• Search the Site

e-Gazette

  • Jill Pioter

Communications – Part Two
Communications – Part Two 1200 628 Jill Pioter

(Excerpted from Vincentian Life: Conference)

B. Person-to-Person Activities

  • Schedule Conference meetings on different days and at different hours to ensure that everyone, regardless of their work schedule, has an opportunity to attend Conference functions (for example, one meeting on a Wednesday evening, Saturday morning, or another on a Sunday after Mass).
  • Mail the agenda of upcoming meetings to members who have been missing meetings. It’s a good reminder. To encourage better attendance, publish an annual calendar showing all meeting and other activity dates so people can plan in advance to attend and participate.
  • Mail the minutes after the meeting to members who did not attend. For those who missed the meeting, that’s also a good reminder not to miss the next one.
  • Parish Ministry Fairs. Almost every parish has one, so don’t pass on this opportunity to tell your story. Print simple sign-up forms (get new folks to sign up and come to a meeting; worry about getting detailed personal data later). Also print a short list of the work your Conference does and where it needs help.
  • Parish Festival (are you a part of your parish?). Take part in the festival as a Conference. Distribute information on the work of the Society and your Conference. Provide sign-up forms.
  • Personal Talks. This gives you the opportunity to recruit by letting the workers in other parish ministries understand what the Conference really does. Talk to the Sodality, Knights of Columbus, peace and justice council, Catholic Daughters of America, Right-to-Life Committee, etc. Cooperate with these groups on joint projects – distributing Rosaries, scheduling people for Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, helping build a Habitat for Humanity home.
    You don’t have to be a great speaker. Just tell them what you and your fellow Vincentians do. How many parishioners want to answer Christ’s call to serve the poor, but have never been asked? They may be embarrassed to come forward or maybe they just don’t know where to go to become involved. You can be their gateway to the Society.
  • Recruit, recruit, recruit! The strength of a Conference is in its members, so it must constantly be recruiting new members. Recruitment can usually be accomplished in four ways:
    1) An Invitation to Serve This is a very successful program first introduced in Phoenix in the 1990’s and supported by the bishop and most pastors. After many successful recruitment campaigns, it was promoted and distributed as a nationwide program through the National Council.
    2) Word of mouth – friend asking friend
    3) Written material – passing out brochures, mailing newsletters
    4) Presentations to groups of non-members
    Ask people to join: If you don’t ask, you can’t get. The best recruiting is done by people who are currently active and enthusiastic. They give the best testimony of the benefits they receive from serving the poor.
    Ask people again and again. Many will eventually join. Some may simply change their mind. Others’ lives and interests may change and they are finally ‘ready.’ A few may just be impressed by your sincerity and persistence.
  • Address the Congregation. Many Conference presidents have been addressing the congregation at the end of all Masses once a year with their pastor’s permission. An Invitation To Serve utilizes this arrangement and your bishop may be an active supporter of this approach. It gets your message to those who won’t read what you print and distribute, and satisfies those who want to “put a face” on an organization.
  •  Use sign-up tables on special Sundays, placed outside the church doors. Have literature, photographs, newsletters, sign-up forms, and a card preprinted with the day, time and place of your next two meetings. Good days for this technique include:
    … the Sunday with the ‘Widow’s Mite’ Gospel
    … the last Sunday in April (Ozanam Sunday) – Blessed Frederic Ozanam’s birthday and the anniversary of the founding of the Society is April 23
    … the Sunday closest to Sept. 9 – Blessed Frederic Ozanam’s feast day
    … the Sunday closest to Sept. 27 – St. Vincent de Paul’s feast day
  • Have a special Mass to celebrate these feast days. If there are Conferences in neighboring parishes consider joining together for the Mass. Schedule it at a time convenient for Father, and follow the Mass with coffee and refreshments or a simple pot luck supper afterwards. Invite all the clergy from the parishes involved to join the Conferences members for a short time afterwards.

C. Communicating Through Attitude
(Making people feel welcome)

We have all heard that “actions speak louder than words.” Truer words were never said. If you want your Conference to grow, your actions must match your words.

