vincent de paul society newsletter · 2019-12-19 · consistent commitment to our vincentian origin...

St. Vincent de Paul Society

NEWSLETTER

Published by and for Vincentians http://www.stvincentdepaul.net/Vincentian-Support November 2017 Diocesan Council of Phoenix, AZ Vol. 19 No. 10

“It is for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give them.” St. Vincent de Paul

President’s Message

Dear Fellow Vincentians – I’ve been fortunate to travel to many different countries, on business, while vacationing, and even to Cuernavaca, Mexico as a Vincentian. In spite of my best efforts to become knowledgeable of the places I visit, I’m always humbled by how much more people in other countries know about America than I know about them. I think it speaks to what America represents to people all over the world. In spite of our flaws, when we are at our best, our country is a beacon of hope to those who are oppressed, and a land of opportunity for those who seek the more abundant life that our relative degree of freedom makes possible. Recently, as the newly elected President of our council, I was invited to attend our National Meeting, which was held this year in Tampa, Florida. It was a great opportunity for me to meet our National Leadership as well as representatives from councils all over the country. I was impressed with the diversity of ministry and, more importantly, the consistent commitment to our Vincentian origin and theology. It reminded me that we are truly a lay organization within the church; a lay organization with a unique charism for serving the poor. What struck me most, however, while interacting with fellow Vincentians from all over the country, was the universal respect they have for what takes place within the Phoenix council and Conferences. You’ve heard it said many times that the Phoenix Council is the largest Council in the country, and one of the largest in the world, but there’s more to the story. Just as the strength of our country’s economy, and the size of our military, is of less importance than the intangibles that define us as Americans (e.g. our diversity, our resiliency, our innovation, etc.), the size and number of our council’s ministries, and the success of our development efforts, are less meaningful to other Vincentians than intangibles like

the quality and integrity of our executive leadership, the ability of our Conferences to work effectively with each other, and the quality of relationships we enjoy with our diocese, local government entities, and other major service providers with whom we partner. It was both gratifying and humbling to hear the respect for Phoenix in conversation after conversation. Much like America has a leadership role to play, we too have a responsibility to honor the legacy of our forefathers and the calling we have as Vincentians. Thank you for responding to the call to serve. Thank you also for the vote of confidence you’ve placed in me to serve alongside you. In addition to myself, I’m happy to introduce your other board officers: Vice President – Ray Daoust Treasurer – Mark Cosper Secretary – Stacy Cotroneo

In addition to their roles as officers, Ray, Mark, and Stacy chair different board committees and are very active Vincentians in their respective Conferences and districts. Most importantly, they understand and fully embrace the concept of servant leadership. I encourage you to reach out to any of us if there is anything we can do to help you better meet the needs of those you serve. Finally, I want to express my appreciation for the way

Conferences time and time again step up to assist

those in need outside their Conference, and even

district, boundaries. We have a formal twinning

process that assists less affluent Conferences, but

what really speaks to our Vincentian values is when

Conferences take it upon themselves to lend a

helping hand. We are all one family in Christ.

Steve Attwood

Diocesan Council President

2 Society of St. Vincent de Paul November 2017

Last week, I sat down at my computer to create some electronic invitations and sign-up forms for a myriad of upcoming St. Vincent de Paul Conference events, and the enormity of what the months of November and December hold literally took my breath away. Just thinking about combining all of my SVdP activities with my work, family and Parish commitments made me question my own sanity. November is meant to be a time for thankfulness and gratitude, not a time for panic or distress. If we shift our eyes from the busy schedules that we face to focusing on the generosity and love of God, our hearts will be changed and things will fall into place. The virtue of gratitude is closely related to the virtue of humility. Humility recognizes that all we have, including life itself, comes from our Heavenly Father and that without Him we are nothing. When we recognize that we are dependent upon God for every breath we take, our hearts naturally overflow with humility and gratitude and soon we experience a sense of peace and well-being. The poor have much to teach us about humility, gratitude and generosity. Once, St. Teresa of Calcutta and one of her young novices went to take a bag of rice to a poor widow and her five children. This widow lived in the poorest of areas in a shanty built mainly out of cardboard. Once she received St. Teresa's gift, the woman thanked the two nuns, tied a significant amount of her rice into a scarf, and asked if they would watch her children while she ran an errand. St. Teresa agreed, and the woman left with the rice and scarf in hand. Several minutes later, the

