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CPMC Podcast: Ordinary Catholics can step into advocacy for justice
CPMC Podcast: Ordinary Catholics can step into advocacy for justice 2048 2048 SVDP USA

Ingrid Delgado, National Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, explains how ordinary Catholics can step into advocacy for justice and the dignity of all people

Join Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition for a timely podcast conversation with Ingrid Delgado, National Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA, who explains how ordinary Catholics can step into advocacy for justice and the dignity of all people. This is especially important during this August congressional recess when our elected officials are back home in their districts, listening to constituents.

Listen on Spotify here or Listen on Kajabi here. 

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07-31-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders
07-31-25 A Letter From Our Servant Leaders 1200 1200 SVDP USA

My husband and I were living as missionaries in a remote village in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic, close to the Haiti border, when I first embraced the work of justice. I was skeptical when our Mission Office started to engage with the government in providing breakfast and lunch to the schoolchildren who were attending the schools our mission had built and opened – after all, this was the same government that allowed them and their families to live in towns without electricity, running water, paved roads, medical centers, or schools and hadn’t even assigned birth certificates to most of our neighbors. And, yet, when the Church and the government worked together, we accomplished so much more for the people we were serving than either entity could have done alone. For example, our volunteers and community members built schools; our long-term missioners provided instruction to adults who had previously only received very basic elementary education but would eventually attain college degrees and become the schoolteachers of their villages; while the government provided nutrition programs and officially recognized our schools.

In time, I learned that my observations weren’t novel at all. In fact, we as Catholics have a rich history of Catholic Social Teaching that I just had not yet discovered. In 1891, Pope Leo XIII wrote the encyclical, Rerum Novarum, considered the foundational document of Catholic Social Teaching, in which he called for fair wages and better working conditions for workers, writing that, “The foremost duty, therefore, of the rulers of the State should be to make sure that the laws and institutions, the general character and administration of the commonwealth, shall be such as of themselves to realize public well-being and private prosperity.” And, to this day, our Church continues to inspire us to build a more just society through advocating with our elected officials. As Pope Francis wrote in his first apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, “Politics, though often denigrated, remains a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good.”

In our political context, however, our Catholic values do not fit perfectly into either major party box. As the Catholic bishops of the U.S. have recognized, we may feel “politically disenfranchised.” But being involved in advocacy does not mean that we delve into partisanship. In fact, our Catholic values transcend party politics – recognizing that God-given human dignity is reflected in every person in every stage and in every circumstance. And, for this very reason, I am profoundly convinced that we as Catholics are uniquely equipped and called to heal political polarization by being in relationship with our elected officials of any political persuasion in order to improve the lives of our most marginalized brothers and sisters.

I am deeply humbled to have recently joined the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA, which has such a beautiful history of service to our neighbors in need. As Pope Benedict wrote in Deus Caritas Est, “…charitable activity on behalf of the poor and suffering was naturally an essential part of the Church of Rome from the very beginning.” However, he goes on to express, “…it still remains true that charity must animate the entire lives of the lay faithful and therefore also their political activity, lived as ‘social charity.’” We must continue to serve people in crisis because it is what Jesus would do and what we are called to do in imitation of Him. But, sadly, our charitable activities alone will not end hunger, homelessness, or poverty. To create a truly just society in which no child of God is left on the peripheries, we must also be active in the work of justice. But how do we do that?

Most importantly, build relationships with your elected officials. Meet them in their office, invite them to your conference or program, or invite them to a neutral location like a cafe. Share with them your experience as a Vincentian and the needs that you’ve observed in your community. Tell the stories of the people you serve – even better if neighbors in need, or neighbors who have been in need, can join to tell their own stories. Learn about your members of Congress by finding your official here.

I am honored to join you in this work and together help build communities in which all of our neighbors can thrive and meet their basic needs. I look forward to meeting and learning from many of you at the annual gathering. May God continue to bless you, your ministries, and all you serve.

