clothing Drives
SVdP Stores Corner — Promoting Clothing Drives 1080 1080 SVDP USA

Written by: Joe Lazarich, Council of Rockville Centre,  Northeast Region

A good opportunity to increase clothing donations and promote awareness of the Society and the mission is to collaboratively work together with our stores and Conferences to promote and execute clothing drives.

Below are some suggestions to help your drive be successful:

  • Select a date and time that is convenient for everyone, including the Pastor.
  • Work with the Vincentians to reserve a SVdP truck, if available, or provide a scheduled pick up at the location of the event upon completion.
  • Provide donation receipts, as requested.
  • Advertise in the church bulletin a few weeks prior to the event.
  • Promote on social media to include local groups such as “Moms and Dads.”
  • Inform surrounding parishes that do not have an SVdP Conference.
  • Ensure Conference members are present to assist and promote SVdP’s mission and fellowship.
  • Notify the Religious Education Department to inform their students who can earn volunteer/community service hours for participating in the clothing drive.

Click here to see the attached flyer that can be edited with your store’s clothing drive information.

We’d like to encourage you to attend the National Assembly – Stores Meeting on September 6, 2023 in St. Louis, MO.

The morning will start with a motivational message from Dr. Snyder-Director of the Phoenix’s Dental Clinic.  This will be followed by important information about the National Training Store’s growth and success in Phoenix during the last three years. You will hear valuable information that could help your store grow just like the National Store has grown. You will hear two testimonials from Rick Bologna & Bryan Engle about their experience either visiting the National Training Store or had a visit from and assessment done by National Stores Director Jeff Beamguard.

The afternoon will be dedicated to hearing information about store staffing, increasing donations, profitability, Point-of-Sale (POS), sharing of innovative ideas to think of new ways to serve, and information about a future National Training Store in Fairview, IL.

For those attending the Stores Meeting in its entirety on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, they will be eligible for door prizes to include:

$250 Amazon Gift Card, a trip for one to attend the 2024 National Assembly in Phoenix (Restrictions Apply), a trip for one to attend training at the National Training Store in Avondale, AZ (Restrictions Apply), and Dinner for two ($200 value) – Executive Director group only.

You don’t want to miss out!!

Please encourage your store personnel to subscribe to the to the e-Gazette, by emailing mboyer@svdpusa.org.

If you have a topic that you would like addressed in a future Stores Corner article, please e-mail our Director of Stores Support-Jeff Beamguard at jbeamguard@svdpusa.org.

  • 2 Comments
  • No Likes

06-15-2023 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
06-15-2023 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1080 1080 SVDP USA

Is it possible to be too kind?

A group of volunteers comes in every Tuesday to pack food boxes for the pantry. They are all such good friends that they spend a lot of time catching up, sharing jokes and stories. The other volunteers need to pick up the slack for them.

A Society store hires returning citizens in its processing areas. They produce only half of the units that the other employees generate daily, even after several months on the job. However, they are paid the same wage.

Sometimes it feels like the Society has conflicting objectives. We want to be friendly; in fact, Friendship is one of the Society’s three Essential Elements. Yet such friendship can reduce productivity toward another Essential Element, that of Service. We want to help those coming out of prison by giving them employment opportunities. However, if these employees don’t perform at the same levels of others in our employ, coworkers need to fill in around them to meet the business needs. They may feel unfairly treated, as they do so much more work for the same pay.

As Council and Conference leaders, we must balance kindness and friendship with the Society’s need to serve others economically and productively. We want to be liked, but we are also responsible for the “business” of the Society as faithful stewards of dollars, volunteer time and other resources.

This would be easier to see if it was just about dollars. We would not tolerate a volunteer or employee snacking on food meant for the food pantry, or taking it home. Most of our stores have a zero-tolerance policy for the theft of clothing or other goods meant for sale. Fortunately such cases are rare, but across the country we have had employees and volunteer leaders arrested for embezzlement of funds. We may feel compassion for those who have stolen from the Society, but we must side on the greater good of the community and its trust in the Society to keep high ethical standards and to manage their donations effectively.