  • Be a totally open organization. Exclude no one. Invite everyone. There are no closed meetings. There are no subcommittees that make all the decisions; however, only Active Members participate in the decision-making. We are totally democratic.
  • Tell the parish what you want. The parish must know that you want new members. Say it verbally and in posters, fliers, newsletters and brochures. Too many groups (including church groups) are viewed as cliques or closed societies.
  • Publicize your meetings well in advance. People live busy lives and have full calendars. Then provide last-minute reminder calls.
  • Make it easy to join. Don’t make it complex – no applications, no forms – just a willingness to serve.
  • Make people feel welcome at any meeting. When someone new shows up, welcome the person. Introduce all new people at each meeting and continue to introduce them for two or three meetings thereafter.

D. Focus Your Communications
(Protecting the future of your Conference)

Often your communications will focus on a specific target audience. You must modify your language, tactics and even media to appeal to different groups. One example is communicating with youth groups.                                                                                                                             

  • The Society has no future if you do not bring in young people. Problem Conferences are usually those which have made no effort to bring in new members. Old members resist change. They don’t trust the judgment of newcomers, claiming they have no experience. Yet without a continuing flow of new blood, a Conference will become stagnant and die (or become ineffective).
  • Expand your efforts through contacts with:
    * Boy and Girl Scouts and similar youth organizations. Talk with their adult leaders about talking to the troops and packs. Devise activities where young people can be involved and make a contribution. One Conference even offers the St. Vincent Youth Service medal, borrowed from the New Orleans Diocesan Council.
    * Teen, college, young adult and RCIA groups in the parish. Again, talk to the heads of these parish ministries. Talk to the groups separately, adjusting your talk to the interests, resources and age of each group.
    * Teachers, nurses and counselors at your parish grammar school and regional Catholic high school. Ask to visit the classroom to give a 15-minute talk about St. Vincent or Blessed Frederic. Get the kids to take on a project, designing posters and fliers in their own graphics showing how Jesus expects us to treat the poor. Publicize the best in each age group. When the project is over, write thank you letters to the kids (not the teacher) in their own language. Consider, for example, sending first graders a letter from a poor child written with crayon.         

E. Adapt to Changing Circumstances

  • Prospects for membership are always changing. People die or move out of your parish while others move in; kids grow up and become adult members of the parish; parents finally get their kids out of the house or retire and now have time to volunteer; after a period of grieving, widows and widowers have time on their hands, a need for social interaction, and a desire to contribute and be involved.
    This requires constant repetition of your message, often to people you might feel have heard it before. But at earlier times in their lives, their minds weren’t receptive and they failed to hear. For many, it’s a new message: working in the Conference provides an outlet for one’s energy, stability in one’s life, new friendships, and involvement with people who share their values and faith.
  • Recognize that lifestyles have changed. You can no longer expect to find members who fit the membership mold of 50 years ago. People’s lives and jobs have changed, their time and family are more fragmented. You must accept what people can contribute, even if it is less than what the Conference used to request or expect. There are no longer any “minimums” attached to membership.
    If you want young mothers as members, you must accept less from them (in terms of time commitments) than from the retired individuals the Society traditionally recruited. Many people can’t give you two hours a week; they are lucky to give you two hours a month.
  • Don’t give up on former members. Send out a “come home” letter to every past member. You don’t know why they left, what or who offended them, what has changed in their lives. Now may be the moment when they are ready to come back. They may be just waiting to be asked.

F. Understand Efficacy
(Accomplishing your objective)

Efficacy is neither efficiency nor economy. Efficacy is attaining a desired result. Money is only a minor consideration in our ministry. You want people to do what’s right, not what’s the most economic or efficient. People are happier when they can ‘feel’ the result of their work – relate to the poor and their condition. Then you are more likely to accomplish your objective – gaining and keeping new members.

