The San Antonio
VINCENTIAN VOICE
A monthly newsletter for all members of the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Archdiocesan Council of San Antonio
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A Message from Your Servant Leader...
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The impact of COVID-19 continues to dominate our personal and Conference lives. Presently no one is totally immune. I believe we are called by the Holy Spirit to step up and meet the needs of those suffering from the fallout of the virus. I also believe it is our finest hour as Vincentians and our Vincentian ingenuity to meet the challenge.
Our first Essential Element is our spirituality. The Holy Spirit engages through our contemplative prayer life as individuals and our community Conference. Do not get caught up with the tasks at hand until you have spent some time in prayer and reflection. The Holy Spirit’s energy works through our prayer life.
Giving out food, other commodities, and family financial assistance is very important. However, I am asking every Conference to continue and hopefully increase our virtual home visits. These telephone calls, in my opinion, are as important, and in many cases, more important than our material distribution. We not only bring a carrying voice but also can address the needs of those who call. PLEASE GIVE THIS YOUR HIGHEST PRIORITY!
WE NEED TO ENGAGE OTHERS IN OUR MISSION DURING THIS CRISIS. I offer you this suggestion: Most Conferences use paper bags for food distribution. Let’s engage our children in decorating these bags with pictures and messages of hope. You can start with your extended family and then offer the CCD Program to engage. As we begin to return to parish Masses the bags can be made available for children to pick up and return to the Church or have drop system at your parish. This idea will give the children something to do and become a contributor to helping during the crisis. Also, it will give families awareness of what we are doing. LET’S GIVE IT TRY.
Finally, information is being distributed for the election of a Council President whose term starts in October 2020. Pray and consider running and suggest others run. Consult the information being sent out to each Conference.
May God continue to bless you and our commitment to serving those in need.
Your Servant Leader
Frank
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Society News and Community Notes ...
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For the latest information regarding SVdP's response to COVID-19 please click the button below.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION
HOME VISITS
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Home visitors should do everything possible to provide virtual home visits as they would if they were in person. Here is some guidance on conducting virtual visits. If video conferencing is used, there are security concerns to consider, and every effort should be made to use a HIPAA-compliant platform such as ZOOM. Apps like FaceTime, Messenger, and Skype are not secure. Using a secure video conferencing platform would be the most ideal and closest to an in-person visit. However telephone conversations may be the only feasible option for some families.
Many families do not have all three of the following items necessary to conduct video conferencing: a screen/smartphone, internet connection, data plan that would allow for home visits. Note that many companies are extending free WiFi and unlimited data plans for their customers. Vincentians must have a device they can use if they need to conduct virtual visits from their conferences. For videoconferencing, it is recommended the screen be larger than a smartphone, if possible. However, smartphones may be the only option. Conferences will need a secure, reliable internet connection (where possible) that could be used from conferences to conduct visits. When conducting virtual home visits, confidentiality must be maintained. Vincentians must be able to facilitate the visits from a room where others will not be able to overhear nor see the family. Vincentians will need to explain to families via phone what to expect and obtain their permission.
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SVDP Rice Distribution May 21st
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We will once again have food for your conferences to pick up next week. Please make note of the following:
DATE: THURSDAY MAY 21, 2020
TIME: 11AM – 2PM
PLACE: 638 BILLY MITCHELL (same place as last month)
FOOD: RICE, TUNA, PEANUT BUTTER, CANNED FRUIT, SOME PRODUCE
Rosie will leave her red Nissan Altima on the edge of the parking lot as you turn onto the second right once you are on Billy Mitchell Blvd. Call Rosie if you have problems at 210-683-9152. Please bring your own dolly if you have one. The rice needs to go; so please help us get rid of the rice. Thank you so much for all you do for our brothers and sisters!
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Friendly Reminder:
Vincentians are not allowed to use personal email accounts when conducting anything related to the conferences. Please use the work svdp email given to you.
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St. Timothy's Food Distribution
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This past Friday, SVdP Volunteers distributed non-perishable food items from our St. Timothy SVdP food pantry. Our SVdP pantries were restocked the previous week--allowing for food to be more easily available throughout our service area.
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Social Distancing Best Practices
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1) Practice social distancing. Keep at least 6-8 feet of space between you and other people.
2) People 10 years or older should wear a cloth face covering over their nose and mouth when in a public place where it is difficult to keep six feet away from other people, such as visiting a grocery store/pharmacy or working in areas that involve close proximity with other coworkers.
3) Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol, covering all surfaces of your hands and rubbing them together until they feel dry.
4) Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
5) Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
6) Clean all “high-touch” surfaces every day, including counters, tabletops, doorknobs, bathroom fixtures, toilets, phones, keyboards, tablets, and bedside tables.
tables.
For updates please visit the
Metro Health
website.
Metro Health
COVID-19 Hotline: (210) 207-5779
Monday through Friday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm and Saturday & Sunday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
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Notre Dame Food Distribution
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Notre Dame Kerrville held a pantry food distribution last month. They geared up for the safety of their neighbors in need and for each other. Drive through distribution is their new norm.
Their neighbors in need were given a sheet of paper with their hours on it and how to request financial assistance by email. The two major utilities in Kerrville will email the bills upon costumer request to Notre Dame for those without email. Telephone calls supply the missing details. Notre Dame's thrift store will remain closed for now with no donations of goods being accepted.
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ST. VINCENT DE PAUL AT ST DOMINIC GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND!
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For the months of March and April St. Dominic's distributed over 3,000 pounds of food to families in need. Vincentians were able to deliver meals to the elderly and home bound. Elderly food boxes were also made available by the Food Bank and distributed by our volunteers. A big thank you goes out to Father Mike, Father Abel and of course, all volunteers who came out to help. St. Vincent De Paul pantry at St Dominic's will continue to operate as normal: Tuesdays and Fridays 9:00 am - 11:00 am. Please call (210) 432- 2071 for information.
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St. Gregory's Catholic School Steps Up to the Challenge!
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When they heard our need for food had increased
971%
in the month of March, St. Gregory's Catholic School organized a Fiesta Food Drive this past April. Students, Parents, Parishioners, and Staff collected 3000 lbs of food--all while following social distancing and staying safe. This food will now go into the homes of families in need. Thank you St. Gregory The Great for being apart of the mission of SVdP!
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We are ONE Society- we feed, house, clothe with love and compassion.
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SACRD is a directory of resources offered by congregations, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, and compassionate groups in and around San Antonio.
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SACRD.org is FREE to use and FREE to be listed in.
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Resources for our Neighbors Experiencing Street Homelessness During COVID-19
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San Antonio Drive Thru Zoo
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Looking for a fun way to get out of the house and practice social distancing?
Visit San Antonio's Drive thru Zoo! Tickets sell out fast!
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Looking for an Easy Way to Support SVdP? Shop with AmazonSmile!
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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
- Log on to smile.amazon.com
- Select Society of St. Vincent de Paul San Antonio (be sure to select San Antonio)
- Finished!
- Begin shopping knowing you are helping people in need.
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As we all slow down and spend more time at home... You may start to notice other things that slow you down, like that extra car or truck you don’t drive anymore. Rather than let it continue to hold you back, donate it to Society St. Vincent de Paul, Southwest Texas! Click
here
to learn more!
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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.
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