woman returned without her scarf. St. Teresa inquired where she had gone and what had happened to the rice and scarf she had with her when she left. The woman explained that she had taken the rice to another woman down the road who had even more children to feed than she did. Mother Teresa asked her why she was moved to do that, and without hesitation the woman replied, "Because Mother, I have so much." Like the widow in this story, we too have much. God has counted us worthy to stand before and serve Him through service to the poor. During the Holidays, I am often touched by news stories where families come together to serve the poor in a large Thanksgiving or Christmas charity dinner event. They seem genuinely delighted to be able to serve others at this special time of year. How much more blessed then are we? We, as Vincentians, have the opportunity to embrace Jesus each and everyday through our interactions and service to the vulnerable and the needy. Each day we have the opportunity to serve in a dining room, Thrift Stores, Ministry to the Homeless, Conference pantry or do home visits. Our seemingly ordinary Vincentian duties are truly blessings, and we should take the time to express to God our gratitude for being called to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Our Vincentian vocation is a gift of great price and one for which we should always be thankful. May we face the busy months ahead of us with joy and gratitude because we have been given so very much.

By Shirley Smalley

Gratitude

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings. William Arthur Wards


Several months ago I visited Washington, D.C. for a nonprofit accounting Conference. (I know, exciting.) I won't bore you with the details of the meetings, but I will share that following the Conference, I took a few extra days to do the usual sightseeing in our nation's capital: Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, Georgetown, the Air and Space Museum, and the Botanical Gardens, among other places. But the highlight of my trip was attending Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, adjacent to Catholic University. If you have never visited this absolutely beautiful church (my favorite in the entire country), it alone is worth the trip to Washington. Be sure to visit the larger than life statue of St. Vincent de Paul near the back of the church. Near the end of Mass, a second collection was taken to fund the ongoing building of the Basilica. Even though construction began on the church almost 80 years ago, it continues today, as this magnificent treasure unfolds and grows. I made a contribution to the second collection, as I have done several times during previous visits.

Ironically, when my mother was a young grade school student at Transfiguration Parish in Los Angeles, she, too, made a number of contributions to the Basilica building fund. For years, collections were taken throughout the LA Diocese (and the country) to fund the building of the Basilica. And while my mother's contributions as a young girl – mere coins - were obviously not significant to the overall funding, they meant a great deal to her. My mother sacrificed so that one day our country, our Catholic Church, and future generations would be able to experience such a beautiful and holy place. My mom is quite old now, and she forgets a lot of things. But when I called her from Washington that evening and told her where I had just attended Mass, she immediately replied, "I helped to build that Basilica, Stephen." It brought her great joy to share that with me, as it has brought her joy for some 80 years knowing that she was part of something special.

It also brought me joy, knowing that I, too, have donated to something that my mother helped to start a long time ago. Who knows, maybe the Vincentian Endowment that we are building today here in Phoenix will bring us the same joy that my mother has experienced virtually her entire life. And maybe someday, years from now, our children or grandchildren will share with us that they, too, have contributed to the Vincentian Endowment that we helped to start. Wouldn't that be wonderful.

The National Shrine and Our Vincentian Endowment Steve Zabilski, Executive Director


On September 24th at the 8:30 AM Mass, ten Members of St. Gabriel the Archangel St.