A mother who spends $3.79 to buy and donate a 32-oz. jar of peanut butter knows kids like peanut butter. She knows it’s a healthy, high-protein food. She knows that jar will make 17 sandwiches for hungry kids. She can now relate to how the mother of several poor children will feel when she receives it – even though she will never meet that poor mother or see her children. Even though you may be able to get a whole case of peanut butter from a food bank for just $3.50, don’t even think about asking her to give you the $3.79 instead. It would take the joy out of her gift. It would “de-personalize” her act. It would steal away her connection with that poor mother. Her gift of peanut butter enables her to “identify” with the needs of another woman. That’s efficacy.

Substituting the writing of a check for the personal service shown above would be efficient, cold and impersonal. The Society leans toward efficacious service.

BE TOLERANT AND UNDERSTANDING

Our church, our Society and undoubtedly our own Conferences are full of liberals, conservatives, radicals and Neanderthals. If we are to successfully work together to serve the poor, we must focus on what unites us rather than on what divides us.

You don’t have to change your party registration to join the Society, and no one can make you vote for someone or something you disagree with. You probably already have friends you disagree with on major topics, yet you go out to eat or drink together.

Love, respect, and tolerate each other. Rejoice in the fact that, despite our seeming differences, we are united in service to the poor.

Despite our own personal preferences, we must acknowledge that we never know what act or prayer or touch or liturgy helps turn a soul back to God. Bishop Fulton Sheen said there is a light bulb in every human being, waiting for the moment when Christ provides the energy, however small at first, to light the filament.

Do the work of the Society. Help light those filaments.

  • Jill Pioter

01-11-24 Questions & Answers
01-11-24 Questions & Answers 1200 628 Jill Pioter

Q: Our Conference has been approached by individuals who may want to donate on condition of anonymity. I believe that, since we have to keep records of all donations received, there’s really no such thing as a truly anonymous donation, unless it is in the form of cash left in a collection box. What is the best way to approach anonymous donations?

A: When someone asks that their donation be anonymous, then they are asking that their name not be broadcast. ALL members must honor this.  It is obvious that records must be kept, like copies of checks deposited.

Q: When we do an initial Home Visit, is it okay to ask for tax returns from the person we visit? This could help us to determine the level of service needed.

A: We have no reason to ask for tax returns and this is not a practice supported by the National Council. The exception, of course, is if the Conference provides free tax return services. A Home Visitor may ask someone in need for utility, rent and other statements to help them achieve proper payments to the correct recipients and to help the family with budgeting/financial literacy education services. These are voluntary.

ESPAÑOL

P: Nuestra Conferencia ha sido contactada por personas que pudieran querer donar bajo la condición de anonimato.  Creo que, dado que tenemos que mantener registros de todas las donaciones recibidas, realmente no existe tal cosa como una donación verdaderamente anónima, a menos que sea en forma de dinero en efectivo dejado en una caja de colecta. ¿Cuál es la mejor manera de abordar las donaciones anónimas?

R: Cuando alguien pide que su donación sea anónima, entonces está pidiendo que su nombre no se difunda.  TODOS los miembros deben honrar esto.  Es obvio que se deben llevar registros, como copias de los cheques depositados.

P: Cuando hacemos una visita inicial al hogar, ¿está bien pedirle su declaración de impuestos a la persona que visitamos? Esto podría ayudarnos a determinar el nivel de servicio necesario.

R: No tenemos ninguna razón para pedir declaraciones de impuestos y esta no es una práctica apoyada por el Consejo Nacional. La excepción, por supuesto, es si la Conferencia, ofrece servicios gratuitos de declaración de impuestos. Un visitador del hogar puede pedirle a alguien algún recibo que necesite sobre información de servicios públicos, alquiler y otros estados de cuenta para ayudarlo a realizar los pagos adecuados a los destinatarios correctos y para ayudar a la familia con los servicios de educación financiera y presupuestaria. Esto es voluntario.

  • Jill Pioter

01-04-24 Questions & Answers
01-04-24 Questions & Answers 1200 628 Jill Pioter

Q: We have a member who feels the Rule states that our meetings should be considered spiritual, based on doing the readings and sharing with each other our understanding of the readings. Others believe we should use the reflections provided by National. What should we do?

