Frederic's E-Gazette
An e-newsletter from the National Council of the U.S. Society of St. Vincent de Paul®
April 30, 2020
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Stay Connected to SVdPUSA
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Table of Contents:
- A Letter from your Servant Leaders
- Questions and Answers
- Coronavirus Response Updates
- Continued COVID-19 Guidance to SVdP Members
- SVdP Safety Face Masks
- Disaster Services Coronavirus Hotline
- Current Stores Environment - Update
- Vincentian Family Prayer Chain
- SVdP National Council searching for new Director of Stores Support
- SVdP Immersion Reentry Program works in the Midst of Pandemic
- Introducing "Fred Talks"
- Celebrating our 175th Anniversary
- Contemplation: Loaves, Fishes, and Trust in Providence
- Ozanam Sunday - April 26, 2020
- Ozanam Orientation 2020 now available
- Friends of the Poor Walk/Run: Raising Money after COVID-19
- The Friends of the Poor Grant Program Mideast and Midwest Regional Cycle Deadline Extended to May 8
- North Central and Southeast Region Friends of the Poor Grant Awardees announced
- SVdP National Vendor Special Offer - Motel 6
- Governance: Stores and Special Works
- Antoine Frederic Ozanam to be released in Paperback
- Getting Ahead Practitioner Call: Graduate Support
- Voice of the Poor Third Thursday Webinar: The Journey to Getting Ahead®
- 2020 Hard Copy Annual Reports Available!
- All 2019 Online Annual Reports are now due!
- In the News
- Dates to Remember (See this section for ongoing updates regarding meetings)
- How to keep up with SVdP
- Vincentian Prayer List
- Looking to Support SVdP Programs?
- Make sure your members are signed up for the E-Gazette
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A Letter from your Servant Leaders
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Dear Friends,
I often recall our previous meetings: two at the Vatican and one in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and I must tell you that this “souvenir” warms my heart. It brings me closer to you, and helps me re-live so many dialogues we had during those times. I think of all the beautiful projects that emerged from those conversations and took shape and have become reality. Now, in the midst of this pandemic, I think of you in a special way and wish to express my closeness to you.
In these days of great anxiety and hardship, many have used war-like metaphors to refer to the pandemic we are experiencing. If the struggle against COVID-19 is a war, then you are truly an invisible army, fighting in the most dangerous trenches; an army whose only weapons are solidarity, hope, and community spirit, all revitalizing at a time when no one can save themselves alone. As I told you in our meetings, to me you are social poets because, from the forgotten peripheries where you live, you create admirable solutions for the most pressing problems afflicting the marginalized.
I know that you nearly never receive the recognition that you deserve, because you are truly invisible to the system. Market solutions do not reach the peripheries, and State protection is hardly visible there. Nor do you have the resources to substitute for its functioning. You are looked upon with suspicion when through community organization you try to move beyond philanthropy or when, instead of resigning and hoping to catch some crumbs that fall from the table of economic power, you claim your rights. You often feel rage and powerlessness at the sight of persistent inequalities and when any excuse at all is sufficient for maintaining those privileges. Nevertheless, you do not resign yourselves to complaining: you roll up your sleeves and keep working for your families, your communities, and the common good. Your resilience helps me, challenges me, and teaches me a great deal.
I think of all the people, especially women, who multiply loaves of bread in soup kitchens: two onions and a package of rice make up a delicious stew for hundreds of children. I think of the sick, I think of the elderly. They never appear in the news, nor do small farmers and their families who work hard to produce healthy food without destroying nature, without hoarding, without exploiting people’s needs. I want you to know that our Heavenly Father watches over you, values you, appreciates you, and supports you in your commitment.
How difficult it is to stay at home for those who live in tiny, ramshackle dwellings, or for the homeless! How difficult it is for migrants, those who are deprived of freedom, and those in rehabilitation from an addiction. You are there shoulder to shoulder with them, helping them to make things less difficult, less painful. I congratulate and thank you with all my heart.
My hope is that governments understand that technocratic paradigms (whether state-centred or market-driven) are not enough to address this crisis or the other great problems affecting humankind. Now more than ever, persons, communities and peoples must be put at the centre, united to heal, to care and to share.
