St. Vincent de Paul Society NEWSLETTER Published by and for Vincentians http://www.stvincentdepaul.net/Vincentian-Support September 2018 Diocesan Council of Phoenix, AZ Vol. 20 No. 8 “It is for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give them.” St. Vincent de Paul The first day of October signals a new year for all Vincentian councils and conferences. It is a time for new beginnings, saying goodbye to outgoing officers, and for the commissioning of new officers. It marks the end of a fiscal year, a time to complete our annual reports and to start our yearly audits, but it is also a time for a deeper kind of reflection and evaluation. It is a perfect time to step back and evaluate your conference, its works, its goals and to identify areas for future growth and expansion. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has always been committed to growth and expansion and that happens primarily through self-examination, planning, and implementation. October is the perfect time for us to stop for a moment and determine ways that we can adapt more fully to our changing world, better serve those in need, and determine how we recruit new members as we foster spiritual growth and fellowship among our existing members. Dreaming and planning brings new energy and vitality to a conference. Growth and development of our Vincentian activities keeps us current and prevents the drudgery that is often associated with unchanging routines. Conferences that do not commit to evaluating, growing, and adapting often find themselves stagnated and in need of new members but with nothing that would attract the members they need. Through the evaluation process, conferences can identify their strengths, find areas that need improvement, articulate the possibilities for future service areas and/or growth, and set goals for the upcoming year. The Manual of the Society has a set of guidelines for effective conferences. These guidelines provide the perfect springboard for evaluation and planning. The basic bullet points for those guidelines are listed below. Continued on Page 2 Beginning Anew! By Shirley Smalley
Transcript
St. Vincent de Paul Society
NEWSLETTER
Published by and for Vincentians http://www.stvincentdepaul.net/Vincentian-Support September 2018 Diocesan Council of Phoenix, AZ Vol. 20 No. 8
“It is for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give them.” St. Vincent de Paul
The first day of October signals a new year for all Vincentian councils and conferences. It is a time for new beginnings, saying goodbye to outgoing officers, and for the commissioning of new officers. It marks the end of a fiscal year, a time to complete our annual reports and to start our yearly audits, but it is also a time for a deeper kind of reflection and evaluation. It is a perfect time to step back and evaluate your conference, its works, its goals and to identify areas for future growth and expansion. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has always been committed to growth and expansion and that happens primarily through self-examination, planning, and implementation. October is the perfect time for us to stop for a moment and determine ways that we can adapt more fully to our changing world, better serve those in need, and determine how we recruit new members as we foster spiritual growth and fellowship among our existing members. Dreaming and planning brings new energy and vitality to a conference. Growth and development of our Vincentian activities keeps us current and prevents the drudgery that is often associated with unchanging routines. Conferences that do not commit to evaluating, growing, and adapting often find themselves stagnated and in need of new members but with nothing that would attract the members they need. Through the evaluation process, conferences can identify their strengths, find areas that need improvement, articulate the possibilities for future service areas and/or growth, and set goals for the upcoming year. The Manual of the Society has a set of guidelines for effective conferences. These guidelines provide the perfect springboard for evaluation and planning. The basic bullet points for those guidelines are listed below.
Continued on Page 2
Beginning Anew!
By Shirley Smalley
2 Society of St. Vincent de Paul September 2018
Beginning Anew!
Continued
Why not take those guidelines and use them to ask questions about your con-ference and how they are doing under each point? For example, the first point is that effective conferences are reachable? You might ask yourself like: Are there ways that we could be more reachable? Could we eliminate barriers or obstacles that make us hard to reach? Are we visible to our parishioners and donors? Do we regularly submit articles and contact numbers in the bulletin? Do other area charities and agencies know how to refer people to us?
GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE CONFERENCES
(See page 29 of the Manual for Guidelines with complete annotations)
Effective Conferences are reachable. Effective Conferences meet regularly. Effective Conferences are committed to grow in spirituality. Effective Conferences show initiative. Effective Conferences have members committed to formation. Effective Conferences recruit continuously. Effective Conferences have competent leaders. Effective Conferences maintain ties to the community. Effective Conferences participate in their Council activities. Effective Conferences understand the national and international dimen-
sions of the Society. Effective Conferences are both wealthy and poor.