A:  The Essential Elements of the Society are spirituality, friendship, and service. All three must be present during a meeting. The spiritual reading and discussion affect the first two objectives. The National Council provides a series of readings for meetings based on the Sunday Gospels with suggested discussion questions. These are not mandatory. Other readings that have a meaning related to our ministry can be used with discussion around those readings. This is the choice of the Spiritual Advisor.  The spirituality portion of the meeting is extremely important and should not be bypassed or abbreviated.

Q: Who makes up the executive board of a Conference?

A: Normally, there is no executive board for Conferences. The Manual and Rule speak of a Conference board. This is not a formal Board of Directors. It is also not an Executive Board, which has specific authority granted to it. The Conference board is simply the slate of officers (President, Vice President(s), Secretary, and Treasurer). They have no specific authority, other than representation of the Conference and requirement to fulfill specific tasks. All decisions are made by the Active Members of the Conference as a whole.

ESPAÑOL

P: Tenemos un miembro que opina que la Regla establece que nuestras reuniones deben considerarse espirituales en función de hacer las lecturas y compartir con los demás nuestra comprensión de las lecturas. Otros creen que deberíamos utilizar las reflexiones proporcionadas por la Oficina Nacional. ¿Qué debemos hacer?

R: Los Elementos Esenciales de la Sociedad son la Espiritualidad, la Amistad y el Servicio. Los tres deben estar presentes durante una reunión. La lectura espiritual y la discusión afectan a los dos primeros objetivos. La Oficina Nacional ofrece una serie de lecturas para reuniones basadas en los Evangelios dominicales con preguntas sugeridas para la discusión. Estos no son obligatorios. Otras lecturas que tienen un significado relacionado con nuestro ministerio se pueden usar con la discusión en torno a esas lecturas. Esta es la elección del Consejero Espiritual. La parte de espiritualidad de la reunión es extremadamente importante y no debe pasarse por alto ni abreviarse.

P: ¿Quiénes conforman la Mesa Ejecutiva de una Conferencia?

R: Normalmente no hay una Mesa Ejecutiva para las Conferencias. El Manual y la Regla hablan de una Mesa Directiva en la Conferencia. Esta no es una Mesa Directiva formal. Tampoco es una Mesa Ejecutiva a la que se le otorgan facultades específicas. Los Oficiales de la Conferencia es simplemente la lista de funcionarios (Presidente, Vicepresidente(s), Secretario y Tesorero). No tienen ninguna autoridad específica más allá de la representación de la Conferencia y el requisito de cumplir tareas específicas. Todas las decisiones son tomadas por los Miembros Activos de la Conferencia en su conjunto.

  • Jill Pioter

12-21-23 Questions & Answers
12-21-23 Questions & Answers 1200 628 Jill Pioter

Q: What is our Rule on attending other organizations’ annual benefit events using SVdP resources? Is it a violation?

A:  This falls into the category of attending meetings that are meaningful to the Society. It is not considered a donation being made; the cost of attendance is for collaboration, partnership, and growth with like groups.

Q: Do you recommend that Conferences provide an annual accounting of their activity/service to their parishes? I seem to recall that pre-Covid.

A: Each Conference, as part of their obligation to good stewardship, will provide the parish with at least an annual summary of its collections and expenditures. Because of our emphasis on confidentiality, no personal details should be provided.

ESPAÑOL

P: ¿Cuál es nuestro criterio sobre la asistencia a los eventos anuales de otras organizaciones utilizando los recursos de SVdP? ¿Es una violación?

R: Esto entra en la categoría de asistir a reuniones que son significativas para la Sociedad. No se considera una donación que se hace, sino como el costo de asistencia para colaborar para la asociación y el crecimiento con grupos similares.

 

P: ¿Recomienda usted que las Conferencias proporcionen un informe contable anual de su actividad/servicio a sus parroquias? “Recuerdo que esto era cierto antes del COVID”.

R: Cada Conferencia, como parte de su obligación y de su responsabilidad, proporcionará a la parroquia al menos un resumen anual de sus colectas y gastos.  No se deben proporcionar datos personales debido a nuestro énfasis en la confidencialidad.