I know that you have been excluded from the benefits of globalization. You do not enjoy the superficial pleasures that anesthetize so many consciences, yet you always suffer from the harm they produce. The ills that afflict everyone hit you twice as hard. Many of you live from day to day, without any type of legal guarantee to protect you. Street vendors, recyclers, carnies, small farmers, construction workers, dressmakers, the different kinds of caregivers: you who are informal, working on your own or in the grassroots economy, you have no steady income to get you through this hard time ... and the lockdowns are becoming unbearable. This may be the time to consider a universal basic wage which would acknowledge and dignify the noble, essential tasks you carry out. It would ensure and concretely achieve the ideal, at once so human and so Christian, of no worker without rights.
Moreover, I urge you to reflect on “life after the pandemic,” for while this storm shall pass, its grave consequences are already being felt. You are not helpless. You have the culture, the method, and most of all, the wisdom that are kneaded with the leaven of feeling the suffering of others as your own. I want all of us to think about the project of integral human development that we long for and that is based on the central role and initiative of the people in all their diversity, as well as on universal access to those three Ts that you defend: Trabajo (work), Techo (housing), and Tierra (land and food) .
I hope that this time of danger will free us from operating on automatic pilot, shake our sleepy consciences and allow a humanist and ecological conversion that puts an end to the idolatry of money and places human life and dignity at the centre. Our civilization — so competitive, so individualistic, with its frenetic rhythms of production and consumption, its extravagant luxuries, its disproportionate profits for just a few — needs to downshift, take stock, and renew itself.
You are the indispensable builders of this change that can no longer be put off. Moreover, when you testify that to change is possible, your voice is authoritative. You have known crises and hardships … that you manage to transform — with modesty, dignity, commitment, hard work and solidarity — into a promise of life for your families and your communities.
Stand firm in your struggle and care for each other as brothers and sisters. I pray for you, I pray with you. I want to ask God our Father to bless you, to fill you with his love, and to defend you on this path, giving you the strength that keeps us standing tall and that never disappoints: hope. Please pray for me, because I need it too.
Fraternally,
Pope Francis
Vatican City, Easter Sunday, 12 April 2020
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Q: During this Coronavirus pandemic we are not doing any Home Visits with our friends in need, how do we keep track of our phone interviews? Where should we enter the hours we spend and the number of people we help over the phone, sometimes it is a referral, counseling or sometimes we are paying a bill?
A: Phone interviews in place of Home Visits are now being done across the country due to the Coronavirus and should be reported in the same manner as you would a Home Visit, except phone interviews should be entered under Other In-Person Visits on the Conference annual report.
Q: We have a Conference that has been devoted solely to a food pantry for many years. Are we required to hold meetings like regular Conferences? We have tried to get members to do Home Visits without much success. What are some ways we can introduce spirituality to our food pantry Conference members so that they might feel the same spiritual growth that occurs on Home Visits. Do you have any recommendations for us to enhance our personal spiritual growth as we interact with those we serve in the pantry?
A: The Conference should be meeting regularly as any other Conference and fulfilling the spiritual requirement of the meetings. In addition, before opening the pantry, members should pray together using the Conference meeting opening prayer and when the pantry closes, members should gather to share in the closing prayer. To those we serve members can distribute holy cards, rosaries or other sacramental with groceries given away.
Submit your questions to:
Pam Hudson Johnson
National Director of Governance & Membership Services
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Coronavirus Response Updates
Payment Protection Program
Late last week Congress passed, and the President signed, legislation adding an additional $310 billion to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), established by the CARES Act to help small businesses and nonprofit organizations through the pandemic. The PPP’s original funding was exhausted.
Councils that have applied for but have not yet received a loan are encouraged to contact their financial institutions to learn more about the status of an application now that more money is available.
Continued COVID-19 Guidance to SVdP Members
As the country continues to adapt to the reality of social distancing and impending scarcity, the Society is aware of the need for our services now more than ever.
