Society of St. Vincent de Paul

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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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Daily Prayers Week of February 7
Daily Prayers Week of February 7 940 788 SVDP USA

Monday, February 7:

Blessed Rosalie Rendu,
Child of war, Daughter of Charity,
Good mother of all,
Pray for us, that God may grant us
The courage, compassion, and love
That you showed throughout your life.
May our works become our prayer.
Amen

Tuesday, February 8:

God of mercy,
God of love,
Fulfill in me Your will;
My arms to bear the burdens,
My legs to walk the path,
My lips to speak the word,
My mind to share Your mercy,
My heart to share Your love.
Amen

Wednesday, February 9:

My heart is filled with Joy, my Lord!
My soul is filled with song!
Thank You for the gifts, my God,
That made me who I am.
Help me share them fully,
So I may be who I should be.
Amen

Thursday, February 10:

Lord Jesus, I place my faith in You
Enough to move mountains
Enough to plant seeds
Enough to touch Your cloak
Enough to be healed
Enough for the troubles of the day
Amen

Friday, February 11:

O my Jesus, let me see with new eyes
Remove the cares that blind me
Let there be light before me
Make me a new creation
So I may live and breathe and move
In Your name and for Your sake
Amen
Daily Prayers are written by Tim Williams, National Vincentian Formation Director. 
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New Roundup 2-5-2022 to 2-11-2022
New Roundup 2-5-2022 to 2-11-2022 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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SVdP National Council Welcomes New Director of National Fundraising Programs
SVdP National Council Welcomes New Director of National Fundraising Programs 414 424 SVDP USA

The National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul is excited to welcome the new Director of National Fundraising Programs, Alyssa Bergman.

Alyssa will focus on growing revenue through all direct mail channels, mid-level donors and the monthly giving program.

Alyssa was born and raised in the St. Louis area. She attended the University of Tulsa where she graduated with a degree in Communications. Alyssa has a variety of experience in the nonprofit industry including event planning, volunteer coordination, fundraising campaign development, and donor management. She has always been passionate about service to others and is looking forward to sharing the mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

She currently lives in St. Louis with her husband, Josh and they are overjoyed to be welcoming their first child in March.

If you would like to contact Alyssa, she can be reached at (314) 576-3993 ext. 218 or by email at abergman@svdpusa.org.

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2-10-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
2-10-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1119 630 SVDP USA

From FAMVIN:

We are pleased to announce that this year’s Circular Letter, written by the President General International, has been published. The work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, still marked by the pandemic, has not been hindered; instead, it has become a real challenge, as it was for the founders of the Conferences, who endured similar situations in their times.

The President General states that “inequality and deprivation have increased, among nations and within them” and that “God expects much of us, the members, now more than ever, as the consequences of the pandemic, as well as so many tragic deaths, are disastrous for the whole mankind.”

In this regard, Renato Lima elaborates on the myriad of initiatives undertaken by the Council General International in these times, which is clear evidence that we can keep on serving in hope, despite all the hardships, and reach out to the most vulnerable.

The President General also addresses the importance of education to alleviate poverty, the care and respect of the environment, the Vincentian behavior, and the good practices in the management of charitable works and at the Councils.

Furthermore, the President General makes some recommendations for members: Observing the SSVP’s Rule, body and soul; working in harmony with the precepts of the Church; and always being charitable towards our companions on this Vincentian path, so that Conferences may truly be a “place of holiness”.

Like in previous Circular Letters written by our dear President, he kindly requests each and every Vincentian to nurture the “moral duty to care for the Vincentian Family, as a priority in our strategy” wherever Conferences are present and take care, with the same zeal, of younger Vincentian members, while giving unlimited support, organizing projects and programs especially for them, seeking creative ways for training them, investing in their future and opening up more spaces for them to take decisions within the SSVP at a national level.

Moreover, upcoming presidential elections at the Council General are therein addressed, and ideal conditions thereof are put forward by Renato Lima. The candidate, among other attributes, should lead a Vincentian life, be charismatic and kind, have managerial skills, and speak several languages.

Finally, it is worth highlighting the commitment made by the President General and his team, who are working hard so that the Church can declare Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam,  our main founder, a saint, and the initiatives launched by this Presidency to make the history and origins of our institution known, like the themed years dedicated to each of the co-founders of the SSVP (2022 is devoted to Le Taillandier).

In his final message, the President General stresses that, with God’s help, the Society has expanded and grown throughout its history, always with a defined goal: “the holiness of its members and standing beside those who suffer on a path of charity”.

The Circular Letter is recommended reading during meetings at the Conferences and Councils. Due to its length, it should be read out piecemeal for deeper reflection.

Click on this link to read the President General’s full Circular Letter.

