Society of St. Vincent de Paul

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First Winner of Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award Announced

First Winner of Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award Announced https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/mia.jpg 640 320 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png August 18, 2022 August 18, 2022

This year, the National Youth Committee hosted a Society-wide search for young people doing amazing work in their community. Vincentians from around the Country nominated youth from their Councils for the new Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award which will be presented at the National Assembly in Baltimore.

The committee would now like to spotlight the winners of this prestigious award. “Each and every single one of our nominees we have shared with you over the last few weeks displayed hope for the future of the Society. Youth from all over the country are doing amazing acts of charity on behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul,” said John Paul Brissette, National Youth Committee Member. “Although they were all deserving of this award, two nominations stood out. The winners of this award showed how they are embodying the Vincentian charism of faith, friendship, and service in their daily lives through the works they do. The Youth Committee is proud to introduce you to the first of our two winners.”

The Youth Committee hopes the stories of each youth spotlighted over the last few weeks has encouraged and motivated you to inspire youth to get involved in your local Diocese.

Mia Humphrey – San Diego Diocesan Council

Mia Humphrey served her Conference, St. John Mini Vinnies, as the president two out of the five years the Conference has existed. I heard that the “aging Society” needs to provide opportunities for our youth, and let them stand on our shoulders to see what more can be done. With Vincentians like Mia, I see that we can provide them with spiritual guidance, and allow them to do the great things God is calling them to do.

In 2018, Mia began her service by attending the SVdP National Assembly in San Diego and she went all in from there. During this time, her father had just passed away. Mia was strong in supporting her mother and brother. Mia’s energy, positive attitude, and passion are testament to her strength. Mia is stronger than many many adults I know. In the midst of this personal struggle, she supported and nourished her Mini Vinnies to grow. Mia was responsible for her Conference’s “Yarn Hearts” project. The Mini Vinnies created hearts out of yarn to provide to adults to give out on Home Visits. Each heart came with a handwritten message of love attached.

Mia is an excellent role model and has been instrumental in bringing youth to the Conference and keeping them engaged. During the Covid months, when face-to-face meetings were limited, Mia led her Conference through these challenging times and continued to meet each first Friday on Zoom in spirituality, friendship, and service. When the Society was informed of a pregnant woman in need, Mia jumped at the opportunity to help plan a baby shower for the mother over Zoom and provide beautiful gifts for the new baby. In addition to keeping our parish’s Mini Vinnies together, Mia has welcomed the challenge of inviting other youth from nearby parishes to open similar groups.

Mia graduated high school this spring and is excited to start college in the fall, she looks to carry on her Vincentian passion at the University of Portland. She embraces all the Vincentian qualities. She is positive, generous, humble, gentle, zealous, loving, and fun. She has strong leadership skills, and happily serves anyone in need. The Vincentian charisms of spirituality, friendship, and service are an integral part of her daily life and this is why I nominated Mia Humphrey for the Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award.

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08-18-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leader

08-18-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leader https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Barringer_Dave_lo-res.jpg 1363 1363 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png August 17, 2022 August 17, 2022

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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Contemplation — A Very Mysterious, Excellent Way

Contemplation — A Very Mysterious, Excellent Way https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Contemplations-Image-1.jpg 940 788 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png August 12, 2022 August 15, 2022

During its first two decades, within the short lifetime of Bl. Frédéric, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul expanded rapidly, with Conferences established across France, throughout Europe, and even around the globe in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Only four years after the founding, Frédéric remarked that “our little Society of St. Vincent de Paul has grown large enough to be considered a providential fact”. [Letter 160, to Lallier, 1837]

It would be a natural human instinct to take great pride in this growth, to shout out to the world about how great the Society had become! Frédéric instead advised that, rather than take pride in this, we should “seek to develop the spirit of humility. Grass grows rapidly, but it does not cease on that account to be insignificant; it does not say because it covers much ground, I am the oak.” [Baunard, 396]

In a similar way, we should avoid developing pride in the annual reports of our Conferences and Councils. We are of course required by tax laws and by basic accountability to our benefactors to offer such reports, and as the old Texas saying goes, “it ain’t bragging if you can do it.” This may be true for worldly accomplishments, but the virtue of humility reminds us “that we can achieve nothing of eternal value without His grace.” [Rule, Part I, 2.5.1]

We can no more take personal credit or pride from the numbers in our reports than a child can take pride in eating the meal his parents have provided. Humility calls us to accept our gifts with gratitude, with love, and with joy.