Local Councils and Conferences shift their work from face-to-face services to creative and location-specific approaches. The National Council will continue its focus on support and value to the entire Society.
We are grateful for your good work to continue responding to shifting community needs. Thank you for all you do to fulfill our mission to feed, clothe, house, and heal friends in need across the U.S.
As a trusted nonprofit organization that already serves the most likely to be hurt by the economic devastation of the Coronavirus Crisis, the Society's work has never been more important!
Local Councils Responding to the Coronavirus
Some Councils have developed resources to help friends in need access assistance and information available at the state and local levels.
Click here
to check out these examples from the Attleboro Council (MA).
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SVdP Safety Face Masks
OFFERS PROTECTION AND STYLE FROM AIRBORNE PARTICULATES.
Comfortable and breathable to wear. Made of 100% microfiber polyester so it is light weight and cool even in the summertime. When your mask is not needed, simply pull it down off your face and let it rest easily around your neck until you are ready to use it again. This fabric is color fast which means the SVdP logo will be attractive and bright for as long as you own the mask. It is totally washable and easy to maintain. Keep safe from harmful airborne particulates and show the SVdP logo at the same time.
Washable - Microfiber Polyester - SPF50 - Dry Wicking
To Order:
Visit the Magnalite Catholic Website, or
click here
.
Item: SFM-I Safety Mask $5.50/ea
*DISCLAIMER: Masks are non-medical. The manufacturer makes no guarantees that the mask prevents the infection or the transmission of viruses or diseases.
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Disaster Services SVdP-USA has set up a Coronavirus Hotline to support St. Vincent de Paul Councils and Conferences in the United States and can be accessed by calling 1 (800) 604-5759. You can learn more about Coronavirus resources and guidance at
https://www.svdpdisaster.org/node/150
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Current Stores Environment - Update
It goes without saying, that we find ourselves in very trying times. The Corona virus is wreaking havoc on nearly all aspects of retail business. However, in the thrift industry, we are faced with a very unique challenge. Our supply chain for textiles relies on donations to our retail stores or collection containers. Currently, the vast majority of retail stores are closed, and although stay-at-home orders have been in place, the donations continue at a near record pace. Under normal conditions, this volume increase would be welcomed with open arms, like daffodils after a long winter. But amidst the current social, economic, and International restricted realities, SVdP operations with a bulk clothing sales component are finding themselves with an increasing inventory of baled textiles for which they cannot viably sell, while incurring the same, if not increased relative costs for pickup and processing. The inability to move the product at an international level has caused inventories to stagnate at every level through the supply chain. Consequently, the market price has dropped, and questions of prolonged sustainability run through the minds of industry principles from NY to LA.
When is this going to end? What will the market be like when it does?
These are the baseline questions for which there are no answers. However, what I will say is that if you are continuing to collect donations during this time, work to sort those donations as you bring them in. Remove all un-sellable merchandise before you store product. Do not store product that you would not sell in the first place. If you are not going to collect donations let your community know. Post on social media, keep your websites up to date with your current information.
As we move back into opening our stores most of us will likely have large amounts of back stock. This is a great time to implement a color rotation system if you do not already have one in place. Once items are moved thru the color rotation we normally recycle these items. This could be challenging in some areas as recycling operations may be struggling to move product, consider selling items by the bag or by the pound. Be creative and look at other pricing alternatives.
At the National Store in Phoenix which we closed on March 20
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we have kept the store manager on to pick up donated good that may be left outside of the store each day. The manager is also maintaining donations bins we have in the community. It is extremely important that we maintain our store and our donations sites. Our donations are vital to our operations. We do not want our community to think we do not value their donations by leaving them out in the weather.
So, work efficiently, maintain your sites, and above all, be safe! With God’s grace, we will get through this.
