Society of St. Vincent de Paul

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News Roundup 2-19 to 2-25
News Roundup 2-19 to 2-25 1200 1200 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

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 Week of February 21
Daily Prayers Week of February 21 940 788 SVDP USA

Monday, February 21:

Father, receive me,
Broken and small
Hear the words of my prayer
Father, forgive me
Make me whole
Bring me to new life in You
Amen

Tuesday, February 22:

St. Peter, pray for us
That our faith may be a rock
Upon which we stand
Our works bearing witness
To Christ’s church in the world
And the love of the Father for all
Amen

Wednesday, February 23:

Help me, Father, to hear the cries
Of the lonely and deprived
Give me strength and give me time
To serve them as You have served me
Send me, if it is Your will
Amen

Thursday, February 24:

Lord, awaken me
With Your whispered words,
Open my eyes
To Your gentle light.
Refresh me, renew me,
Give me Your strength.
Bring me from night
Into day.
Amen

Friday, February 25:

Lord hear our prayer
For Your children in Ukraine
At war or in the shadow of war.
Protect them from harm,
Especially the unarmed,
The weak, the small, the helpless.
Protect your children from fear
With the light of Your eternal hope.
Bring peace to their hearts,
And if it is Your will,
Bring peace in Ukraine.
Amen
Daily Prayers are written by Tim Williams, National Vincentian Formation Director. 
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02-24-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
02-24-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1363 1363 SVDP USA

It’s been too long since I have seen a cockroach.

Lying on a resort beach chair while on a mini-vacation a few days ago,  I thought about how much my life has changed since growing up fairly poor. Some people will tell you that they were poor as children but didn’t know it. I remember it vividly!

In a divorced home as the oldest of four children, I watched my mother scramble for rent, school clothes, and even food. We lived in a meager apartment, a roof over our heads, but not much more. Roaches are common in apartments, though they were not, and are not, value judgements. You could have an immaculate home but whenever a neighbor moved out, their pests lost a food supply, so they migrated to you until you beat them back. I remember being mortified when on a rare occasion I would invite a friend to our place and a cockroach appeared. By necessity I learned the art of misdirection! Living with roaches was a constant battle that the roaches always inevitably seemed to win.

In my 60s now, education, the values Mom and others taught me, and income have taken me far away from those meager times. It would be fairly easy now not to see poverty in others — one could spend your way out, right?

Not really. Poverty, like roaches, is all around us whether or not we choose to see it. It’s in the cashier we paid to buy our coffee, who is working her second, or third, job to make ends meet. Its in the apartments just behind the shopping center that house the workers in the shops and office who can’t otherwise afford to live where they work. Its the frail, elderly grandmother we see in the grocery store, buying food for her extended family because her adult child is ill or in prison. You would likely be surprised to know how many children in your local elementary school are on a free breakfast and lunch program. It will break your Vincentian heart.

Those of us who grew up poor rarely thank God directly for the experience. Instead we thank Him for helping us to have the persistence, providential breaks, and the loving hearts of others who helped us escape poverty and “graduate” to the middle class or above. We also thank God for Saints Vincent and Louise, Blesseds Frédéric and Rosalie, and others who both set examples of serving the less fortunate and who educated others not to judge people’s character by their surroundings, misfortune, and  current circumstances.  As Vincentians today, we carry on these examples and works. We choose not to be blind to the poverty surrounding us, and then to do something positive about it, even if it helps just one person.

Everything created by God has a purpose. Maybe God created the humble cockroach not as a symbol of those who are poor, but to remind us of poverty itself. No matter how hard we fight it, poverty will still be with us. Perhaps we can’t totally eradicate it, but neither should we approve of living with it, either. What can we do ourselves, and how can we enlist others to see what we see and then to act?

Your in Christ,
Dave Barringer
CEO

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SVdP National Council Welcomes New Director of Philanthropy
SVdP National Council Welcomes New Director of Philanthropy 238 240 SVDP USA

The National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul is excited to welcome Donald Dowdell as its new Director of Philanthropy. Don will work alongside Dennis Kempf to increase the Society’s visibility and fundraising success on a national level

Don will work alongside Dennis Kempf to increase the Society’s visibility and fundraising success on a national level.

