Diocesan Council Newsletter

March 18, 2022

Vincentian Community News

"Lent is a favorable time to seek out – and not to avoid – those in need; to reach out – and not to ignore – those who need a sympathetic ear and a good word; to visit – and not to abandon – those who are lonely."

– Pope Francis

Serving in Hope

Mark you calendars! Serving in Hope will be held Wednesday, May 11 at noon at St. William Catholic Church. This is our largest fundraiser of the year! Participants will enjoy a complimentary meal while learning about the mission and work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

You can help make this a success by becoming a table captain, volunteer, and by inviting your network. For more information, contact the Director of Development and Marketing, Kanobia Russell-Blackmon at kanobia@ssvdp.org.

Weekly Lenten Reflection Series

Join the National Formation Director and the Voice of the Poor for a series of Lenten reflections on Wednesday evenings at 6:00pm. We will explore how we are collaborating with other organizations to serve the whole person as well as unmet needs.

Click here to register.

March 23: Presenters: Elmira Roque - Diocese of San Diego, Gloria Hyden: Oznam Center – Food Mission, District Council of Memphis, TN
March 30: Presenters: Sally Wolfe - Denver, Co, Alicia Reyes – St Vincent de Paul Planada, Sacred Heart, Plana, California
April 6: Reflection: The Good Samaritan: Who Was the Neighbor?

National Webinars

In Fréderic Ozanam’s original vision for the Society, he expressed a desire that Vincentians use their meetings as an opportunity to serve neighbors in need and personal spiritual growth. When Vincentians gather together at traditional meetings and innovative webinars, they can share their talents and resources in service of our neighbors in need.

Please check out these great opportunities for the Fred Talks - great 4 - 5 minute videos that can be used for reflection at your Conference meetings!

SVDP National Fred Talks

COVID-19 Stage 2 Guidelines

Austin-Travis County is now in Stage 2 of the risk-based guidelines. This means fully vaccinated people are allowed to go to indoor and outdoor gatherings without masks. However, partially or unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks. For more information visit austintexas.gov/COVID19.

For now, this is the policy for the store and VFC until further notice:

All persons fully vaccinated or not are encouraged to wear a face mask at all times while indoors. We do appreciate your assistance in wearing a mask to protect our staff.
Store staff and volunteers are still required to wear a mask at all times including in the warehouse, client service area and in the council offices.
Continue to encourage six foot social distancing in your business whenever possible.
Practice good hygiene and frequent hand washing.

St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store

We are taking every precaution to ensure your safety and to stop the spread of COVID-19. Everyone is required to wear a face mask and practice social distancing in the Thrift Store. Hand sanitizer is also available when you enter the store.

The Thrift Store is in need of volunteers to serve as greeters, cashiers, donation sorters, taggers, and to assist customers in various departments. Are you interested in volunteering? You can sign up by clicking on this link .

3rd Sunday of Lent

March 20, 2022

Gospel: (Luke 13:1-9)

Jesus said, “Those eighteen people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” And then he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardner, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ The gardner said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not, you can cut it down.’”

Reflection:

The parable of the non-fruit-bearing fig tree describes the fate of those who do not repent. Even though God gives us everything we need for our journey toward salvation, we ourselves need to “cultivate and fertilize” our spiritual lives. We “grumble” our way through life—we judge others, fail to live up to our baptismal commitments, do not heed all the warnings given us. Jesus is quite clear in his message: “bear fruit or be “cut down.” The “fertilizer” is the charity, fasting, and prayer of our Christian penance. Repentance is “cultivating” the soil so we can bear fruit. Repentance is changing one’s mind, letting go of the narrowness of our own perception of how life should be and embracing the expansiveness of God’s plan for salvation. Repentance is really conversion. And God waits everyday of our lives for us to bear fruit. (Living Liturgy, p.78)

Vincentian Meditation:

Conversion for us as followers of Vincent and Frederic will mean allowing Jesus and the poor to invade the citadels of our minds and of our hearts. Our minds and hearts are like fortresses. We live within them, but are reluctant to admit Jesus and his poor into the very center of them. We will allow Jesus in just so far, but we often by our action or inaction show him that we don’t wish Him to take us over completely. He is continually asking us to surrender to him. He is asking us continually to let go, and we insist on holding on. Conversion or repentance is about surrender. (McCullen, Deep Down Things, p.698)

Prayer Requests

Do you have a prayer request? Send us your prayers at prayerrequest@ssvdp.org.

We will offer them up in prayer weekly.

National Gazette Questions and Answers

Q: Our Conference decided to establish a SVdP phone line without messaging services. We can be reached on Mondays 9:00 AM. - 11:00 AM only. Is this practice okay? What, if any, are the ramifications of this practice? What do you think of this practice?

A: The ramification of this practice is that our friends in need have nowhere to turn to if the Conference can only be reached at the hours indicated. We recommend installing a separate phone line with messaging services to serve our friends in need. The messaging technology often allows for SVdP members to allocate return calls among members, and for them to have some helpful details for preparedness prior to the call.

Preguntas y Respuestas de la

Oficina Nacional

P: Nuestra Conferencia decidió establecer una línea telefónica SVDP sin servicios de mensajería. Nos pueden contactar solo los lunes de 9:00 am a 11:00 am. ¿Está bien esta práctica? ¿Cuáles son, si las hay, las ramificaciones de esta práctica? ¿Qué opinas de esta práctica?

R: La ramificación de esta práctica es que nuestros amigos necesitados no tienen a dónde acudir si solo se puede comunicar con la Conferencia a las horas indicadas. Recomendamos instalar una línea telefónica separada con servicios de mensajería para atender a nuestros amigos que tienen necesidades. La tecnología de mensajería a menudo permite que los miembros de SVDP asignen las llamadas de retorno entre los miembros y que tengan algunos detalles útiles para la preparación antes de la llamada.

Volunteer Opportunities

You can make a difference by sharing your time and talents. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Diocesan Council of Austin has new volunteer opportunities available in the Thrift Store, Client Services, and Council Office. We now have a new and easy way for you to sign up. Visit the volunteer page on ssvdp.org/volunteer, complete the form, and submit it. You will be contacted by a Council staff member.

Ready to volunteer? Click on this link to sign up!

Connect with us:

Donate your vehicle to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. We make donating your car, truck, motorcycle, or boat easy. Call 1-800-317-SVDP (7837) or visit www.ssvdp.org/vehicle-donation. The process is free and easy!

Partner Programs

An easy and free way to support the work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is to join our partner programs. Sign up for one or both of the programs, and our partner agencies will donate a portion of their proceeds from your purchases to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. You can find more information by clicking this link.