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SVdP USA National President John Berry Urges Congress to Protect Medicaid and SNAP
SVdP USA National President John Berry Urges Congress to Protect Medicaid and SNAP 1080 1350 SVDP USA

SVdP USA National President John Berry Urges Congress to Protect Medicaid and SNAP

As Congress tries to pass the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, my fellow Vincentians and I are deeply troubled that some members of Congress see the bill as a hammer and our social safety net as the nail.

While the Senate Parliamentarian has ruled against inclusion of concerning provisions that would act as cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, one thing remains clear: This bill in its current form will have an unprecedented and devastating effect on the poor.

The cuts are staggering. The legislation, as passed by the House, would slash $793 billion of Medicaid funding over the next 10 years, which the Congressional Budget Office estimates will lead to 10.3 million fewer people enrolled in this lifesaving program. It would also lead to nearly $300 billion in funding cuts over the next decade for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, resulting in an estimated 7 million people losing or having significantly lowered SNAP benefits.

This means that millions of children will go unfed, millions more adults and those with disabilities will lose health care benefits, and the gap between upper incomes and those on the lower end will widen.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA recognizes the fiscal pressures that Congress and our nation must address. But we must also ask why the poor must suffer the most – and suffer they will.

As one of the largest organizations serving the poor, our lived experience and our Catholic tradition teaches us that parts of this legislation run counter to our moral values. Our Vincentian volunteers are on the ground, striving daily to alleviate poverty in every corner of the land. Our food pantries, thrift stores, and charitable pharmacies are found in urban and rural America, in red states and blue states.

So, today, we are advocating for those too often left behind, forgotten, and marginalized and for our own volunteers in asking Congress to reconsider these painful and unfair proposed cuts. It is time for our voices to be heard.

To those in Congress, we ask that you open your eyes and hearts to those who are suffering and the systems that perpetuate poverty in this, one of the richest nations in the world. As Pope Leo XIV put it so well recently, “Helping the poor is a matter of justice before a question of charity.” Let us commit today to building a more just world that elevates us all.

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International members tour St. Vincent de Paul programs in United States
International members tour St. Vincent de Paul programs in United States 600 400 SVDP USA

International members tour St. Vincent de Paul programs in United States

Published in the Catholic Review Apr 4, 2025 

Majid Zaghari, left, vice president for enterprises with St. Vincent De Paul Baltimore, gives a tour of the Good Harvest Community Kitchen facility to leadership from the International Confederation of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul April 3 off Moravia Road. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

Majid Zaghari, vice president for enterprises with St. Vincent De Paul Baltimore, right, gives an April 3 tour of the Good Harvest Community Kitchen to leadership from the International Confederation of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul April 3 off Moravia Road. (Kevin J. Parks/CR Staff)

For the first time in its history, the International Council General Society of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (CGI), met in the United States the week of March 31. Hailing from Europe, Australia, Africa and South America, the group of 12 international chapter presidents were hosted by John Berry, the national president of the United States of America, who took them on a tour from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., to Baltimore April 3.

“I think It is very important to meet in different cities and see what everybody is doing,” Berry said, as the group enjoyed lunch at Beans & Bread in Fells Point, one of St. Vincent de Paul Baltimore’s oldest programs. “I have learned from every place we’ve gone.”

The group was greeted by John Schiavone, president and CEO of St. Vincent de Paul Baltimore, who provided a brief history on the beginnings of Beans & Bread in 1977 by a former Benedictine priest who served free meals in a row house.

“He created a home-like atmosphere,” Schiavone said. “He would greet each person and play the piano.”

By 1986, more than 200 people a day were being served and the program was taken under St. Vincent de Paul’s wings. New programs about health, mental health and recovery were added. The center now also helps clients find housing and keeps in touch with clients to ensure they don’t become homeless again. A career center, where clients can receive help with résumés and applying for jobs, is in the beginning stages.

“It’s a work in progress,” Schiavone said, as he led the tour through the facility, which moved to its current location on Bond Street in 1992 and has gone through several expansions and renovations.