3 Society of St. Vincent de Paul September 2018
TAKE IT EASY (Every month)
By: Bill Klink
When Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey of the new group The Eagles were writing their signature song for the band in early 1972, they struggled with the first verse. Frey changed things around and came up with “Take it Easy”. They ultimately stretched the E into Eeeeeeasy”. All of us want to Take it Eeeeeeasy in almost everything we do. What a challenge! Here’s several ideas for making a donation to our Vincentian Conference Endowment Eeeeeeasy.
“Bill pay” –well, not really a bill—but your bank or credit union treats it that way. It generates a check on the same day for the same amount each month (you can change either anytime) and sends it to St. Vincent de Paul with the memo “Vincentian Endowment”.
Visa/Mastercard linked to a debit card. Most of us have debit cards. By listing the card number on the Vincentian Endowment monthly donor sheet, it triggers a donation every month which can be tracked on your checking/savings account statement at year end. Change anytime.
Credit Card. Yes, I know these can be troublesome. Not always easy to pay off, but in addition to the state tax credit created by donations to the endowment, many also get those famous “Airline Miles”! There’s some song about flying but I won’t digress…
So, let’s make this fun and easy; and, remember, when we donate that it helps the poor and working poor FOREVER. Remind yourself by humming The Eagles’ famous lyrics…. By the way, the inspiration for this song was not generated in Winslow (sorry St. Francis of Assisi) but Flagstaff (hello San Francisco de Asis!) Browne later related that the original incident inspiring the song took place in Flagstaff at the Der Wienerschnitzel (now the Dog Haus) at the corner of Route 66 and Switzer Canyon. It seems a young lady in a Toyota pickup eyed Browne as she passed by. Later the group’s van broke down in Winslow, and the song was revised by Frey. Who knew! So, let’s make this journey (another group for another article) fun and Eeeeeeasy as we build our Vincentian Conference Endownment FOREVER!
4 Society of St. Vincent de Paul September 2018
ANOTHER SPECIAL GIFT
Again this year, the St. Thomas Aquinas Conference of St. Vincent de Paul has received a generous grant of $2,000 from the H. Howard Colehower Foundation Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation upon the recommendation of Mr. and Mrs. Roger Colehower of our parish. As this long, very hot summer in Arizona continues, we are so thankful for gifts such as this allowing us to continue the help for many families in need of financial assistance. These families do not know where to turn for assistance in their desperate circumstances: Mom or Dad has lost his/her job; hours have been cut reducing income, making it impossible to meet the family’s needs; illness comes with its fears and concerns; even death of a loved one. We see so many different situations each month as our volunteers visit families in their homes and try to determine the best way we can be of assistance and give suggestions for other agencies to contact and perhaps receive additional help. Often, a home visit includes bringing a much-needed food box to assist them in providing meals for their family. None of this would be possible without donations from organizations like the H. Howard Colehower Foundation and continuous support from our parish family. Sometimes, we are able to refer family members to one of our St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Stores by providing them with vouchers to obtain beds, household items, or clothes for a job interview. The list goes on and on. Continually, we are amazed and grateful for all gifts--large and small, which assist us in our work among the poor and needy. We are blessed to receive the help of so many. The St. Vincent de Paul motto is carried out day after day: FEED…CLOTHE…HOUSE…HEAL.
St. Thomas Aquinas
5 Society of St. Vincent de Paul September 2018
6
Society of St. Vincent de Paul September 2018
7 Society of St. Vincent de Paul September 2018
37
th ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOOD DRIVE
Each year for the past 37 years The Men of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Scottsdale have hosted an event to facilitate Conferences of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul holding Food Drives to stock their pantries with food. Over the years the food drive has grown to include some 70 or more SVDP Confer-ences. At the Saturday, September 15
th Quarterly Meeting in the Hall of Banners at
420 W. Watkins St. in Phoenix we will have Food Drive supplies for all who wish to participate. After the program, Conferences and churches may pick up the free supplies which they have ordered for conducting their local food drives. These include grocery bags, holy cards, envelopes, and flyers suggesting appropriate types of food for donation by parishioners. Typically these materials will be stapled together, distributed to parishioners one weekend, and returned with donations the following weekend. The MEN OF OUR LADY of PERPETUAL HELP (Scottsdale) will be available to assist at the Quarterly Meeting. Lucy Meraz (602-850-6761) is sending out an invitation to your Conference to take part. Included are forms for requesting supplies. This annual food drive allows parishioners to donate over 30,000 bags of food for our SVdP food pantries each year. In addition, donations are made that provide for food to be purchased. The total value to Conference pan-tries is well in excess of $1 million each year. Please conduct a food drive for your own local use, or plan to donate your excess food to be picked up by another SVdP Conference of your choice.