-Lori Bedwell
Stores Support Director
314-576-3993 ext. 224
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Vincentian Family Prayer Chain
The Council General requests Vincentians throughout the world to invoke the intercession of Mary just in a very simple prayer which we can say slowly and reverently:
- One Hail Mary
- And this prayer, dedicated to Vincentians around the world …
Our Lord and Our Father,
As Vincentian we are dedicated to doing your work to help those in need around the world. Please protect all Vincentians from communicable diseases in our home visits and in our many other forms of service which we do in your name. Please protect those that are now afflicted with the Coronavirus and help this global pandemic to pass. For this we humbly pray. Amen
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SVdP National Council searching for new Director of Stores Support
To inquire or apply, contact:
Anna Filson
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SVdP Immersion Reentry Program works in the Midst of Pandemic
It is difficult enough going to the grocery store during these trying times amid the COVID19 pandemic. It is almost impossible to imagine being released from an institution of incarceration with no shelter, no food, no healthcare resources. This crisis exposes the already bleak realities that exist daily for our brothers and sisters upon their release back from incarceration into their home communities. These realities become more severe as the social safety network of agencies, such as our Society of St. Vincent de Paul, are limited in their access to the people we serve-those already most in need.
The Society has implemented a national reentry program-Immersion. The first phase of the program has been working since January in 6 sites: Sacramento District Council, Idaho Southwest District Council, Des Moines Council, Green Bay Council, the Attleboro Council and the Orlando Council.
All Immersion Program sites are facing the challenges of the COVID pandemic which has required Immersion sites to adhere to local government orders to shelter. However, our Immersion site leaders and volunteers understand most clearly that those persons reentering will end up homeless on the streets or in shelters without much protection for their health. Further, any possible support from their family or friends is severely limited, if not impossible, to access.
In the face of these severe needs, our Immersion sites response continues to be as best as possible. We are focusing on helping our returning persons with primary issues and moral support.
Click here
to read more about the Immersion Program and its work during the pandemic.
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Fred Talks – Heritage, Traditions and Spirituality in Small Doses
The newest Fred Talk covers, in a word, the heart of the Vincentian Vocation. So take four minutes to watch it and share the link with your fellow Vincentians!
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Celebrating our 175
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Anniversary
In honor of this year’s celebration of the Society’s 175 years in the United States, Ray Sickinger has produced this song and video, which we hope you will enjoy and share.
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We have all, I imagine, been in many calls and meetings this year, trying to make plans despite the vast uncertainty of this time we are living through. St. Vincent once wrote to St. Louise after she had expressed frustration with disruptions to her plans, saying,
"I hate uncertainty as much as you do, but what is really important to us is to govern our lives not by our hatred of uncertainty but by indifference, by which we are open to what God wants. Let us then try to grow in indifference."
This word, “indifference” as it is directly translated from the French
disponibilité
, is better understood as “unrestricted readiness” - a complete openness to God’s will before our own.
Uncertainty can be frustrating; in this time, even frightening perhaps. What we fear, though, is not the uncertainty itself, but the realization that we are not in control. This does not mean we should stop making plans, it only means that although we are not in control, HE is.
And when you think about it, that realization should be neither frustrating nor frightening, but comforting.
Recommended reading this week:
Contemplate:
When have I chosen the certainty of a possession or plan over surrendering to God’s will?
Questions regarding Formation, contact:
Tim Williams
National Formation Director
314-576-3993 ext. 207
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Ozanam Orientation 2020 is now available!
A new revision of the Ozanam Orientation is now available. This update incorporates all errata and changes that have been made since 2016, along with numerous minor corrections and improvements that make it easier to teach. Of note, the Poverty section has been streamlined and now includes “
If Not Me, Then Who?
”
- Other Changes and Recommendations
- “Ozanam Orientation Formator’s Guide” is now called “Ozanam Orientation Guide for Presenters and Formators” to reflect its use as a resource for all OO team members.
- In addition to the Rule, the Manual, and the Participants Guide, we recommend giving participants the Member Handbook if your local budget can support this.
- Transition Timeline
- New materials are available in the Materials Store now! While the changes are less extensive than the change from 2012-to-2016 Ozanam Orientation, we still suggest that you PRACTICE the slides so nothing takes you by surprise. With that in mind, formation teams are encouraged to switch over at a convenient point. We think most will teach what they have through the spring and start teaching the 2020 version in the fall.