Don has served in a variety of roles throughout over two decades working in Development. He has worked for the following prestigious consulting firms Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners; Changing Our World, Inc.; Cornerstone Fundraising, and Trinity Consulting.

His knowledge and experience includes years of development leadership in overseeing major campaigns and development strategies for hospitals, churches, schools, retirement institutions, nursing facilities, performing arts centers, museums, and social service organizations throughout the United States.

More than half of Don’s clients have been in the Catholic Community, from parish campaigns to diocesan efforts and religious orders. Fundraising efforts have been for capital campaigns, general operations, endowments, catholic schools, stewardship programs, increased offertory, ministry needs, support of religious vocations, retirement, and health care needs of the clergy, and support of laity initiatives and their growing role in the Catholic community.

In his personal life Don was active with music and youth ministries, taught religious education at his parish for elementary and middle-school students, a cantor at his parish, and was a founding member of Creative Ministries, a group that used music and theater to reach out to the community in a different way to relay the Good News.

Don shares his love of the outdoors and nature with his children and grandkids.

Welcome Don!

If you would like to contact Don, you can email him at ddowdell@svdpusa.org or call him at (314) 576-3993 ext. 227.

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Disaster Services Update
Disaster Services Update 940 788 SVDP USA

Last week, SVdP’s Disaster Services Corporation conducted a customized training on DSC’s Programs for over 25 Vincentians within the SVdP Denver Metro Council and associated Conferences. The training focused on how Councils and Conferences can leverage DSC’s grants and programs to build capacity for the local Vincentian response to the devastating wildfires that recently swept across Colorado. In addition, DSC spent a large portion of the training focusing on how Vincentians can provide Disaster Case Management services to wildfire survivors.

Vincentians from St. Michael the Archangel Parish Conference joined other northern Colorado Vincentians in directly assisting Marshall fire survivors. We partnered with Catholic Charities representatives operating out of the Disaster Assistance Center (DAC) in Lafayette last month. Officials say that over 900 homes were destroyed and at least another 300 were damaged in the Marshall fire.

Survivors needed housing, food, and clothing assistance. A few were from the St. Louis Parish, the church that was undamaged but located in Louisville where many houses were lost. We met Deacon Dan from St. Louis Parish who said that the church was saved but that he lost his home to the fire. He did not lose his sense of humor as he explained that he is working both sides of the table.

There was little or no warning for most people due to rapid spread of the fire. One couple who had their dog with them said they had no warning and just got their pet and sped off. A woman told us she was on a recurring IV treatment in the Louisville hospital when the hospital evacuation started. Her house was lost.

SVdP activities in Denver began in 1876. Fr. Terry Kissell initiated the formation of the Conference in April 2011. The Conference was aggregated in 2014 in Paris, France. St. Michael the Archangel is one of 28 Conferences that make up the Denver Metro Council. They work closely and often with the Denver Metro Council and other parish Conferences.

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Contemplation – Better Things To Do
Contemplation – Better Things To Do 940 788 SVDP USA

“I’m too busy” is a thing we sometimes say when we really mean that this activity or that person is just not important enough to us. As Vincentians, we have come to learn that this can never be the answer when we are interrupted by a call from the neighbor.

It’s a lesson many learn as parents. We might enjoy nothing more than to watch our favorite team play on TV, but if it conflicts with the ballet recital or the Little League game, well…we can check the score later.

It’s never really a matter of time; it’s a matter of priorities.

Like parenthood, our calling as Vincentians is “a vocation for every moment of our lives.” [Rule, Part I, 2.7] Our moments, and how we spend them, are driven by love, not by the schedules we’d planned. That’s easy to remember when it is your child tugging at your sleeve, but it sometimes slips our minds when it is a neighbor in need interrupting dinner.

This was the exact point St. Vincent made when replying to one of the missioners who had apologized for sharing his troubles. “Brother,” Vincent replied, “have no fear that you’re bothering me. You should realize that someone appointed by God to serve others is no more put out by the demands made on him than a father would be in regard to his children.” [CCD XII:392]

It is not that we view the neighbor as a child, but rather that we always remember we were called first by God, and that He calls us from time to time in the person of the neighbor in need. We don’t have to make time for our neighbors, because being Christ to us, the time is already theirs.

