Diocesan Council Newsletter

March 4, 2022

Vincentian Community News

"Lent is a time of renewal allowing our savior, Jesus Christ, to make us whole and new again so that we may carry out his mission."

-Bishop Joe Vasquez

Diocese of Austin

Lord hear our prayer

For Your children in Ukraine

At war or in the shadow of war.

Protect them from harm,

Especially the unarmed,

The weak, the small, the helpless.

Protect your children from fear

With the light of Your eternal hope.

Bring peace to their hearts,

And if it is Your will,

Bring peace in Ukraine.

Amen.

National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Amplify Austin Day!

Thank you to everyone who participated on Amplify Austin Day and supported our campaign. Your generosity was momentous! We raised over $13,000 which exceed our goal. We are grateful for your support and prayers!

Lenten Day of Prayer and Service

Staff from the Diocese of Austin and Catholic Charities of Central Texas held their Lenten Day of Prayer and Service Thursday. As part of their day of service, they spent the morning volunteering at various organizations including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The group at the Vincentian Family Center volunteered in Client Services and in the Executive Office.

Weekly Lenten Reflection Series

Join the National Formation Director and the Voice of the Poor for a series of Lenten reflections on Wednesday evenings beginning March 9, on Catholic Social teaching, homelessness, and our Vincentian response. 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 9: Reflection: Catholic Social Teaching and Our Vincentian Vocation
March 16: Presenters: Pam Matambanadzo & Dave McNaughton - Chicago Council District IV, Guest: Alderman Cappleman (46th Ward), Presenter: Miguel Santos - Buffalo NY
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

SVdP MidYear Meeting

Registration for SVdP Midyear Meeting is now open!

Join us the for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's 2022 Midyear Business Meeting, March 16 - 19, 2022 at the Hilton at the Ballpark in St. Louis, Missouri! The agenda is packed with Education, Spirituality, and informative information about the Society and helping those in need. Highlights include: Spiritual Retreat, Committee Meetings, Regional Meetings, and our Midyear Business Meeting. We look forward to seeing you in St. Louis!

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 .

1st Sunday of Lent

March 6, 2022

Gospel: (Luke 4:1-13)

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. …The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered: “It is written:, One does not live on bread alone.”…The devil then said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory…All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus replied: “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” …Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says: You shall not put the Lord, you God, to the test.” When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Reflection:

Try as the he might by offering every attractive thing—wealth, power, esteem—the devil couldn’t prove stronger. The gentle persuasion of prayer and fasting kept Jesus stronger and able to resist temptation. Not even the Son of God was exempt from being tested!

Temptation, then, isn’t necessarily a sign of great sinfulness. It is an occasion for showing that our lives are turned to God, for remaining steadfast in the faith that we profess. Lent isn’t simply our desert time to overcome temptation. It is also a springtime of renewed relationship to God. It is a time when we are strengthened, with the gentle warmth of God’s Spirit leading us, to overcome even temptations to wealth, power, and esteem. (Living Liturgy, p.70)

Vincentian Meditation:

I urge you to reflect, during Lent, on the temptations that we inevitable meet as the Spirit guides us through the desert. None of us is spared these. The Spirit is a pillar of fire to lighten our path on the journey, but daily events allure us to follow other pillars of fire as we wander through the desert. But we find our hunger satisfied, our thirst quenched, only in the person of a loving, provident God who walks with us always. This Lent all of us must ask ourselves: what is the greatest temptation I face as a follower of St. Vincent?

(Maloney, Go! On the Missionary Spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul, p. 95)

What is the greatest temptation you face as a follower of Vincent and Frederic?

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: Can a person be registered in one parish and belong to a SVdP Conference of another parish?

A: Yes, a person can be registered in one parish and belong to a SVdP Conference at another. The Rule does not require Vincentian members to belong to the parish in which they worship.

Preguntas y Respuestas de la

Oficina Nacional

P: ¿Puede una persona registrada en una parroquia pertenecer a una conferencia SVDP de otra parroquia?

R: Sí, una persona puede estar registrada en una parroquia y pertenecer a una Conferencia SVdP en otra. La Regla no exige que los miembros vicencianos pertenezcan a la parroquia en la que van al culto.

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.