- If you have 2016 Participant Guides in stock, they can be used alongside the new Powerpoint slides until they are used up. Additionally, Ozanam Orientation 2016 materials are still available from the Materials Store, and will continue to be sold as long as they remain in stock.
- The Spanish translation is in progress now, and will be announced separately when it is available.
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Friends of the Poor® Walk/Run: Raising Money after COVID-19
Did you lose income from a cancelled event because of COVID-19? Does your Conference or Council need funds to assist those living in need? Have requests for help increased since the pandemic?
If you answered “yes” to any of these, you should consider hosting a Friends of the Poor Walk/Run. Not only is it a fun
outdoor
way to raise money for your Conference or Council, it will engage your friends and supporters who have been cooped up for months.
The official walk date is Saturday, September 26, 2020, but you may host yours any time through October. Please register your 2020 Friends of the Poor Walk/Run event at
www.fopwalk.org
. If you have questions, email Nathan Martin at
[email protected]
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Benefits of hosting a FOP® Walk/Run include:
- unlimited income potential with low overhead cost
- cultivation opportunity for new Vincentian members
- increased awareness about poverty and how the Society of St. Vincent de Paul helps
- outdoor fun with friends after months of quarantine and social distancing
To register your Friends of the Poor® Walk/Run:
2. Find the “Coordinators” section on the right under the big picture
3. Under the “Establish a Walk” header, select your state and press “Next”
4. Fill and submit the form
For questions, contact:
Nathan Martin
National Director of Fundraising Programs
314- 576-3993 ext.218
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The Friends of the Poor® Grant Program Mideast and Midwest Regional Cycle Deadline extended to May 8
We are already seeing what the Coronavirus pandemic will mean to our critical work and have made the decision to move up our last regional grant submission cycle to April instead of May to assist Conferences and Councils with the upcoming surge in need.
Submission Cycle Opens April 13
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Deadline Extended to May 8th!
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North Central and Southeast Region Friends of the Poor Grant Awardees announced
We received 33 grant proposals totaling $165,000. Grant awards for this round total $70,000. Thank you to an anonymous foundation for providing an additional $25,000 in grant funding.
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Important Information from our Vendor - Motel 6
Motel 6
would like to offer our Society of St. Vincent de Paul partners a
12% National discount at Motel 6 & Studio 6.
Click here
for more information about this special offer.
Questions? Contact:
Doreen Musso
239-542-0051
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Stores and Special Works
The section on Stores and Special Works is the focus of this week’s excerpt from
Vincentian Life: Council.
Click here
to read helpful information on the topics of No Standalone Stores or Special Works, Committees, Purpose and By Vincentians.
Next week we will look at a Council’s and Conference’s relationship with the clergy.
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Special Notice
Policies are the operational guidelines for SVdP. Councils and Conferences should continually (at least every two years) analyze their policies to identify any that need to be updated or changed or need to be created.
The National Governance Committee has posted 40 sample policies covering a wide range of subjects at Governance-in-a-Box on the National Council website. The policies shown are intended to be examples of how such policies could read. They are not meant to be adopted as is but rather to serve as examples only. It is always recommended that local legal counsel be sought to ensure that the policies your Council or Conference adopts are compliant with the laws of your state and municipality.
Questions? Contact:
Pam Hudson Johnson
Director of Governance & Membership Services
314-576-3993 ext. 214
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Antoine Frederic Ozanam
to be released in Paperback
Announcement:
The University of Notre Dame Press has announced that it will publish a paperback edition of Ray Sickinger's award-winning biography,
Antoine Frédéric Ozanam
this August of 2020.
The
paperback edition of the book will cost $38. A small charge for shipping and handling will be added once you check out. You can preorder your copy now.
Directions to order from ND Press:
1. Click on or copy and paste this link:
2. Select
paperback edition.
3. Each person will have to create a simple account with ND Press to process what they have in their cart. That is an easy process and there is no charge to create an account.
Raymond L. Sickinger
Professor of History & Public and Community Service Studies
Department of History and Classics
Providence, RI 02918
Liaison for Formation
Chair, Leadership Task Force
National Board of Directors
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
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Getting Ahead Practitioner Call: Graduate Support
After successfully completing Getting Ahead in Waukesha, WI, graduates are invited to be a part of the Graduate Program, where they work on a personal financial plan and grow in understanding of their financial needs and resources, while working with their peers and mentors.
