St. Vincent de Paul Society NEWSLETTER 2015... · He saw it as part and parcel of his heritage, both national and spiritual. ... Sandra Rodriguez Conference Treasurer St. Augustine

St. Vincent de Paul Society

NEWSLETTER

Published by and for Vincentians http://www.stvincentdepaul.net/Vincentian-Support December 2015 Diocesan Council Of Phoenix, AZ Vol. 16 No. 11

“It is for your love alone that the poor will forgive you the bread you give them.” St. Vincent de Paul

IN MEMORY OF…

Paul J. Kelley

It was FAITH that motivated Paul J. Kelley to dedicate more than 20 years of his adult life to serving the less fortunate in our community –FAITH in God and FAITH in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, calling us to person-to-person service to our brothers and sisters in need.

Kelley himself would have laughingly dismissed it as ‘BOSTON-IRISH’. He saw it as part and

parcel of his heritage, both national and spiritual. He found the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to be an appropriate outlet for his strongly-held beliefs.

It was a natural fit for him. He was a “people-person”, adept in both human and public relations, a member of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Conference and as a staff member of Vincentian Support Services at the SVdP Center in Phoenix.

He worked long and hard to help develop a curriculum that would form people in “the spirit of the

Society” – the Ozanam Formation Experience. And he took the show on the road – traveling tirelessly to different sites in the Western United States to share the word and build up the body of Christ.

We cannot commemorate Paul without remembering the prayerful, enduring and endearing

support he received from his loving spouse, Mary Helen, throughout the course of their marriage. She was “the wind beneath his wings” during his most active days and a “keeper of the flame” when the candle in the wind began to flicker and fade toward the end.

We thank both of them for their loving service and their shared friendship. May their example

inspire us, we pray.

By John Feit

We will miss you very much.. Rest in Peace

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Palomino School Christmas Project

Date: Thursday December 17th—8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Where: Bell Road Thrift Store - Bell Rd. and 29

th Street

Needs: Volunteers to work Tuesday Dec. 16th and Wednesday 17

th

Why? The store needs to be restaged into a Christmas Tree Land We also need volunteers to fill goody bags and load shelves with items for the children to purchase for their families For Whom? We expect 1350 students from The Palomino School, Kindergarten through 6

th Grade

Donations of gifts are welcome; contact Fred at the Bell Rd. Store To volunteer call Terry Kelly; 480-797-7473

Come join us as we continue this 28 year tradition complete with 2 bilingual Santa Clauses, and all the Santa helpers anyone could wish for. Come to observe or serve.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul December 2015

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

MERRY CHRISTMAS --- FELIZ NAVIDAD I wish to thank all of our staff, volunteers and our members for all that they do and to wish each and every one of them a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. With God’s grace, and the people who make up our organization, we have become the premier service organization in Arizona. Our community knows who we are and what we do and how well we provide necessary services to those in need. It is clear that this reputation is clearly linked to the people who provide our services. To the staff, their work is more of a ministry than just a job. To the volunteers and members, it is a spiritual calling. I believe that our dedication to providing services is recognized and appreciated by all who see our work. Our funding continues to grow because of a grateful community. This in turn allows us to continue to provide the ever growing demand for services. How we provide those services is what makes the difference. Again I wish to thank all of you for what you do and may the good Lord bless you and keep you all safe. God bless you and Dios te vendiga Frank Barrios Phoenix Diocesan Council President

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The Widow's Gift

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents. Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, "Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood." MK 12:41-44