Vincent de Paul Conference were given a Jubilarian Crucifix to recognize their faith filled service to the poor in our community. While faithful Vincentians, these members remain a vital part of all areas of Parish life. St. Gabriel’s Conference was started almost 12 years ago at the request of our Pastor, Father Dennis O’Rourke. Since that time hundreds of needy persons living within our Parish boundaries and in other Parishes throughout Phoenix have been assisted. Assistance has been provided by our very generous Parishioners through the hands of our faithful Vincentians. Left to right back row : Maryann McAward, Jack McAward, John Murphy (Associate), MaryHelen Sotelo. Left to right front row: Dolores Galligan (past Jubilarian), Rosalie Walsh , Marcella Laube, Pat Mathisen, Janet Waskau, Father Dennis O’Rourke, (Pastor), Deacon Bill Clower, John Muehlenberg, Pat Muehlenberg, Ling Patty.

Continued on Page 5

Jubilarians honored at St. Gabriel

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St. Gabriel

Society of St. Vincent de Paul November

Maryann McAward: (Current President) a founding member and first Conference President, Active member for 11 years. Active member in Bereavement Ministry, EM , Lector, Past President Wings ( Women in Gabriel’s Spirit ) Jack McAward : Active in all Conference Projects for 8 years. Member Knights of Columbus, Volunteer at Dining Room, Thrift Store. MaryHelen Sotelo: Active Member 11 years. Current Co-Secretary. Secretary 5 years, a Founding member. Serves at Dining Room, Thrift Store. Member St. Stephen Ministry. Rosalie Walsh: Active member for 6 years. First introduced to St. Vincent de Paul Society at Most Holy Trinity Parish. Active in Meals Ministry, Funeral Ministry, EM, Communication Secretary: Wings. Marcella Laube: Active member for 8 years. Chaired Turkey Tuesday Drive , Back to School Chair, Thrift Store Children’s Christmas Shopping Project. Pat Mathisen: Active Member for 9 years. Coordinated Giving Tree Christmas Project. Wings Member, Usher John Muehlenberg: Active member 10 years. Past Treasurer, served on Parish Council, Member Knights of Columbus.

Pat Muehlenberg: Active member 11 years, a Founding Member, past Treasurer, Wings member, Chaired Back to School Project, Christmas Giving Tree Project. Ling Patty: Founding Member, Past President, Past Treasurer, developed Annunciation Catholic School Vibrant Vinnies Conference. Active member 22 years, originally a Vincentian at St. Simon & Jude Parish. Volunteered as a Nutritionist at SVdP Medical/ Dental Clinic. Current Wings President, Usher. Janet Waskau: Active member for 7 years. Served on Thanksgiving Food Drive, Back to School Project. John Murphy an Associate Member was also recognized with a Commemorative Plaque for his commitment to chairing St. Gabriel’s Food Drives and Special Projects. Jubilarians honored that were not able to attend: Kathy Hansen: Active member 11 years, Founding member, Present co-Treasurer, EM, Homebound Ministry, Past President WINGs Anne Schue: Active Member 11 years, Founding member, Present Vice-President, EM, Homebound Ministry, St. Stephen Minister Lois Zepf: Active member 12 years including Conference in Ohio, EM Ed Zepf: Active member 12 years including Conference in Ohio, Member Knights of Columbus.

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A SINCERE THANK YOU!