None of this is to say that we are not allowed to get tired! St. Vincent constantly reminded his followers not to allow their zeal to make them do more than they were able. [CCD II:375] More importantly, as he once told St. Louise, we must rest to regain our strength, because even if we don’t need it, the neighbor in need does. [CCD I:392]

In our memories, the joy of the ballet recital or the Little League game entirely wash away whatever else we thought was important at the time. We can clearly see that there were no better things to do; that we received a greater gift than we ever could have given.

In a similar way, we thank God for the blessings we receive from those whom we visit. In the fullness of time, in union with Christ and with each other, we will rejoice in the memory of every interruption.

Contemplate

Where is the neighbor in my list of daily priorities?

Recommended Reading

Faces of Holiness (especially Vincent, Father of the Poor)

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News Roundup Feb. 12 – Feb. 18
News Roundup Feb. 12 – Feb. 18 1200 1200 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

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 Week of February 14
Daily Prayers Week of February 14 940 788 SVDP USA

Monday, February 14:

For all I seek to find,
For my direction on the path,
You are the way, Lord Jesus.
For all I seek to know,
In my heart and in my mind,
You are the truth, Lord Jesus.
For all I seek to be,
In heaven and on earth,
You are the life, Lord Jesus.
Amen

Tuesday, February 15:

Yesterday’s troubles forgotten,
Today is a shining gift.
I am surrounded by Your blessings,
And my heart is filled with joy
That my voice cannot contain.
I will sing Your praise, O God,
Until the morning comes again.
Amen

Wednesday, February 16:

I have heard Your word, O God,
With my mind and heart and soul.
Your word is my comfort but not mine alone.
Help me to share it not by talking,
But by doing as You taught
With all heart,
With all my soul,
With all my mind,
With all the strength of my arms,
And the sweat of my brow.
Amen

Thursday, February 17:

Who do You say that I am, Lord?
Am I one who kept Your word?
Am I one who shared Your love?
Am I a friend who serves?
Live within me, Lord.
Help me live as You have taught.
Make me last, not first.
Make me a friend who serves.
Amen

Friday, February 18:

Lord Jesus, I give myself to You
Each day and in all that I do
Through my prayer
May my faith be known
Through my joy
May my hope be known
Through my works
May my love be known
Amen
Daily Prayers are written by Tim Williams, National Vincentian Formation Director. 
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A Letter From Our Servant Leaders – 2-17-2022
A Letter From Our Servant Leaders – 2-17-2022 1368 1387 SVDP USA

As Vincentians we follow Christ’s example whenever possible in matters of our faith and love of the poor, each other and God. Why then do we resist another example He provides, of presence?

Would our Catholic faith be different if there was improved technology in Christ’s time? Without mass publishing, phones, and emails, Christ and later the Apostles used their feet. Christ was in person to recruit each Apostle, not relying on a temple poster. He spoke to the masses on the Mount rather than sending out a newsletter or Instagram post. And (Bible spoiler alert!) He came back from the dead and appeared in person to his Apostles. He didn’t send a text or a YouTube video. Even within those earlier times, He didn’t send an angel or messenger on His behalf. Some things you just gotta do in person.

I’d like to think that all this didn’t happen as described only because modern technology didn’t exist. Remember, God once provided simultaneous translation so that everyone heard the Word in their own language – without wires and earpieces! If He so desired, I’m sure he could have had us invent technology earlier and provide cellphones or whatever. No, I think He has always appreciated the singular value of being there in person.

It’s been nearly two years now since it seemed that everything shut down. Business, restaurant, and school closures. No in-person meetings.  Weeks of absolute quarantine. Not even what we assumed would always be with us, the Sunday Mass. In our Vincentian work, no Home Visits and no Conference meetings, the core strategies of our mission together.  It’s as if COVID was a virus that not only killed people, but also our institutions.

We slowly return now to normal, but with new tools, new systems, and perhaps, for good or bad, new strategies and habits. We have gotten used to doing our work and living our lives increasingly through the phone and the Internet. But just because we can doesn’t always mean we should.