“We are similar in terms of the issues involved,” said Mark Gaetani, the national president of the Australian chapter of St. Vincent de Paul Society. “What I particularly like about it is the follow up.”

“I think this is fantastic,” said Elaine Heyworth, third vice-president general deputy of SSVP and national president of the United Kingdom, who appreciated how all the resources were under one roof.

Juan Manuel Buergo Gómez, president general of the international confederation of the St. Vincent de Society board, of Spain, who spoke through his interpreter Isabel Garzo, executive assistant to the president, also was impressed with the programs at Beans & Bread and at Good Harvest, which the group visited prior to Beans & Bread.

“It is a very professional organization,” Gómez said. “It is working more as a company.”

Gómez, according to Garzo, thinks it would be even better “if the spiritual line was stronger,” suggesting that religious images such as crucifixes or of the founder of the St. Vincent de Paul Society might be added to walls of Baltimore outreach centers.

Gómez found the involvement of students – earlier Schiavone had spoken about a partnership with students and staff from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore – interesting, noting the importance of good training and formation for both employees and volunteers “to establish a good relationship” to serve others better.

After lunch, the group had a tour of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore and met with Archbishop William E. Lori. They visited Sarah’s Hope Family Shelter in Baltimore and then had dinner at the Rusty Scupper before returning to Bethesda.

Founded in Paris in 1833, the society is the largest Catholic organization in the world, with 800,000 members in more than 150 countries with 1.5 million volunteers. On the group’s final day, they celebrated the grand opening of the St. Vincent de Paul USA Washington, D.C., office with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“I am very proud of what we do,” Berry said.

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States, was set to bless the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA’s new Washington office on April 4.

The office will be led by Ingrid Delgado, the society’s first national director of Public Policy and Advocacy and former associate director of Government Relations at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The society hopes that establishing a permanent presence in Washington will strengthen its efforts to highlight key issues related to homelessness and advocate for those affected by poverty to policymakers.

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Papal nuncio blesses new St. Vincent de Paul Society advocacy office on Capitol Hill
Papal nuncio blesses new St. Vincent de Paul Society advocacy office on Capitol Hill 1600 1065 SVDP USA

Papal nuncio blesses new St. Vincent de Paul Society advocacy office on Capitol Hill

Published in Catholic News Agency Apr 5, 2025 

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA (SVdP) celebrated the opening of its brand-new advocacy office on Capitol Hill on Friday afternoon.

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and blessed the new office, calling on the Holy Spirit to “ignite the talents and gifts of everyone present” for the purpose of serving the poor.

“Compassionate God, may your peace always stay in this office, making it a place where we can each grow in friendship with you, with one another, and with all guests who gather with us in this place. Give us grateful hearts so that we will always be mindful of generosity and goodness to us,” the nuncio said during the blessing.

“May our new office always be a source of healing and hope to those who need your mercy and kindness,” he continued. “Give us the grace to live the mission and values of the society so that we will be worthy to bear the name of our patron St. Vincent de Paul. This we ask in the name of your son, Jesus Christ.”

The organization announced earlier this year during the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering that it would open a second national office, which is located on Maryland Avenue, as a part of its efforts to “raise the profile of key issues related to homelessness” to politicians on Capitol Hill.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA served over 5 million people across the country last year, distributing more than $1.4 billion in aid, including $60 million in emergency financial assistance to prevent evictions and ensure people are able to remain housed.

Ingrid Delgado will head the D.C. office as SVdP USA’s new director of public policy and advocacy. Prior to taking on her new position this month, Delgado served for four years as associate director of government relations for the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“In January during the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering [SVdP USA President John Berry] announced the opening of this office, [and] I was so excited,” Delgado told CNA. “Little did I know that I would soon be here in this position.”

“For the last 12 years, I’ve been doing public policy for the Catholic bishops, which has been just really an honor and a privilege, to do authentically nonpartisan policy for our faith,” she continued. “But to now do it for this organization that is in direct service and relationship with our most vulnerable brothers and sisters is just, for me personally, a really exciting opportunity.”