8 Society of St. Vincent de Paul September 2018
News from Wickenburg
Josue and Maria are two of St. Anthony’s newest youth members serving at the Jackson Dining Room.
9
Society of St. Vincent de Paul September 2018
General Membership Meeting
The next General Membership Meeting will be held on
September 15, 2018.
The 2018/2019 Budget will be voted on at this meeting,.
Articles for Newsletter
Deadline for the October Newsletter is September 24th, 2018. Email: [email protected] or call Sandy Edwards
at 602.261.6803 for more information. Thank you. Sandy Edwards
Free Legal Clinic
Free legal advise offered every third Thursday, from 4:30 to
6:00 pm, at Family Assistance.
No reservations required.
For more information call
602.261.6883
10
Society of St. Vincent de Paul September 2018
Blessed Frederic Ozanam Intercession Prayer Line
O God, our Father, You alone have the power to bestow those precious gifts of Yours which we rightly call miracles. If it be Your will, be pleased to grant such a gift on behalf of...
ALL SAINTS MESA Tom Margalski Judy Hillard Nancy Hackert
Geri Adams Veronica Nord Maureen Julian CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION
Caroline Steele Judy Steele Bob Bruce HOLY CROSS Traci Fay HOLY FAMILY Emily Allaire IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Mike Vize Sally Ochoa Lucy Lucero Linda Lee–Chambon Diane McCann MOST HOLY TTRINITY Jackie Hennings OLPH SCOTTSDALE Mike Herrrmann Pat Hawn Forrest Dougherty Lila Wisdom Barbara Lowman OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE Joe DiGiovanni OUR LADY OF THE LAKE Doris Vore QUEEN OF PEACE Karen Rohan Susan Petrie Mary Kay Dunlevy Martina Bonilla SACRED HEART—PARKER Karen Rath Mary Gonzales ST. BRIDGET Lou Martinez Vince Gutierrez
ST. JAMES Diane Stofko Abel Noble SACRED HEART—PRESCOTT Richard Howell Herb Bourgault ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE John Winters ST. THOMAS AQUINAS Vince Kempton
ST. LOUIS THE KING Phil & Mary Whelan Ed & Esther Escarcega Raul & Elvia Lujan Mario & Mary Fierros Bob McCarty
ST. CLARE OF ASSISI Kathy Ford
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER Margie Charles Gene Gazzola Joan Gazzola
ST. GERMAINE Don Rien Pat Caldwell Jeanne Kochan Joe Zambito Trudy Stuart Michelle Stashuk Marilyn and Verne Dorn Mary Fiebiger Gloria Johns ST. GREGORY Ceci Andrews Josie Gutierrez ST. MARGARET MARY-BHC Rev. Peter Dobrowski
ST. MARY—KINGMAN Janie Scott Roger and Rita Gaumond ST. MARY MAGDALENE Nancy Weise
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL Henrietta Cordova
ST. JEROME Nancy Barnes Yvonne Hurley ST. JOSEPH—WILLIAMS Theresa Norsworthy ST. MATTHEW Evelyn Guerra Charles Seps
ST. JOACHIM & ST. ANNE Gene Harmeling Irene Sosnicki Harry Steckler Al La Rocque Mary Taylor Lucia Mastroianni Terry DeYoung Al and Alice LaRocque
ST. ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE Demore Family ST. STEVEN’S Betty Perry Pat Krause
SVDP EXECUTIVE OFFICE Geri Adelmann Aleena Who Dr. David Goldfarb Barbara Cabin Don Meis Dr. Oliver Harper Jacquie Lehe The Delbrocco Family Dick Hannon Frank Labriola Alice Ambrose Alice Ehmann Arden O’Connor Michelle Small Jerry Simmons Catherine Mulhern Esteban Chavez John Jakubczyk Cindy Coons Rosemary Brown Peter McQuaid Kathleen Nageotte Sharon Ehmann Paul Joseph DeMuro Daniel Mark "Bear" Johnson Joe Casey Thomas Bugai Bryce Yarbrough
11
Society of St. Vincent de Paul September 2018
Requiescat In
Pace
May the Angels lead them into Paradise, may the martyrs receive them at their coming
and lead them into Jerusalem, the Holy City. May the Choir of Angels welcome them
and, with Lazarus, who was also poor, may they have everlasting rest.