As I sat in mass a little over ten years ago and heard this gospel proclaimed, it dawned on me that my family had always given to God and the poor out of our excess not out of our need. While prudence might dictate that a person or family should not give away things needed to survive, such as money for house and car payments, utilities, food, and medical expenses, that certainly does not apply to Christmas. So that year and every third year since, our family has chosen to give all of our Christmas money to charitable works. I remember vividly the first year that we did this. Waking up to a tree with no presents was a little hard to adjust to and I found myself feeling a little like the Grinch who stole Christmas; but, for the first time in our lives, giving took something that we were looking forward to from us. My teenage children had always been generous, but, much like my husband and I, with their excess not in a way that required real and deep sacrifice. As I heard this gospel proclaimed again a few weeks ago, it spoke to my heart in a new way. I came to realize that while generosity was certainly a value demonstrated by the widow, the greater gift was that of trust. She trusted that even if she gave everything to God, He would provide for her needs. That type of trust in the divine providence of God is difficult to have. As Vincentians, trusting in the divine providence of God is one of our core values, and yet how often do we actually practice it? I often hear Conferences and fellow members saying that they want the group to hold back Vincentian resources for a more difficult time or for a rainy day. Other times, we are guilty of thinking that a problem is too big for our Conference and we fail to refer or to seek help from other Conferences. But is that what the Society should be about? Are we called to hold back doubting that God will provide the resources we need to serve those who call upon us at a future time, or are we called to serve to the best of our abilities those who are calling on us today? Is it okay to give up on a difficult situation or call, or should we seek the guidance and support of the Lord and fellow Vincentians to find new and creative solutions to real life problems? I find trusting in the divine providence of God difficult, to say the least. There is a fine line between responsible planning and good stewardship and the temptation to think that I should manage all things on my own without the clear knowledge that God is in charge. I am often tempted to see the financial resources as the greatest gift we bring to the poor, forgetting that our presence and our hope are the gifts we are most called to share. As we enter more fully into the Advent and Christmas Seasons, may God give us the strength to trust in His divine plan and goodness and to recognize that, like the widow in the gospel, our greatest gift is to give everything we have to the Lord and to trust that He will provide all that we truly need.

By Shirley Smalley


5 Society of St. Vincent de Paul December 2015

St. Augustine Conference Jubilarian Awards

Three Vincentians from the St. Augustine Conference received their Jubilarian Awards

before a pot luck dinner in the Conference’s office/pantry on June 16. The Vincentians

are Ann Dowling, the Conference treasurer/home visit team member, 1988-2000, and

Homeless Ministry volunteer, 2000-2013; Estelle Allen, pantry/food delivery for the

Conference, 1986-2000, and Rachel Dominguez, pantry coordinator, 2009-2014, and

current pantry volunteer. Deacon James Hamilton, the Conference’s Spiritual Director,

presided at the ceremony, which was also attended by District 8 President Gonzalo

“Go” Ortiz.

Sandra Rodriguez

Conference Treasurer

St. Augustine Conference


If you wish to submit an article for the January issue of the VSS Newsletter, please send your article to Sandy Edwards on or before December 28, 2015. Email: [email protected]

Vincentian Rejuvenation

For The 21st

Century

The Spirituality Committee has developed a refresher course for the OFE. This course is focused on “experienced” long-time Vincentians. But instead of the course being presented in two days covering 12 hours, this course will last about 2 hours and provide time for questions. The course has taken all of the “beginners stuff” out, and the remaining is just the real meat of being a Vincentian in all the aspects of our lives and our work. The presentation covers five topics: Spirituality, Conference meetings, role of the President, role of the Spiritual Advisor and Home Visits. It’s presented in a lively format and you may find it entertaining. If you have been wondering what new Vincentians are learning in the OFE classes, here is an opportunity to find out first hand. While this is a shortened version, all that has been left out is the stuff that you longer term Vincentians already know and are using in your everyday work. If you would like to learn more, contact any member of the Spirituality Committee or contact me. Jim Prendergast Spirituality Committee – Chair 480 836 8082


Why Not Give an Extra Christmas Present to your Fellow Vincentians…and/or family members and friends

By Bill Klink

The Vincentian Endowment, a project to create a stream of income to every Conference eternally, may be a perfect Christmas gift for a Vincentian, and/or family members and friends. It is the gift that keeps on giving – literally! As we’ve been sharing in meetings with every Conference this year, the Endowment is a wonderful way to meet the future needs of every Conference. A gift from one Vincentian to another, or to honor a Conference and/or family member or friend is a wonderful Christmas gift. Just note “Vincentian Endowment” in the memo box on any donation. The end of the year is also a time many of us review our long-term financial plans. The Endowment may be included as a named beneficiary in a trust, will, 401k, IRA or even life insurance policy. Those Vincentians who are over age 70 face the issue of recognizing and paying taxes on Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) from tax-qualified plans. If that distribution is used to make a contribution to the Endowment, the RMD payment may be tax-deductible. Shannon Clancy in our Development

Department (602) 261-6893) can assist in your

year-end planning.

