The San Antonio
VINCENTIAN VOICE
A monthly newsletter for all members of the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Archdiocesan Council of San Antonio
A Message from Your Servant Leader...
Blessings and peace to you and your family this New Year! Starting anew we are eager to begin the possibilities ahead….
We have all enjoyed the Hosannas’ of Christmas liturgies, visiting and sharing gifts with family and friends, and renewal all that is good in our Catholic heritage. But I have realized one profound meaning of the Christmas Season. The Holy Family was homeless and had to trust in the God’s faithfulness and love to move out their situation. Also God incarnate began his ministry in the midst of the most lonely and forgotten in his world. I believe this reality gradually formed St. Vincent de Paul and Blessed Frederic Ozanam in our Church’s theology of charity and advocacy. Today as Vincentians, we are the living reality of that mission for our Church. So the best way to begin 2020 is to examine our hearts to see if are connecting with this awesome responsibility in our world today. In the next few months we will be visiting this challenge and ruminate our options. I looked forward to walking this journey with you as your President and Servant Leader.
Finally in early December our District Presidents and Council Officers spent a day long retreat/workshop examining our personal spiritual development and vocation as a Vincentian. We also studied the changed expectations of both the secular and faith based community dealing with poverty. I will address these changes in future Newsletters and other communication venues.
To get the “ball started” we decided to develop a Vision for Society within the territory of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. We are also staring the development of a strategic plan to make this vision and transformation a reality. Our District Presidents are seeking members within their District to participate in the planning team. If you are asked please respond positively . Without this participation we cannot make this plan one that can be endorsed and implemented by every Conference, District Council and the Archdiocesan Council.

Frank
Conferences United In Hope ...
St. Ann's Youth Group assists St. Ann's SVdP throughout the year!
Throughout the year, St. Ann's Youth Group assists St. Ann's SVdP with making lunches for the homeless, stocking the canned goods pantry, and many other projects.

This past December, their main project was filling backpacks for the Homeless for Christmas which included one blanket, underwear, gloves, winter cap, one towel, one washcloth, packets of hot chocolate and a drinking cup. These were given out the week of December 13th.

A special thank you goes out to Michael Cruz, St. Ann's Youth Group Leader and all of the St Ann's Youth Group members!
St Ann's Youth Group packing backpacks for the homeless
St Ann's Youth Group committed to making lunches for the homeless
Packing pantry supplies with St Ann's president, Chris Powers
Thank You Letter Written to SVdP from a Grateful Sister
"This is a Thank You letter at SVdP to all of us. It shows the importance of your solidarity contributions to our works of family and community assistance. I may represent the hands but your conferences are the heart and together we represent the face of Jesus. Thank you for your solidarity!"
-Devon Maddox (Community Assistance Manager)

"This is a special Thank You note to St. Vincent de Paul. It comes from the bottom of my heart. I don't even know how to express my feelings how you made me feel after you helped me with my situation that I was in. Thank you very, very much for all your help. My God Bless you all always for helping me. I really would have not known what to have done if I ended up homeless again. I will never forget what you all did for me as long as I live. Thank you for everything."
Faith Community Church Donates Blankets
Faith Community Church donated 125 blankets in December! Thank you to Minster Willie for thinking of St. Vincent de Paul! The blankets went to several conferences to give to people who are homeless in their area.
SVdP Staff Adopts a Family this Christmas Season
St. Vincent de Paul staff brought gifts and a tree to a family in need of a Merry Christmas. Mary is a 77-year-old great grandmother to 5 children. She was granted custody to all of the children four months ago and has limited assistance from her adult children. When a few St. Vincent de Paul staff came over to bring her family gifts, she told them that she was searching for a house with more than one bedroom for the kids. Let us keep her and her family in our prayers.
Mary Lou Reyna, President of SVdP's St. Paul's Receives Recognition
Councilwoman Sandoval spoke to the Hillcrest Neighborhood Association during last month at Baskin Elementary School. Mary Lou Reyna, President of the St. Vincent De Paul Chapter at St. Paul's , received recognition at City Council this week for her assistance in providing food to the community after the storms.
Thank you to all the conferences who responded to assist!
St. Joseph Donates Food!
Pictured: Rosie Abreu (left) & Antoinette Franklin (right)
St. Vincent de Paul would like to thank Antoinette for donating a cart full of food on behalf of St. Joseph's! The food donated went towards feeding our brothers and sisters who came through SVdP's doors.
Family in Need of a Refrigerator:
Divine Providence Conference  has a family in need of a regular sized refrigerator. Please let Rosie Abreu know if you are aware of anyone donating one to you or your conference. 

Rosi e Abreu: (210) 220-2447 or [email protected]
Society News and Community Notes ...
St. Vincent de Paul is looking for someone to volunteer in the accounting department on weekdays 5-10 hour a wee to help with data entry. Basic computer and Excel skills are needed. Anyone  18 and over can volunteer & we'll work with your schedule! Some duties could include filling out excel spreadsheets and working in QuickBooks. Training will be provided for QuickBooks. For further inquiries please reach out to Sophia Sanchez at [email protected]
IMPORTANT!
Training Schedule is up on SVdP Website!
To make the training schedule accessible to all, the schedule is now available on our website. All new members MUST ATTEND the Ozanam training , it is to be updated every three years. You will find that we are in need of conferences to sign up to host these training sessions. Please call Rosie at 210-220-2447 or email at [email protected] to sign up to host the training, or to register for one of the sessions. The more we know about SVdP and enrich our spirituality the better we can serve our brothers and sisters in need. 
To Access the Training Calendar:

Go to our website, click on Members and then Training Schedule . From there you can see the dates and locations and what needs to be provided on at each training session.
OR
Click the link below to access the St Vincent de Paul Training Schedu le:
St Vincent de Paul Given a Bouquet of Flowers From a Thankful Sister Who Received Help
"Thank you Saint Vincent de Paul for helping to get my new home. I've been living in my car and working part time and been trying to get back on my feet. I've been homeless for years and Saint Vincent de Paul gave me hope to start my new life all over again. I am excited to live in my apartment and not in my car. Thank you again! Thank you Devon for helping me and giving me all the resources that I need. You're so kindhearted. GOD BLESS YOU!! I'M SO HAPPY"
Looking for an Easy Way to Support SVdP? Shop with AmazonSmile!
When you shop at AmazonSmile a portion of the purchase price will go directly to SVdP San Antonio at no cost to you!


To Shop AmazonSmile

  1. Log on to smile.amazon.com
  2. Select Society of St. Vincent de Paul San Antonio (be sure to select San Antonio)
  3. Finished!
  4. Begin shopping knowing you are helping people in need.
Feel your heart warm when you let your frozen car go! St. Vincent de Paul's vehicle donation program makes it easy to give, the pick-up is free, and your gift is tax-deductible. Call 800-322-8284 or donate securely online at https://svdpsa.org/donate-your-vehicle .
Did you know that you can use your IRA to fund charitable giving to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul? Individuals age 70 1/2 or older are authorized to make tax-free distributions from their IRAs to qualified charities like The Society of St. Vincent de Paul. While these Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) are not tax-deductible, they are also not included in the donor's taxable income. These distributions can also count toward the donor's Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) for 2020. For more information, contact your IRA administrator or tax advisor.
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The Vincentian Voice to:
Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are needy and suffering in the tradition of its founder,
Blessed Frédéric Ozanam, and patron, St. Vincent de Paul.
Society of St. Vincent de Paul San Antonio | https://svdpsa.org/donate