All our gifts, the ones we receive and the ones we give, are from God. Even the very founding, organization, and growth of the Society is from God alone. As St. Vincent explained to the Daughters of Charity in 1648, “‘There can be no doubt whatever that it was God who established you. It wasn’t [Louise]; she didn’t think of it. As for me, alas! it never occurred to me… it’s God himself who has brought you together in a very mysterious, excellent way…” [CCD IX:358]

As we assemble our reports and share them with our parishes and benefactors, we should always do so with “gratitude for having been chosen, frail and weak as we are, as instruments of so great an enterprise. It especially remains for us to render ourselves worthy.” [Letter 205, to Athaud, 1837]

After all, to say that the Society is “providential” is precisely to say that it is not our doing.

Contemplate

Do I know, deep in my heart, that all my works of charity are works of God alone?

SVdP News Roundup August 6 – August 12

SVdP News Roundup August 6 – August 12 https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/svdp-news.jpg 1200 1200 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png August 12, 2022 August 12, 2022

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

AUSTRALIA: Local Community Gardens Receive New Grant Funding
AUSTRALIA: High-rise homes for those in need in Footscray
IRELAND: €1.5 million funding boost for The Society of St Vincent de Paul and Protestant Aid

NATIONAL

BATON ROUGE, LA: Inflation has Baton Rouge consumers, stores reeling; ‘it’s just almost like a perfect storm’
BEND, OR: Bend village of tiny homes aims to help those often left behind
CINCINNATI, OH: SVdP Cincinnati Searching for CEO
COVINGTON, KY: St. Vincent de Paul Sweet Dreams Bed Program helping NKy children get a good night’s rest
GREAT FALLS, MT: ‘Camp Skychild’ offers summer fun after a two-year absence
ORLANDO, FL: Vincentians heed call to ‘love thy neighbor’
THIBODAUX, LA: Weekend fundraiser in Thibodaux to benefit St. Vincent de Paul Tri-Parish Community Pharmacy

Help us share the good news of the good work being done in your local Conference or Council! Email us at info@svdpusa.org with the subject line Good News.

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Daily Prayers August 8 – August 12

Daily Prayers August 8 – August 12 https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/SVdP-Daily-Prayer.png 940 788 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png August 12, 2022 August 12, 2022

Monday, August 8

Lord by Your grace

And the light of the dawn

I am given to see a new day

Help me to live it

With faith, hope, and love

Help me to follow Your way.

Amen

Tuesday, August 9

I love You, Father,

With the heart of a child,

I trust in You to provide.

My heart is full,

And I thank You, Father.

I seek to do Your will.

Amen

Wednesday, August 10

O Christ present among us,

You await me when I serve;

To visit the poor ten times a day,

And ten times a day to see You.

Your presence makes me

A cheerful giver.

Amen

Thursday, August 11

Lord, forgive me,
For the times I’ve been unkind,
For being less than gentle,
And mostly for the times
I failed to forgive.
Help me, Father, to forgive.
Amen

Friday, August 12

Lord in Heaven

Lord on earth

Lord within my heart

Guide me, mold me, heal me

Make me whole

With Your body and blood

Make me free in Your boundless love

Amen

Daily Prayers are written by Tim Williams, National Vincentian Formation Director.