Delgado said she believes now is “a really crucial time” to bring the stories of poor and vulnerable communities that SVdP USA serves before members of Congress, especially as conversations surrounding budget cuts to social services like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and Medicaid continue.

“I am hoping to bring the stories of people that Vincentians serve and the experiences of the Vincentians of what that means for our communities if those critical services are cut,” Delgado said.

“My hope is that we will build a reputation with all of our elected officials as just a resource for our elected officials so that when they just need to know information about their constituencies, about people who are struggling and who are in need in their districts, that they will come to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul as a trusted resource and partner,” she said.

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Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA opens advocacy office in Washington D.C.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA opens advocacy office in Washington D.C. 1600 1065 SVDP USA

Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA opens advocacy office in Washington D.C.

On Friday, April 4, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA (SVdP) officially opened its new office in Washington D.C. as it seeks to ramp up efforts to advocate for those on the margins. As one of the largest lay Catholic organizations in the nation, SVdP hopes having a permanent presence in Washington D.C. will help its efforts to raise the profile of key issues related to poverty, while advocating to policymakers on behalf of those who experience its daily effects.

The office will be led by Ingrid Delgado, SVdP’s first National Director of Public Policy and Advocacy and formerly the Associate Director of Government Relations at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Grand Opening Ceremonies began with Mass celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory at the Vincentian Chapel at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Then the ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the new office space at 110 Maryland Avenue, NE Suite 506, Washington DC 20002, which is located just steps away from the United States Supreme Court. National President John Berry provided some opening remarks, and introduced special guests to the event, before the ribbon cutting to mark the opening of the office.

In attendance was International SSVP President Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Andrew Bellissario, National CEO Michael Acaldo, new National Director of Public Policy and Advocacy Ingrid Delgado, the SVdP USA Board of Directors, and the SSVP-CGI International Board of Directors.

Last year, SVdP USA served more than 5 million people across the U.S. and provided more than $1.7 billion in aid, including $60 million in emergency financial assistance to prevent evictions and keep people housed. Often known for the thrift stores in cities and towns around the country, SVdP offers programs that are tailored to the specific needs of the communities it serves. Learn more about joining in our work at svdpusa.org.

 

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Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA Hires Ingrid Delgado as National Director of Public Policy and Advocacy
Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA Hires Ingrid Delgado as National Director of Public Policy and Advocacy 1703 2560 SVDP USA

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA (SVdP USA) has hired Ingrid Delgado as its National Director of Public Policy and Advocacy as the organization seeks to raise the profile of key issues, including efforts to prevent homelessness and protect the most vulnerable.

Delgado most recently worked at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as Associate Director of Government Relations and, before then, as a domestic policy advisor. She previously worked as Associate Director of Social Concerns and Respect Life for the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops; as a language arts teacher at an alternative high school; and in youth outreach and refugee resettlement programs for Catholic Charities of Central Florida.

Delgado’s extensive volunteer work has included living in San Juan de la Maguana, Dominican Republic, as a missionary; youth ministry and catechesis; as well as serving as a board member of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, the Florida Pregnancy Care Network, and Hogar CREA International’s Florida Chapter.

Delgado earned her BA at the University of Central Florida and her MPA at Florida State University. She resides in Virginia with her husband of 24 years and their three children.

SVdP USA CEO Michael Acaldo said, “Ingrid is a magnificent choice for this newly created role. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is increasing our efforts to advocate policymakers on behalf of those we serve, and we’re confident in Ingrid’s ability to lead those efforts and enact positive change for those living in poverty.”

“I am deeply humbled by the opportunity to join the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, especially in this pivotal moment of launching an office in our nation’s capital,” noted Delgado. “I have long been inspired by the Society’s dedication to serving the people in our communities who are most in need. I look forward to working with the Vincentians and those whom they serve to bring SVdP’s perspective and experience to members of Congress and better inform policy making that impacts our most marginalized brothers and sisters.”

Delgado’s role will be based out of SVdP USA’s second National Office, located in Washington, DC, and opening April 4.

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