Benefactor: angel, donor, backer, helper, promoter This definition taken from Webster’s NewWorld Crossword Puzzle Dictionary speaks volumes about those who support the Society of St. Vincent de Paul at St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Avondale, Arizona. Recently our Conference received a generous grant of $1,000 from the H. How-ard Colehower Foundation Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation upon the rec-ommendation of Mr. & Mrs. Roger Colehower of our parish. Our Conference is truly blessed by many “angels” – parishioners and other or-ganizations- who share in our commitment to serve the poor in many ways. Thanks to our dedicated volunteers, our Conference answers phone calls for help every weekday. We deliver food boxes to many families who are struggling to put food on the table. We make home visits to determine if there are ways in which we can assist families through a crisis situation such as rental assistance, help to pay utility bills, picking up prescriptions for those unable to afford needed medications, and many other difficult circumstances. Most often, we bring smiling faces, HOPE for the days to come, comfort in times of despair and sadness by our encouragement and sharing a prayer that God will pour His blessings upon each family we visit. None of this would be possible without donations from organizations like the H. Howard Colehower Foundation and continuous support from our parish family. The St. Vincent de Paul motto is: FEED…. CLOTHE….HOUSE….HEAL. Often we refer families to St. Vincent de Paul Thrift stores aiding them with CARE cards enabling them to purchase much-needed items. Our downtown SVdP campus provides meals for families; aid for the homeless; medical and dental care for those in need. Our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for all gifts- large and small-which assist us in carrying on the work of our founder, blessed Frederic Ozanam.

Jeanne France St. Thomas Aquinas/St. Vincent de Paul

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The future stars of Major League Baseball will be supporting St. Vincent de Paul’s efforts to

supply food boxes to needy families in the Phoenix Diocesan Council this November.

Vincentians across the Council, mark your calendars for this great new event to help supply our

pantries.

You are ALL invited!

The big event will be the Championship Game for the Arizona Fall League of Major League

Baseball on Saturday, November 18, 2017, 1pm at Scottsdale Stadium in downtown

Scottsdale.

The Arizona Fall League is the final “proving ground” for some of the biggest names in the

history of Major League Baseball, and their Championship Game will be played as part of the

KNIX Million Can Crusade with Tim, Ben and Brooke—the popular morning show trio (plus Barrel

Boy!), who have been the power behind tens of millions of cans collected to help SVdP

Conferences serve our neighbors.

Tickets to this incredible contest will be available through the VSS Offices beginning later this

month, and all tickets to Vincentians and their guests will be provided to Vincentians free

of charge!

The Arizona Fall League of Major League Baseball has featured virtually every top star in recent

years of MLB action—players like Albert Pujols, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and many dozens

more.

That means the upcoming Championship Game will be a GREAT WAY to celebrate what the

Arizona Fall League and KNIX will be doing to support food collections across Arizona.

Sandy Edwards from the VSS office will be providing information soon on how to obtain your

tickets for this exciting event that will support Vincentian efforts across our Council.

“SVdP thanks Mr. Steve Cobb and ALL the people of the Arizona Fall League for this great

support, said Council Executive Director Steve Zabilski. “We are absolutely thrilled about this

first game together and look forward to building its benefit to our Conferences in the years

ahead.”

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News From Rome

Society of St. Vincent de Paul November 2017

Our very own Martha Hernandez enjoying a day in Rome

Heart of St. Vincent de Paul.

Heart of St. Vincent de Paul

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Society of St. Vincent de Paul November

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Friends of Cuernavaca Stephen Jenkins

Helping Kids to Learn with the Biblioteca Movil (Mobile Library) The Society of St Vincent de Paul of the State of Morelos is located in Cuernavaca, Mexico and adopted by our Phoenix Diocesan Council. St Vincent de Paul operates in Cuernavaca to assist low income families with a number of programs. Founded in Cuernavaca in 1988, the Society has developed a number of programs to assist families and individuals in Cuernavaca and surrounding areas in the State of Morelos. A detailed description of their activities can be found in their web site:

sanvicentedepaulmorelos.com/ An important program of the Society is the scholarship program for students in low

income families. Through this program Individual students are adopted by sponsors in Phoenix, Seattle, and the Cuernavaca area. At this time there are 120 students receiving monthly stipends for uniforms, school supplies, transportation and other needs associated with school. The program aims to assist children that have the potential, desire and parental support to remain in school through grade school, high school and even the university. These children may currently attend primary, secondary, high school or college and receive the financial support of $20 ($US) per month as long as they remain in school and obtain overall average grades above 7.0 out of 10.0. In the past years of the program, many students have completed secondary school, high school, and have earned degrees from local universities and technical colleges. It is important to understand that, on the average, 50 percent or more of students in secondary schools in the area drop out to become part of the labor supply. So the opportunity to remain in school with financial resources and encouragement has had remarkable results.