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Next Nominee for Youth Award Announced

Next Nominee for Youth Award Announced https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/youth-4.png-scaled.jpg 2560 1280 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png August 11, 2022 August 11, 2022

This year, the National Youth Committee hosted a Society-wide search for young people doing amazing work in their community. Vincentians from around the country nominated youth from their Councils for the new Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award which will be presented at the National Assembly in Baltimore.

“As a committee, we were blown away by the number of submissions and the incredible projects these youth were doing on behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul,” said John Paul Brissette, National Youth Committee Member. “Each week leading up to the National Assembly, we will be shining the spotlight on the nominees and their stories. Our goal is to encourage and celebrate our youth involvement in SVdP with excerpts directly written by those who nominated them.

This week, we would like to introduce our next nominee:

Amy Lee – Los Angeles

Amy started volunteering near the end of elementary school because her parents were already Vincentians. She began delivering food to homeless shelters. When Amy entered high school she became more engaged with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. She began to encourage her friends to join and volunteer with her, she succeeded. Amy and her friends began collecting and delivering socks, shirts, pants, and daily necessities as well as serving the homeless at meal sites. In 2019, Amy attended a Vincentian retreat to grow in spirituality with her fellow Vincentians. Her service earned her the 2019 President’s Service Award. In 2021 she attended another Vincentian retreat as well as the San Pedro district annual meeting. I know she will be a member that will continue to volunteer in the future to the best of her ability that is why I nominate Amy Lee for the Alex Garvey Excellence in Youth Award.

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08-11-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leader

08-11-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leader https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Middlecamp_Ralph_lo-res-e1625146342641.jpg 1367 1520 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png August 11, 2022 August 11, 2022

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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Contemplation — Unique and Unrepeatable

Contemplation — Unique and Unrepeatable https://ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Contemplations-Image-1.jpg 940 788 SVDP USA SVDP USA //ssvpusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/svdp-usa-ssvp-int.png August 8, 2022 August 15, 2022

Vincentians “do not judge those they serve.” [Rule, Part I, 1.9] This simple admonition is readily accepted by members of the Society, given that all Christians are called to stop judging. But human nature being as it is, it can be difficult to practice non-judgmentalism when we find ourselves in a circumstance which seems to call for judgment.

“Everyone,” C.S. Lewis once said, “says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” [Mere Christianity] In a similar way, being non-judgmental sounds quite good in theory, but then we encounter the neighbor who has blown every penny of his tax refund on a vacation, and now needs help with rent; the neighbor who has bought food for his five dogs but needs our help to feed the kids; or the neighbor who paid the cable bill and now can’t pay for electricity.

“What were they thinking?” we ask ourselves, allowing ourselves in that moment to believe that we know best. More often than not, though, the measure by which we measure is merely ourselves, our own experiences and circumstances. It becomes easy to assign blame when we lose sight of the different experiences and circumstances that shape each of us, as if the person with one leg should be expected to keep pace with the sprinter, or the person with no hope to make plans for the future.

Our Manual explains that our “nonjudgmental attitude excludes assigning guilt or responsibility for a person’s needs or problems.” [Manual, 62] As Blessed Rosalie also taught, we must “love those who are poor, don’t blame them too much…It is with such words that we dispense ourselves from the very strict obligation of charity.” [Sullivan, 211]

The astrophysicist Carl Sagan once said that “If you want to bake an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” In this witty saying, he captures the similar truth that on one home visit (or many) we cannot fully know each neighbor’s “whole story.” We cannot know all of the obstacles they have faced, nor all the victories they have won.

On our home visits, we are called to judge the need, not the person, always with a view towards helping in the best way possible. The only way to do this is, as St. Vincent reminds us, is to “get in the habit of judging events and persons, always and in all circumstances, for the good. If an action has a hundred facets to it…always look at its best side… even though intelligence and human prudence tell us the contrary.” [CCD II:638]

Each of us is created in God’s image, unique and unrepeatable, formed throughout our lives by the people that surround us. May it be our love, not our judgment that helps form our neighbors – and ourselves.