Our next practitioner call will look at the evolution of the program over the past three years, including what has and hasn’t worked. It will highlight the documents they use to track financial stability, as well as how they utilize mentors, incentivize their graduates, and respond to language needs. It will also include an update on how they are adapting this graduate program to continue during COVID-19.
Monday, May 18, 2020
1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern
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Voice of the Poor Third Thursday Webinar
The Journey to Getting Ahead®
Vincentians have been using Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World to empower friends in need to change their lives.
The next Third Thursday webinar will feature Getting Ahead graduates discussing not only how their lived have changed, but also how they are changing their communities. Join Us!
Thursday, May 21, 2020
3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern
Questions? Contact:
Tom Mulloy
National Director of Poverty Programs
314-576-3993 ext. 215
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2020 Hard Copy Annual Reports Available!
The hard-copy 2020 annual report forms are now available. The reporting period for Vincentian assistance and services provided to our friends in need is for the period of FY Oct 1, 2019 - Sept 30, 2020.
Quarterly report hard copy forms are also available!
NOTE: The online data entry program for the 2020 annual reports will be available after the start of the new fiscal year 2020-21 after October 1, 2020
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May 31
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Final Deadline Online 2019 Annual Reports Data Entry!
All 2019 annual reports deadlines shown below have passed. The 2019 report covers Vincentian assistance and services provided to our friends in need from Oct. 1, 2018 to Sept 30, 2019. The good news is that you still have time to file online! The deadline for online annual report data entry program is at MIDNIGHT on May 31
st
. Can we count on your Council/Conference to meet this deadline for service and activities beginning nearly two years ago?
The Society's fiscal year is Oct 1-Sept 30. Annual report due dates for each level of our organization are the same each year:
· Conference annual reports due Nov 30
· District Councils annual reports due Dec 31
· (Arch)Diocesan Councils annual reports due Jan 31
· Special Works & Thrift Store reports are due the same date as the Conferences/Councils that owns/operates them
For information regarding Annual Reports, contact:
Pam Hudson Johnson
Director of Governance and Membership Services
314-576-3993 ext. 214
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In the News
International
NEW ZEALAND:
CGI:
National
NATIONAL:
NATIONAL:
BATON ROUGE, LA:
BILLINGS, MT:
SAN RAFAEL, CA:
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Dates to Remember
North Central Regional Meeting
Eastern Regional Meeting
June 27
Emmitsburg, MD
National Assembly
September 2-5
St. Louis, MO
Invitation for Renewal
November 4-8
St. Louis, MO
South Central Regional Meeting
October 17
Oklahoma City, OK
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Vincentian Prayer List
Are you or another Vincentian you know in need of prayers from fellow SVdP members? Send the prayer intention to Pam Hudson Johnson at
[email protected]
and we will add the name to the prayer list on the SVdP website. Thank you and God Bless.
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Looking to Support SVdP Programs?
Click here
to access the online donation portal. Use the drop down menu to choose from a variety of national SVdP programs to support.
If you would like to donate by check, please send it to:
SVdP National Council
66 Progress Parkway
Maryland Heights, MO 63043
*In the memo field please write the program you are supporting
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ATTENTION COUNCIL PRESIDENTS & EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS:
SOME OF YOUR MEMBERS AREN'T GETTING THE E-GAZETTE!
If you or another member of your Conference is not receiving the E-Gazette email,
[email protected].
Have you Opted Out?
WERE YOU GETTING THIS NEWSLETTER BUT NO LONGER ARE?
When an email address has been removed by the owner, or the email address holder designates "Do Not Mail," the email address cannot be re-added by the National Council office. The email address holder must sign him or herself up to resume receiving Frederic's E-Gazette at:
http://bit.ly/1GKXYJ6
Is your Conference or Council doing something that you think should appear in the E-Gazette or on SVdPUSA social media? Send your good news to us!
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