Some people have immunology issues or are simply afraid of contracting the virus, and we need to recognize their situations and adapt as we can. For most of us though, it’s time to return to Christ’s example and get back out there, safely but in person. Technology was a necessary and welcome, saving fix to our challenges. In many ways it is best that we now view that fix as temporary.

From our beginnings, Conference meetings have been in person. Granted, we barely had phones when we started! But while tech has changed since 1833, the benefits of members experiencing our three Essential Elements of Spirituality, Friendship, and Service have outweighed the meeting technology conveniences.

The Home Visit has long set us apart from the many social service agencies and even other good Catholic groups seeking to serve the poor. We, and the person being served, see the Face of Christ only in person.

Our Council, regional, and national meetings are coming back on line as well. I hear from so many that they have missed their friends and the opportunity to share with each other, enhanced when in person relative to emails and phone calls. Breaking bread together is more than a meal; it’s a treasured relationship. I expect next month’s Midyear meeting hallways to be full of good cheer!

Sure, we have tools that can make our tasks faster, less expensive, and more efficient. Serving the poor, though, has never been an efficient undertaking. Increasing our spirituality, our core mission, has never had a shortcut!

As we follow Christ, let’s look to his engagement strategies. He never “mailed it in” to a gathering or a sermon. He sent disciples, often with no more than the clothes on their backs, to strange towns where they knew not a soul to spread the Word in person. At the very core of our faith, He presented Himself to be tortured and crucified. Only through these examples of personal presence could He then return and save all of us.

We have been forced to take cover, physically and often spiritually, for two years. The least we can do now in Christ’s name is to attend our meetings in person, ask friends and family to join and support us with personal invitations, and visit with neighbors in need where they live. Let’s return intentionally to Christ, not only in our prayers but through our lives of renewed presence.

Yours in Christ,
Dave Barringer
CEO

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Contemplation – Forever a Beautiful Tree
Contemplation – Forever a Beautiful Tree 940 788 SVDP USA

We can sometimes feel frustrated, even guilty, when our works don’t seem to achieve the results we’d anticipated, forgetting for a moment that we are called to serve our neighbors for love alone. We can take solace and learn from the example of St. Louise de Marillac, who also was often burdened by feelings of shame and anguish at coming up short in her works.

Louise had many great gifts – artistic and intellectual, she was a natural leader and great organizer whose imagination in works of charity seemed unbounded. Louise once served as president of the Confraternity of Charity at her own parish, Saint Nicolas-du-Chardonnet. She had a deep religious devotion, formed in her earliest years. Yet still, she sometimes fell into despair when she did not achieve all she had set out to do.

In was in one such instance that Vincent reminded her not to “think that all is lost because of the little rebellions you experience interiorly. It has just rained very hard and is thundering dreadfully. Is the weather less beautiful for that?” [CCD I:62] In other words, we serve God first, before and above our goals. And if we seek to make His will our own, we should never despair. After all, God causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

It was her “lumière” of 1623 that led Louise to Vincent, and that reassured her of her calling to religious life. She wrote down that divine vision and kept it in her pocket throughout her life. No doubt it reminded her from time to time of the peace that had washed over her that Pentecost Sunday and reassured her that God “had a plan…from all eternity, for [her] soul.” [Sp. Wri. 691]

When we are open to it, each of us has such moments of conversion in our lives; a time when God speaks, or winks, or gives us a glimpse of His plan for us. Going back to re-read them can ease the frustrations we sometimes feel along our path, giving us peace, and reassuring us of the great hope in which we serve.

Our formation is a lifelong process, and along the path we will sometimes falter. Through wealth and poverty; as wife, mother, widow, and servant, Louise devoted her entire self to the will of God, growing in peace at every step. In turn, she became a wise teacher, and model of holiness, to many others.

“Oh! what a tree you have appeared to be today in God’s sight,” declared Vincent, “since you have borne such a fruit! May you be forever a beautiful tree of life bringing forth fruits of love, and I, in that same love, your servant.” [CCD I:46]

Contemplate

What is my lumière? Am I a gentle voice, reassuring others to trust in providence?

Recommended Reading

Praying with Louise de Marillac

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    The National Council of the United States, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Inc. is a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Donations to the National Council are deductible. The Council’s tax identification number is 13-5562362.

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