  • Jill Pioter

Understanding Our Rule
Understanding Our Rule 1200 628 Jill Pioter

Written by Tom Fahl

Before one of the workshops I presented about the Rule, I asked a few Council Executive Directors what trouble the Conferences in their respective Councils had following the Rule and what parts of the Rule generated the most questions. This article will include comments on what came back to me. While the Rule has three parts, this article will only focus on Parts I and III.

Part I of the Rule describes the Society’s philosophy and guiding principles. It is applicable to the Society throughout the world. While it’s important to review and discuss sections of Part I at Conference meetings, it’s also important to give a copy of the Rule to the clergy in your parish and to point out to them our purpose, the scope of our service, and the personal encounters we have with the poor and those in need of help. It’s also important to point out to the clergy our Vincentian Spirituality and vocation. One of the priests I heard comment on the Rule offered the opinion that no priest who understood Vincentian Spirituality would not want the Society to be in his parish. It’s up to us to take our message to the clergy.

All members of the Society should become familiar with Part I and what it says about our members, Conferences and Councils, and about our relationships with Catholic networks of charity, with the Church hierarchy, with civil society and with all groups that include charity and justice in their mission.

Part III of the Rule applies to all Councils, Conferences and members throughout this country. It is comprised of 31 Statutes.

Statutes 1 and 2 lay out our essential elements of Spirituality, Friendship and Service, and our seven Cultural Beliefs. It is important to review these with all members of the Society and then ask if your Council and Conference members embrace them. Statute 3 says the Society has two types of members – Active and Associate. It is important to understand that Associate Members are more than volunteers. Stature 4 discusses commissioning new members and the annual commitment by all members. Often the latter is on Ozanam Sunday, the last Sunday of April.

Statutes 5 through 10 discuss Conferences/Councils and their work. Statute 5 says Conferences meet at least twice a month. The frequency of our meetings helps us develop Vincentian Spirituality and foster Friendship. Statute 6 calls on Conferences to aggregate and Councils to institute. This means they are formally accepted as a part of the International Society. Statutes 7 through 10 show Conferences what a meeting agenda can include, discusses our conduct when visiting those in need, lists our festival meetings, and describes our National, (Arch)Diocesan and District Councils. It is important for every member to know that home visits are always made in pairs. And, by the way, when visiting a woman in need it is always good to have a woman as a member of the home visit team.

Statutes 11 through 21 deal with governance issues and with management. Statutes 11 and 12 refer to Servant Leaders and Servant Leader positions. Servant Leadership has been described as having the 10 following characteristics: Listening, Empathy, Healing, Awareness, Persuasion, Conceptualization, Foresight, Stewardship, Commitment to the Growth of People and Building Community. For a better insight, read an article printed in Vincentian Heritage, Vol. 9, Number 1, 1998 entitled Servant Leadership in the Manner of Saint Vincent  by J. Patrick Murphy, C.M., Ph.D.

Statute 13 discusses our regions and their National Vice Presidents. Statute 14 discusses the Society’s employees. Employees can be Active Members. They can only hold office in the Society, however, after their employment by the Society is terminated. Statute 15 describes the Spiritual Advisor. This is an important position in the Society. Every Conference and every Council should have a Spiritual Advisor. The National Council has material available that will help any Conference member to be able to serve in this position.

Statute 16 discusses subsidiarity and democracy and says that decisions are often made by consensus. When a decision is not reached by consensus a matter can be put to a vote. Statute 17 discusses suspension of members, Conferences and Councils. Suspensions can only be made by our National President. An appeal of a suspension can be made to the National Conciliation Committee. Statute 21 discusses this Committee. Statutes 18 and 19 discuss the election and the removal of a President. Any President who is removed can appeal to the National Board of Directors.

Statute 20 deals with Special Works. These can remain a part of a Conference’s or Council’s normal operation or the Special Work can be incorporated. If the latter status is undertaken, the approval of Council or Conference members should be obtained and there should be consultation with the President of the next higher Council. It is important that the Bylaws of an incorporated Special Work provide that the majority of members of the Board of Directors must always be Active Members of the Society.

