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...
The impact of the Coronavirus continues to dominate our news with its related concerns. Our Vincentians and those we serve are not immune from the fears of what this may do to their health. We are seeing an immediate impact on our parish life and liturgical practices.

I encourage you to read a letter from me to all the Conference Presidents on guidance how to manage this issue in your Conference shown below this message.

Those we serve still need our assistance and in many cases essential to their health security. This will require us to think “outside the box” in getting the assistance needed. Maybe more deliveries should be considered to those whose health is could easily compromised by this virus. Always our compassionate charity leads to not forgetting those we serve.

As things progress we will continue to advise the Conferences on what should be done.
Frank
March 2, 2020

Dear Conference Leaders:

The Coronavirus has many people concerned about its spread. I believe thoughtful care and information is the best process to prevent any disinformation . As you serve our many brothers and sisters individually and in group gatherings at your Conference, providing accurate information and good health practices is important. I received the attached flyer from our Regional Vice President Ray Dupont. He received this advice from our National Disaster Services Division who is on top of this virus’s development.

I suggest you use this flyer to advise those we serve on what they can do. Also be aware if you see coughing or people with flu like symptoms, you may want to suggest they contact their health care provider. If you feel this is too intrusive, follow your conscience. If those we serve report to you concerns about being gathered at your Conference, review the attached and assure them we will take whatever actions we are required.

I strongly encourage you to brief your pastor about what we are doing. Also we should follow any actions the parish is taking to address this issue. Unified action at the parish level is important.

I hope this information helps you deal with the health care issues associated with the Coronavirus. As time progresses we will continue to keep you apprised on what we are doing and the information that is provided to us. In the meantime good common sense should be practiced and you should go to the website provided on the flyer for more information.

In service to those in need,

Frank
Frank Kiolbassa, PE
President

Society News and Community Notes ...
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The Vincentian Voice to:
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Temporary Suspension of St Vinnys Bistro Volunteers due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
March 13th

Dear St. Vinny’s Bistro volunteers,

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. After thoughtful and careful consideration for what is in the best interest of our brothers and sisters, volunteers and staff, effective immediately the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will suspend all volunteer activities at St Vinnys Bistro until further notice. This suspension of volunteers includes all individual volunteers and group volunteers signed up to serve meals at the Bistro. While the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is a rapidly changing and fluid situation, we are committed to keeping our volunteers, clients and staff safe.

We are continuously monitoring the situation and following the advice of the local, state and federal authorities, which can be found at the following links:


Your cooperation and support is greatly appreciated.

Bistro Open House will be postponed until further notice
TWO MINISTRIES ONE MISSION
CHRIST THE KING CATHOLIC CHURCH

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! WOW…… can you believe we made it to 2020. Thank you Lord! At Christ the King Church we are thankful to have Father Praveen Lakasetti from Prince of Peace as our new Parish Administrator. Welcome Father to our team.

FRIENDS OF THE POOR WALK 2019
This was our first year participating in the FOP Walk/Run and we had a blast. Did I mention…..we took the award for Highest Participation! WOOHOO
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
We were worried about how the kiddos would react receiving jackets, socks and undies instead of toys this year; but they LOVED them. The Christmas arts & crafts were a Hit. The Youth group helped with reading the Nativity Story and Robert’s pancakes were the best. We are hoping to add shoes for the children to next year’s festivities.    
                                                      
UP AND COMING EVENTS
────
BACK TO SCHOOL
August 8, 2020
9am-12pm

 CLOTHING CENTER
Ongoing project. Looking to restock supplies of new children’s socks & underwear

THANKSGIVING MEALS
Distribution of meals to 300 families

BREAKFAST WITH SANTA
December 19, 2020
More details to come
FOP Walk/Run 5k
When: September 26th 2020
Where: Stinson Municipal Airport 
8535 Mission Rd, San Antonio, TX 78214
Announcement on Tax Letters
For donations made to the Conferences the Conferences are responsible for their tax letters. The Council does not have the donor information to complete the letters.
Love and Compassion One Family at a Time
According to the city of San Antonio 2020 Status of Poverty report, 55% of San Antonio households living in poverty are headed by a single female. In our mission to feed, house and clothe with love and compassion, we’ve assisted many single mothers who suddenly became homeless. We do this through rent assistance and the Rapid Rehousing program. We hear from those we’ve served through thank you notes. The following is an excerpt from one appreciative person:

“I’m a widowed mother with six of my children and three grandchildren living with me. My car gave out and having one was a necessity. I could not afford to pay rent and fix my car. I went with the latter and was evicted from my house. I was referred to SVdP through another agency and could not be more grateful. SVdP gave me the opportunity to get back on my feet and allowed me the independence of living in a house as opposed to living in a shelter or on the street. I now work full time without any monetary help. I will forever be grateful to this organization.”

Sometimes people need a hand up. That’s what we do at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Please keep this family and all our brothers and sisters in Christ in your prayers.
GREAT DEAL!
VIA Fare Assistance Program for all SVDP Conferences
Get 25% off VIA Bus Passes!
The Fare Assistance Program will allow participating agencies bus passes (day, weekly, monthly) and VIAtrans tickets less 25% that will be offset by VIA. These passes and tickets are for client use only. Agencies can provide these passes to their clients free of charge or they can sell them to their clients at the reduced rate. Agencies are not allowed to charge their clients more than what the agency paid VIA for the passes nor can the agencies access any type of service or handling fee to their client for the passes.

When you are ready to place your order please notify Mr. Mark Boyes that (210) 362-2191 at least two days in advance or by email at mark.boyes@viainfo.net. Our ticket window is located at 800 W. Myrtle, SA TX 78212. Pick up Order Hours are Monday-Friday 9:00 am-12:00 pm.

Agencies will be required to keep a log of clients that are receiving bus passes or VIAtrans tickets through the VIA Fare Assistance Program which you will receive with your order. Please let us know if you would like to receive an electronic version of the tracking log.

VIA will review the client log quarterly to ensure that agencies are keeping with the integrity of the program. Every bus pass given out from the conferences must be reported to Sophia Sanchez at Sophia.Sanchez@svdpsa.org every month.

For further information or questions please contact Sophia Sanchez at Sophia.Sanchez@svdpsa.org
You Can Be a Part of SACRD
SACRD is a directory of resources offered by congregations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and compassionate groups in and around San Antonio.
SACRD.org is FREE to use and FREE to be listed in.
For more information, email: info@sacrd.org
!!!!IMPORTANT!!!!
Upcoming Training Schedule:

March 21st Ozanam Training (Canceled)
March 24 th Home Visit Training (Canceled)
April 7 th Bilingual Ozanam Training at St Timothy’s
April 17 th Ozanam Training at El Carmen

*please call or email Rosie to register*
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. Please call Rosie at 210-220-2447 or email at Rosario.Abreu@svdpsa.org to sign up to host the training, or to register for one of the sessions. 
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:
FREE Certified Nurse Aide Training Offered by Alamo Colleges
The Health Profession Opportunity Grants (HPOG) program at Alamo Colleges is currently recruiting for FREE Certified Nurse Aide Training to begin on April 6, 2020 at The Westside Education & Training Center (563 SW 40 th St, San Antonio, TX 78237) and FREE Certified Nurse Aide training starting on April 20, 2020 at The Eastside Education & Training Center (4551 Dietrich Rd, San Antonio, TX 78219)! The program pays for tuition & fees, exam costs, books, uniforms, and supplies and provides transportation, emergency, childcare, and job placement assistance at no cost to the student! Contact Tashina Piña at 210-485-0760 or tpina2@alamo.edu for more information!
Reminder that if your conference needs clothes the Society of St. Vincent de Paul office has extra coats and other clothes available for pick up for our brothers & sisters in need. Please call Rosie at 210-220-2447 or email at Rosario.Abreu@svdpsa.org .
BIG GIVE on March 26 will be Postponed Until Further Notice
The Big Give is a national day of giving to your favorite nonprofit. Unfortunately, the Big Give will be postponed until further notice.

We feed, house & clothe — with love and compassion. The SVdP mission is vitally important to the hundreds of at-risk families and individuals that need help. Your support will help our brothers and sisters in Christ we serve. We will let you know when the Big Give date is reset.
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.
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.