Letter from Client to Cynthia

October 20, 2015 Dear Ms. Cynthia and the “Team @ the Dream Center” I want to express my Deepest Gratitude to you as well as the Volunteers of the Dream Center. My family and I have been in attendance here a little over a month and my three girls have benefited from the homework help immensely! My eight year old that has a “hearing loss” and learning disabilities has tremendously improved in her “word association” and “word recognition” and that is mainly due to all of the extra help given to her here at the “Dream Center”. For that I am tremendously indebted to St. Vincent de Paul! Blessings, Mari Gonzalez and family

The December General

Membership Meeting

will be held on

December 19, 2015

Bishop Nevares

will be the Celebrant

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Tu

rkey

Tu

esday

The gift of sharing Our Lady of Lourdes supplied the District Three Pantry with 205 turkeys and a huge supply of food for the “trimmings” arriving on U-Haul from our wonderful associate Ron Kudulis and his family member Chris. Additionally we twinned with St. Louis the King and gave them 100 turkeys, sent 170 turkeys to Food Reclamation, and four (4) turkeys went to our Conference. (We totaled 479 turkeys!) We were so grateful that we did so much better than last year. People were truly spirit-filled donors! -Pattie Barella President, Our Lady of Lourdes

Thinking outside the box

Volunteers from St. Matthews Conference on Turkey Tuesday This is how we try to recruit in our area. Evelyn was thinking "out of the box" with the help wanted sign. We had a great time!!!

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Chef Gives Back to Help Veterans By Tracy Crawford

Homeless Man Goes Back to College When you’re homeless and isolated, a day can seem endless without another person to talk to about life. Without work or projects to mark the time—days blur into one another in a haze. For Pat Aalfs, living in his car out in the desert, loneliness was the worst part of experiencing homelessness. He worried about getting water and food, showering, figuring a way to move on with his life—but the lack of human contact felt maddening. “If you’re alone enough, especially if you’ve had some traumatic experiences, your mind can go to some dark places,” says Aalfs.

Surviving Loss As a former air conditioning/heat technician from Michigan, Aalfs watched his 26-year-career come to an end after a back injury and then faced divorce after 26 years of marriage. Through a series of events, he ended up experiencing homelessness in his late 40s. Living out of his car for eight months, Aalfs found his way to Catholic Charities The Loft day center in Cottonwood, Ariz. When he first arrived, it was difficult to assimilate back into society. “I was closed off,” says Aalfs. “But then I got a support system and started meeting people, and it helped me to open up.” He immediately used the shower, kitchen and laundry services. Staff helped him to come up with a plan, and in six months, he moved into an apartment. He also got support to address health issues. Then, he took another big step and enrolled in Yavapai College to start a new career in education.

Giving Back to Others Now, he also volunteers at The Loft to help others. “I like working here because, at one time, I was in the same situation as the people that visit here,” says Aalfs. “I know how much this drop-in day center helps people… I wouldn’t be surprised if this place has saved lives.” He says The Loft gives the homeless immediate access to help, whereas under many other programs they would need to qualify and fill out paperwork to get needed resources. Aalfs next step is to move to Tucson, Ariz., and continue to work on his bachelors in history at University of Arizona. Because of people like you, Aalfs is on a successful academic path and starting his life over. The Loft day center is one way Catholic Charities helps the homeless in Arizona. Our other work includes emergency shelters in Flagstaff, low-income housing for families in Phoenix, veterans transitional living at the MANA House in Phoenix and support in Prescott for veterans and their families experiencing homelessness. Learn more at CatholicCharitiesAZ.org

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Why Consider a Charitable Gift Annuity?

We asked Mr. and Mrs. G. that very question and they said, “You’ve got to give back. We feel it does more for us than the people we are helping.” Mr. and Mrs. G. have been long-time supporters of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. As Vincentians, they’ve had the opportunity to visit many people in their homes, bringing them food and other assistance to help them through difficult times. They know that SVdP has been around a long time and, as Mrs. G. said, “SVdP is going to continue.” And they want their financial support to continue as well. They found that making a Charitable Gift Annuity to SVdP would allow them the opportunity to support the work of SVdP, and give them a way to supplement their income during their retirement years. You may be wondering how this works, so we want to share a few Q&A about Charitable Gift Annuities.

Q. What is a charitable gift annuity? A. It’s an agreement with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in which:

You agree to make an irrevocable donation to us.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul agrees to make fixed payments to you each year for your lifetime. (You can have the payments benefit others, too, such as your spouse.) The portion of your gift that remains after you pass away helps feed, clothe, house, and heal our neighbors in need through the work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Q. What are the benefits? A. It’s a gift that:

Enables you to meet your charitable goals.