About four years ago, the Society began offering scholarships to students in a primary school located in an area adjacent to Cuernavaca called Loma Esmeralda. The families in this area are predominately indigenous and still speak traditional languages including Nahuatl. The education level is very low and a primary school consisting of 3 classrooms (two grades in each classroom), and a kitchen is the only in the area. The school is a public school and provides instruction free but that is about it. There are 33 students currently enrolled in the scholarship program and receiving a monthly stipend in Loma Esmeralda. After the members of St Vincent de Paul had been working with the students and their families, they discovered that there was no library in the primary

school and none in the local area. There were actually students and children in their families that had never seen picture books or read them. Since there are visits to the area every two weeks, the Vincentians began bringing books with them to encourage the children to read and begin learning through reading and pictures. So, the SVDP Council and Holy Spirit Conference began bringing books from the St Vincent de Paul Center in the SVDP Van on a regular basis to the area. They wanted to give the children in the families the opportunity to borrow the books and return them in the same way as they would with a local library. Since they used the Society's van to deliver the books, they called it the Biblioteca Movil (Mobile Library).


So, during each visit of the Biblioteca Movil, children are allowed to check out books and return the one's that they have read in the weeks before. The program is very popular and reading interest and grades in reading are rising among the students. In addi-tion, these books open a new world for the children and give them an incentive to read more and to be more in-quisitive about their world.

General Membership Meeting

Our next GMM will be on Saturday,

December 16, 2017 Mass will begin at 8:30 am

Please invite your new members to attend.

OFE TRAINING

St. Thomas Aquinas January 6 & February 17, 2018 Host/Location Saint Thomas Aquinas 13720 W. Thomas Rd. Avondale, AZ 85392

To reserve your spot please contact:

PAT BARKER, OFE Coordinator, Spirituality Committee Secretary


NOVEMBER 2017 COMMITTEE MEETINGS

DATE TIME COMMITTEE LOCATION NOTES

11/1/2017 Wednesday

10:30 AM

Food Services

Watkins Campus- VSS Conference Room

The Committee addresses issues with food allotments, quantity or quality, delivery charges, dining room and

pantry operations. Contact Chairman Jim Van Winkle at (480) 837-1415

11/15/2017 Wednesday

12:45 PM – 2:15 PM

Phoenix Conference Concerns


Since this Committee deals with all of the problems and opportunities faced by Conferences, it seeks the widest possible representation. Join in by

coming down! Contact Chairman Ray Daoust at [email protected] or

480-227-3623.

11/14/2017 Tuesday

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

SOS

Bell Road Store

This Committee helps plan and execute

projects that link our Diocesan thrift stores, Conferences, members and

volunteers. New members are always welcome. Call Chairman Joann Pren-

dergast at (480) 296-9067 to volunteer.

11/9/2017 Wednesday

5:30 PM

Spirituality


We plan and execute programs to help form Vincentians both educationally

and spiritually. We need your ideas and wisdom. Every District should have at least one member on this Committee

and you don’t have to be a Conference officer to serve. E-mail Chairman Amy

Rodriguez at [email protected]

11/27/2017 Monday

3:30pm – 5:00pm

Voice of the Poor

St. Frances Xavier (Phx.)