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Contemplation – For Love Alone
Contemplation – For Love Alone 940 788 SVDP USA

In describing the Vincentian Vocation, our Rule says that our “ideal is to help relieve suffering for love alone.” [Rule, Part I, 2.2] Many, if not most Vincentians are first drawn to the Society by the desire to do something; to love God, as St Vincent put it, “with the strength of our arms and the sweat of our brows.”[CCD XI:32]

Relieving suffering, we think, is an end in itself; to serve those in need without discrimination or judgment; to give of our time, our possessions, our talents, and ourselves. So, what does it mean to do all this for love alone?

St. Paul teaches that of the three theological virtues – faith, hope, and love – the greatest of these is love. So that, even as the Letter of James asks us not to “forget the necessities of the body” because “faith without works is dead,” Paul declares that even “if I have faith enough to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own … but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

The apostle here strips away nearly everything but love.

It’s important to understand that in the Greek, the scriptures use several different words for love. The one Paul uses here is agape – the love of God. This love is not an emotion; it’s an act of will. Of putting the needs of another before our own. Agape sometimes also translated as “charity.”

Bl. Frederic once contrasted philanthropy (simply giving away our possessions) with charity saying: “Philanthropy is a vain woman for whom good actions are a piece of jewelry and who loves to look at herself in the mirror. Charity is a tender mother who keeps her eyes fixed on the infant she carries at her breast, who no longer thinks of herself, and who forgets her beauty for her love.“ [90, to Curnier, 1835] What purer image of charity could there be than the self-giving love of a mother?

Our catechism defines charity as “the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his sake alone, and our neighbor as ourselves, for the love of God.”

As it happens, Jesus once said something quite similar. We call it the greatest commandment, so it should be no surprise that Vincentians are called to live that commandment.

If we seek to relieve physical suffering alone, or, as Frederic put it, we “appeal to men from below, taking heed of their material wants only,” we will often be disappointed; we will often come up short. But the love of God is in endless supply, and as St. Paul assures us: love never fails.

Contemplate

How can I grow closer to the ideal of serving for love alone?

Recommended Reading

Turn Everything to Love

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Daily Prayers Week of January 31
Daily Prayers Week of January 31 940 788 SVDP USA

Monday, January 31:

Send me to answer
The cry of the poor
Lord, send me
To do Your will
Send me to comfort
The lost and forgotten
Lord send me
To share Your love.
Amen

Tuesday, February 1:

Lord Jesus, heal me
Of all that I suffer
Even, and especially,
The things only I
And You
Can see.
Lead me to comfort
And to heal
And to love
All Your children
The same way.
Amen

Wednesday, February 2:

Lord, You have prepared the way
Before me
So that I face it
With the joy of Your promise
And the hope of salvation
Light my heart on fire
And send me forth
Amen

Thursday, February 3:

Make me Your instrument, Lord!
Where there is sadness,
Send me, Lord, with joy.
Where there is suffering,
Send me, Lord, with mercy.
Where there is loneliness,
Send me, Lord, with love.
Amen

Friday, February 4:

My Lord and my God,
My hope and my peace,
My joy and my comfort,
My life and my light,
My heart and my soul,
My Lord and my God!
Amen
Daily Prayers are written by Tim Williams, National Vincentian Formation Director. 
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SVdP National Council Welcomes New Accounting Associate
SVdP National Council Welcomes New Accounting Associate 480 640 SVDP USA

The National Council is excited to welcome Ashley Rhodes as the new Accounting Associate.

She will work with the CFO as a member of the Finance team and help us continue to provide excellent financial services to the National Council and our subsidiaries.

Ashley has worked for the past 13 years in doing administrative and finance work for Sodexo. During her time with the company, she worked in the universities segment at St. Louis University, Webster University, and the University of Missouri – St. Louis. (UMSL).

“I am grateful for and humbled by the opportunity to be a part of the SVdP National Council,” said Ashley.

Ashley currently lives in O’Fallon, Missouri with her husband and their rescue puppy, Zeke.

Welcome Ashley!

If you’d like to contact Ashley, she can be reached at (314) 576-3993 ext. 209 or by email at arhodes@svdpusa.org.

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Disaster Services Update
Disaster Services Update 608 407 SVDP USA

On December 30 of last year, a wind-swept wildfire tore through suburban neighborhoods between Denver and Boulder (Superior, Louisville, and unincorporated Boulder County), forcing the evacuation of thousands of people, destroying 1,084 homes, severely damaging 149 homes, and making it the most destructive blaze in state history.

The fire, as intense as it was sudden, sent tens of thousands of residents of Boulder County scrambling to leave department stores and houses on Thursday as fire trucks swarmed the area. Though wildfires are seen as less of a threat in suburban areas, especially in December, a period of intense drought had created the conditions for the flames to spread, destroying houses, a shopping complex, and a hotel.