Provides you with tax-favored lifetime payments. Offers immediate income tax savings (when you itemize). If you are retired and depend on stock dividends for income, consider funding a gift annuity with those stocks. That way, you’ll still receive income from the assets—in many cases, in higher amounts.

Q. What payments can I expect? A. The rate of payment is determined by the ages of those receiving payments at the time of the contribution – the older the recipients, the higher the rate. Payment rates are locked in for the duration of the gift annuity. And, most importantly, in the words of Mr. & Mrs. G., “It makes us feel good.” For more information about charitable gift annuities, contact Donna Rodgers at 602.261.6884 or [email protected] or your tax planning professional.

By Donna Rodgers

mailto:[email protected]



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CHURCH OF THE RESURRECTION

Eddie Zavala Bob Bruce CORPUS CHRISTI Judy Wagner

HOLY CROSS Traci Fay Jerome Lavorante HOLY FAMILY Emily Allaire IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Mike Vize Sally Ochoa Lucy Lucero Linda Lee–Chambon Diane McCann OUR LADY OF THE LAKE Hanni Spencer Deacon Eamon Parsons OUR LADY OF LOURDES Maurice Brashaw QUEEN OF PEACE Greg Miller Celia Lara Sheila Coulthard Joe Hizney SACRED HEART—PARKER Marett Morriset Morris and Shirley Sevada Karen Rath Mary Gonzales

ST. JAMES Diane Stofko Abel Noble SACRED HEART—PRESCOTT Richard Howell Herb Bourgault Hamilton "Smitty" Smith Vivian Miller

ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX Dick Norton St. Thomas the Apostle John Winters

ST. LOUIS THE KING Phil & Mary Whelan Ed & Esther Escarcega Raul & Elvia Lujan Mario & Mary Fierros Bob McCarty ST. CLARE OF ASSISI Art Gratton Bobbie Rigali Leta Pyryt Cathy Benoit Mariluz McVay

ST. GERMAINE Alicia Moraga Jeanne Kochan Jerry Anderson Dean Huber Sean McKeller ST. GREGORY Dixie Miller

ST. HELEN Joan Compas

ST. MARGARET MARY-BHC Rev. Peter Dobrowski ST. MARIA GORETTI Ken Moran ST. MARK Jesse Cuellar

ST. MARY—KINGMAN Janie Scott Ron Sliva Roger and Rita Gaumond Alec Dollarhide

ST. JEROME Yvonne Hurley

ST. JOSEPH—WILLIAMS Theresa Norsworthy ST. JOACHIM & ST. ANNE Gene Harmeling Irene Sosnicki ST. MATTHEW Evelyn Guerra ST. PHILIP THE APOSTLE PAYSON Anna Urioste

ST. RAPHAEL Bill Bleier Shirley Yakis Kitty Reck

ST. ROSE PHILIPPINE DUCHESNE Demore Family

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL Henrietta Cordova Betty Duran Randy Cordova Robert Laidlaw Rene Contreras Pat Ryan

SVDP EXECUTIVE OFFICE Ken Goodrum Frank Barrios Rosemary Brown Peter McQuaid Nancy Wissink Kathleen Lewis Don Sobczak Michael and Mia Estrada Gloria Garcia Frank & Kathleen Nageotte Sharon Ehmann Arden O’Connor Jon Smith Ernie Garcia Leticia Burgos

Blessed Frederic Ozanam Intercession Prayer Line

O God, our Father, You alone have the power to bestow those precious gifts of Yours which we rightly call

miracles. If it be Your will, be pleased to grant such a gift on behalf of...


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REQUIESCAT IN

PACE

May the Angels lead them into Paradise,

may the martyrs receive them at their coming and lead them into Jerusalem, the Holy City.

May the Choir of Angels welcome them


Anna Cheladyne Holy Cross

Deacon Reed Santa All Saints Mesa

Art and Cindy Miner St. Louis the King

Paul J. Kelley Our Lady of Mount Carmel

William Inman St. Bernadette

Susan Stokes San Francisco de Asis

James Straley St. Gregory

Marge Musolf All Saints Mesa

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Merry Christmas from all of us at VSS

Renee Rhoda Sandy

Patrick

Frances

Documents

St. Vincent de Paul Society NEWSLETTER 2015... · He saw it as part and parcel of his heritage, both national and spiritual. ... Sandra Rodriguez Conference Treasurer St. Augustine