It is more difficult to manage expectations for volunteers. We so appreciate anyone giving us their time that we excuse the wasting of some of that time. Yes, friendship is critical to what we do, and we want any volunteer experience to be enjoyable. This, though, has its limits. When others need to cover for the goof-offs, I mean less productive volunteers, and the tasks aren’t getting done despite what seems to be a reasonable number of hands applied to them, leaders need to step in. Otherwise, we risk losing our best volunteers when they feel exploited for the sake of others. They may quietly fade away, so this can be challenging to see right before our eyes.

Employees, such as in that store example above, are usually less quiet! They will complain about why they are paid the same as another but do so much more work, and then they leave. Or they slow down to another staffer’s activity level to achieve wage parity. Either response hurts the business. Thus, our attempt at caring, compassionate employment for some can result in the total business not performing well, endangering all of the workers’ jobs as well as our ability to serve the community.

What to do? First, we need to listen. We don’t want volunteers and employees snitching on others, but we can listen to the quiet complaining and then try to improve the situation. This improvement may entail coaching, performance reviews, transferring some people to where they can be more effective, and breaking up the friendship cliques to more productive working groups, all for the Society’s greater good.

We don’t help people by excusing bad behaviors. In fact, we make it worse for them eventually. Most of us learned this either as children or parents. When it comes to employees and especially volunteers, however, we sometimes act with our Vincentian hearts more than with our heads. Our leaders have at least two tools to help with this issue: other leaders and discernment. We can check with others we trust to ask if they see what we see. We then take in all the input and in most cases (those not endangering someone) we can develop a thoughtful, compassionate set of solutions.

As people, Vincentians and leaders, we all seek to be liked by others. The potential cost of leadership is risking such love by doing the necessary to protect the organization we lead. When we lead such a good organization as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, upon which so many people in need rely, we should not be slow to seek productivity improvements or conservation of precious resources. After all, we were elected by our fellow members with guidance from the Holy Spirit to do the right thing.

Yours in Christ,
Dave Barringer
CEO

  • No Comments
  • No Likes

A Week in Prayers June 5 – June 9
A Week in Prayers June 5 – June 9 1080 1080 SVDP USA

Monday, June 5

Jesus Christ, Son of Man,
Through Your endlessly inventive love
You remain present
In the bread of the Eucharist
And in the person of the neighbor.
Heal my soul, O Lord,
So that I may be worthy to receive You
And to serve You.
Amen

Tuesday, June 6

Holy Spirit, Breath of God,
Present in the quiet hours,
Like the morning mist
Above the grass.
Fill me with every breath.
Remain present to me,
Just as the mist remains
When made clear
By the Light of the World.
Amen

Wednesday, June 7

Heavenly Father, I give You my heart.
Without hesitation,
Without reservation,
I pour myself out before You.
In the neighbor, O God, I will serve You,
In Your name,
And for Your love alone.
Amen

Thursday, June 8 

Help me to live my faith, Lord,
In every part of my life.
May my daily work glorify You.
May my family life be in Your name.
May I serve the neighbor for Your love.
May even my sleep be a prayer,
So I awaken each day in Your light.
Amen

Friday, June 9

In the name of the Father,
I rise from sleep
And face the day with joy.
In the name of the Son,
I bear my cross
And share His love with all.
In the name of the Holy Spirit,
My heart’s on fire
And I shall never tire.
Amen

Daily Prayers are written by Tim Williams, National Vincentian Formation Director.
  • No Comments
  • No Likes

SVdP News Roundup June 3 – June 9
SVdP News Roundup June 3 – June 9 1080 1080 SVDP USA

With 100,000 Vincentians across the United States and nearly 800,000 around the world, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering. Read some of their stories here:

INTERNATIONAL

NATIONAL

Enter your
text here
Skip to content