Evacuees fled the fire zones under plumes of smoke that clouded the sky for miles, not knowing if their houses would make it through the night. Roads and highways in the Denver metro area were jammed with thousands of residents trying to flee.

Wildfires in the American West have been worsening – growing larger, spreading faster, and reaching into mountainous elevations that were once too wet and cool to have supported fierce fires. What was once a seasonal phenomenon has become a year-round menace, with fires burning later into the fall and into the winter.

Last week, DSC conducted a customized training on DSC’s Programs for over 25 Vincentians within the Denver 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 have swept across Colorado. In addition, DSC spent a large portion of the training on how Vincentians can provide Disaster Case Management services to wildfire survivors.

“The training recently provided by SVdP’s Disaster Services Corporation (DSC) to Denver Metro Council and Conference members significantly expanded our concept of assistance. While we are experienced in dealing with evictions, homelessness, rent and mortgage shortfalls and need for help with utility and other payments, the need to work with FEMA, the SBA and the Red Cross in addition to county and state disaster organizations is new. There are additional and important areas to discuss with fire survivors as short and long term needed assistance is identified and initiated. As our involvement with Marshall fire survivors comes into clearer focus, we look forward to working closely with DSC.” – Patrick L. Hanafee, President, SVdP Denver Metro Council

After a disaster hits, what should my Council do next?

  • Contact your Council Disaster Representative (If your Council has one)
  • Impacted SVdP Council contacts the SVdP Regional Vice President AND their DSC Regional Disaster Representative with a needs assessment, request for DSC grant funding, and/or DSC program support
  • DSC Regional Disaster Representative contacts DSC SVdP USA to relay the need and any SVdP Council request
  • DSC participates on national disaster coordination calls with FEMA and NVOAD and support Regional Disaster Representatives and SVdP Council on State VOAD and local COAD calls
  • DSC works with the DSC Regional Disaster Rep and SVdP Council on distributing grant funding and/or rolling out relief and recovery programs

What support services and programs can Councils expect from Disaster Services Corporation SVdP USA?

DSC Preparedness Training and Exercise Program

DSC conducts training for Vincentian volunteers from around the nation at the Mid-Year Meeting, Annual Assembly, Regional Meetings and individual Councils. It is DSC’s goal to have trained Vincentian disaster response teams in each of the Society’s eight regions.

  • Rapid Response Team Training: This training consists of how to deploy in teams of four to assist SVdP Councils in disaster impacted areas. The Teams follow an Incident Command Model and provide support to our local Vincentians on how best to organize local relief and recovery efforts.
  • Preparedness Training: Activities to cover training at the National Council’s Mid-Year Meeting, Annual Conference, Regional Meetings, and Councils as requested and to build capacity and grow the capabilities of the Council(s) and the Region(s) to respond to disasters.
  • General Disaster Training: Training in Disaster Case Work, Case Management, Fund Raising for Disaster Recovery, working with local VOADs and Emergency Management and others.
  • Parish Recovery Assistance Training: In conjunction with the TEEX Division of Emergency Management, of Texas A &M University, training on how to assist clients in local parishes during the recovery phase of
  • Resiliency and Business Continuity Training: To help Councils prepare a Council Emergency Response Plan for an All-Hazards Disaster Preparedness Conference(s) conducted by Subject Matter Experts to train Vincentians on best practices in disaster preparedness and recovery.

DSC Grant Program

DSC’s Disaster Grant Program manages the distribution and reporting of Rapid Response Grants (RRGs) and Long-Term Recovery Grants (LTRGs) funded through the National Disaster Fund to assist Councils and Conferences.

  • Rapid Response Grants (RRGs): Provide up to $5,000.00 to SVDP Councils and Conferences to meet the immediate needs of individuals and families suffering from disasters.
  • Long-Term Recovery Grants: Provide up to $20,000.00 to SVDP Councils and Conferences to address long-term charitable needs, and fund programs for longer durations after the initial phase of a given disaster.

Parish Recover Assistance Centers (P-RACs)

Deploy to key parish community centers following a disaster to provide a holistic approach to Disaster Recovery through strategic outreach to survivors that may be socially, geographically and/or culturally isolated during the recovery process. The P-RACs provide immediate services and resources, connecting survivors to community services. P-RACs often require other Catholic organizations working together to deliver critical information and referral services along with immediate relief to the survivors of a given disaster. P-RACs are led by trained Rapid Response Teams, that will train others, provide information on FEMA, SBA, ONA, State and Local Disaster Programs, and provide assistance, supplies, registration, etc.