E-mail Chairman Ron Meyer at [email protected]

TBD

1:30 PM – 2:30 PM

Dream Center Committee

Hall of Banners

Committee Meetings

If you are interested in joining a committee, please contact the Committee Chair

mailto:[email protected]

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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

Geri Adams Veronica Nord Maureen Julian CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION

Eddie Zavala Bob Bruce Maria Veloz HOLY CROSS Traci Fay HOLY FAMILY Emily Allaire IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Mike Vize Sally Ochoa Lucy Lucero Linda Lee–Chambon Diane McCann OLPH SCOTTSDALE Mike Herrrmann Pat Hawn Forrest Dougherty Lila Wisdom Barbara Lowman OUR LADY OF THE LAKE Doris Vore QUEEN OF PEACE Karen Rohan Susan Petrie Mary ay Dunlevy Martina Bonilla SACRED HEART—PARKER Karen Rath Mary Gonzales ST. JAMES Diane Stofko Abel Noble SACRED HEART—PRESCOTT Richard Howell Herb Bourgault Hamilton "Smitty" Smith ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX Dick Norton

St. Thomas the Apostle John Winters ST. HELEN Joan Compas ST. LOUIS THE KING Phil & Mary Whelan Ed & Esther Escarcega Raul & Elvia Lujan Mario & Mary Fierros Bob McCarty ST. CLARE OF ASSISI Art Gratton Cathy Benoit Mariluz McVay ST. FRANCIS XAVIER Margie Charles Gene Gazzola Joan Gazzola

ST. GERMAINE Mary Fiebiger Fred Widmer Gloria Johns Marie Grist Gil Stritar Pat Caldwell Jeanne Kochan Pat Pike Gil Stritar Lucy Vaughn Sean McKeller

ST. MARGARET MARY-BHC Rev. Peter Dobrowski

ST. MARY—KINGMAN Janie Scott Roger and Rita Gaumond ST. MARY MAGDALENE Nancy Weise ST. JEROME Nancy Barnes Yvonne Hurley

ST. JOSEPH—WILLIAMS Theresa Norsworthy ST. MATTHEW Evelyn Guerra

Charles Seps

ST. PHILIP THE APOSTLE PAYSON

Anna Guerre

ST. JOACHIM & ST. ANNE Gene Harmeling Irene Sosnicki Harry Steckler Archie Schiavo 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

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL Henrietta Cordova SVDP EXECUTIVE OFFICE Frank Labriola Alice Ambrose Alice Ehmann Andre O’Connor Michelle Small Ryan and Jenna Stepp Kevin Harless Merle Schmith Jerry Simmons Emilie Lima Catherine Mulhern Esteban Chavez John Jakubczyk Cindy Coons Rosemary Brown Peter McQuaid Michael and Mia Estrada Gloria Garcia Kathleen Nageotte Sharon Ehmann Pam Eisenberg Elizabeth Lehe Bob Enderle Paul Joseph DeMuro Dick Hannon

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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.

Pattie Barilla Our Lady of Lourdes

Dixie Miller St. Gregory

Dick Norton St. Bernard Of Clairvaux

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Special Ministries is in need of Vincentians to staff the new Special Ministries Phone Center. The Phone Center is located in an office just behind the reception area in Special Ministries. Coverage is needed Monday-Friday from 8:30am – 3:00pm. Shifts from 8:30am -11:30am - and 11:00am – 3:00pm are available. The tasks will include answering the phones and directing callers to the appropriate resource; SVdP Conference, Special Ministries staff or community resources. Pre-screening calls may be necessary in some cases. Resource fliers and information will be available on the computer and in notebooks in the phone center area. Ministries staff will be available for support and guidance at all times. Phone Center orientation and training will begin the week of 10/23/17. The target date for answering calls from the public is 10/31/17. Interested persons should contact Jennifer Morgan, Supervisor, Ministry to the Homeless, [email protected] or 602-850-6839. Thank you and please join Special Ministries in this endeavor!

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE

PAID SUN CITY, ARIZONA

PERMIT NO. 249

St. Vincent de Paul Society Vincentian Support Services P.O. Box 13600 Phoenix AZ 85003

Current resident or

mailto:[email protected]

vincent de paul society newsletter · 2019-12-19 · consistent commitment to our vincentian origin...

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