House In A Box

House in a Box ® is one of the most well-known programs of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The program helped DSC win the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) Non-Government Organization of the Year Award in 2012 and again in 2021. House in a Box® provides new furniture and furnishings to families that have lost everything due to disasters and who may be forced into situational poverty as a result of natural or manmade disasters. DSC buys furniture and furnishings in volume through pre-screened vendors, so that it can provide a starter household furniture kit at a greatly reduced price. DSC coordinates all logistics for the House in a Box ® and ensures that there is no duplication of benefits. The “House in a Box®” gives dignity to families in crisis as it gives them a new and fresh start. All families receive the same new items which are packaged for efficiency of delivery. The program is scalable to the size of the family and starts at $3,000 for a family of four.

One package includes: beds, linens, dishes, pots and pans, dressers, silverware, bathroom setup, dinette and a couch.

Establishing a House in a Box ® Program in a Disaster Recovery area, begins with the assessment of the need by the RRT which includes the size of the disaster and the number of affected Households needing assistance. A minimum of 20 families is required before it is cost effective to establish a House in a Box ® Program. This assessment also includes assessing the capabilities of Catholic Organizations/Other Organizations in supporting a House in a Box ® Program. This would include SVDP Council(s), SVDP Conference(s), Knights of Columbus, Catholic Charities, Daughters of Charity, Diocese(s), Salvation Army, and Red Cross.

DSC’s primary objective is to provide support to SVDP Councils and Conferences throughout all phases of disaster. DSC’s programs all have a focus on reducing the likelihood for families to fall into situational poverty due to natural or man-made disasters.

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2-3-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
2-3-2022 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1367 1520 SVDP USA

Dear Vincentian Friends,

Welcome to the first week in February, when we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation, traditionally known as Candlemas Day and as the end to the Christmas season. But February 2 is also Groundhog Day. Tradition has it that the animal’s shadow predicts the end of winter weather. Winter is just one of the few things I wish we were done with right now.

This week’s odd observance is immortalized in the 1993 film Groundhog Day, which I happen to enjoy as a comedy and a parable. A Google search of the plot synopsis reads, “A cynical TV weatherman finds himself reliving the same day over and over again when he goes on location to the small town of Punxsutawney to film a report about their annual Groundhog Day.”

I have joked that some of our Council meetings have a Groundhog Day feel to them, with our reoccurring agendas and commentary. The experience of living in a repeating cycle is one to which many can relate. Right now, I think many of our days in COVID isolation feel a bit like that, too. Day after day, we may maintain a very familiar schedule. When will it end so we can move on?

If Groundhog Day is a film parable, what are the lessons we can take from it? Here are a couple of thoughts: After the reality of the situation is accepted and after moving on from being depressed, the lead character, played by Bill Murray, decides to work on being a better person. He starts to really observe the people around him.

With the luxury of getting to repeat each day, Murray’s character, Phil, sees things he previously missed about the people he interacts with. He is more intentional about how he lives each day. We can all benefit from being a little slower to judge, spending more time listening, and appreciating the people and places we encounter.

This big city weatherman thinks and acts as though covering this silly event is beneath him. After being stuck in this one day for months, his attitude changes. Sometimes, we think the tasks at hand are beneath us, and we miss the value of our own work and the work of others.

Eventually, Phil decides to try new and positive ways to make the day better for himself and those around him. Many of his efforts initially fail, but he takes the opportunity to try again and learn from the mistakes he made the previous day. Along the way, he gets things right. Unlike Phil, we really don’t need to be trapped in a time loop to learn from our failures. They are often our best teachers. In our conferences we often discourage creative ideas – especially those of new members – when we say, “We already tried it, and it didn’t work.”

The major lesson Phil learns is the power of simple kindness – of just being nice to people. He comes to find pleasure in helping others. Of course, he eventually gets the attention of his love interest, too. As Vincentians, we know the value of simple kindness. Mentoring our founders, Blessed Rosalie Rendu told them, “Be kind and love, for love is your first gift to the poor. They will appreciate your kindness and your love more than all else you can bring them.”

As the film progresses, the lead character is not only kind but also saves the lives of several people. Near the end of the film, however, he learns that he cannot save the old homeless man living on the street, even after multiple days of trying. This, too, is a valuable lesson for all of us. Some lives we cannot save, and some problems we cannot solve, but much of what matters is that we care enough to try.

I expect I will wake up tomorrow, and it will be a new day. Regardless of how life might feel at times, we are not stuck in a Groundhog Day time loop. We can all do better, however, at being attentive to the gift of each day we have on this earth. When our days seem difficult, it is an opportunity to place trust in the loving providence of God. Our Rule instructs Vincentians to accept and follow God’s plan, which “leads each one to nurture the seeds of love, generosity, reconciliation, and inner peace in themselves, their families, and all those whose lives they touch.” Let’s do that.

Serviens in spe,
Ralph Middlecamp
SVdP National President

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