Statutes 22 through 31 deal with accountability. Statute 22 requires Conferences and Councils to review their services at least once every three years. This helps Conferences decide whether to keep, suspend or add a service. Statute 23 requires every Council and Conference to maintain accurate records and submit an annual report to the next higher Council annually. The National Council submits its annual report to the Council General International. Statute 24 calls on Conferences and Councils to “zealously” manage and maintain the assets of the Society and provides that the next higher Council may annually assess dues from Conferences and lower Councils. This also requires the higher Councils to work with Conferences and Councils to determine an appropriate reserve for unanticipated events.

Statute 25 discusses collections to help the poor and maintain the Society’s structure. Stature 26 makes clear that the funds of the Society are to be used only within the Society and not be diverted to any other organization, no matter how worthy they might be. Remember that people chose to give funds to the Society and not to another organization. We need to honor that intent. The Society’s Councils and Conferences have many needs although those are often in other areas. We are, however, One Society.

Statute 27 gives Council Presidents the right to require audits or audit reviews of Conferences and to have access to Conference or Council correspondence sent on behalf of the Society. Statute 28 discusses allowing members to be reimbursed for expenses they have incurred and Statute 29 provides that we not identify with any political party. No member of a political party can hold any mission of representation in the Society during his or her term in a political office. Statute 30 discusses amending any of the 31 Statutes and Statute 31 provides that our Statutes are to be interpreted according to the Rule.

Read the Rule. It’s not all that long and when followed assures that all will be well.

  • Jill Pioter

12-14-23 Questions & Answers
12-14-23 Questions & Answers 1200 628 Jill Pioter

Q: A parishioner is requesting someone to pick up her husband from an adult day care and take him home on occasion when she can’t do it. Would this be ok from an insurance/legal standpoint?

A: Just as in all works of the Society, the pickup and drive home must include two Vincentians. From an accident standpoint, the car insurance of the Vincentian covers it. From a liability standpoint under group insurance, it would likely be covered if everything is done in a Vincentian way, including person-to-person by two Vincentians. Check with your carrier.

Q: Considering the Church’s stance on gay marriages and lifestyle, does the Society have a right to refuse service to a gay couple, specifically providing them with a double bed?

A:  There are a lot of moral issues that present themselves to our members over time. The Rule of the Society, both in Part I (Article 1.4) and Part III (Statute 8), states that we do not discriminate. “The Society serves those in need regardless…” Our faith also insists that we are not to judge — God is the sole judge and we are not to discriminate.

ESPANOL

P: Un feligrés está solicitando que alguien recoja a su esposo del centro de cuidado para adultos y lo lleve a su asa en ocasiones cuando ella no puede hacerlo. ¿Estaría bien desde el punto de vista legal o de los seguros?

R: Al igual que en todos los trabajos de la Sociedad, el recoger y el regreso a casa deben incluir a dos Vicentinos.  Desde el punto de vista de los accidentes, el seguro del automóvil de los Vicentinos lo cubre. Desde el punto de vista de la responsabilidad civil en el seguro de grupo, es probable que esté cubierto si todo se hace de manera Vicentina, incluyendo el servicio de persona a persona por dos Vicentinos. Consulte con su compañía de seguro.

P: Teniendo en cuenta la postura de la Iglesia sobre los matrimonios homosexuales y el estilo de vida llevan, ¿tiene la Sociedad derecho a negarse a prestar un servicio a una pareja homosexual, específicamente proporcionándoles una cama doble?

R: Hay muchos problemas morales que se presentan a nuestros miembros a lo largo del tiempo. La Regla de la Sociedad, tanto en la Parte I (Artículo 1.4) como en la Parte III (Estatuto 8), establece que no se nos permite discriminar. “La Sociedad sirve a los necesitados a pesar de…” Nuestra fe también insiste en que no debemos juzgar: Dios es el único juez y no debemos discriminar.

  • Jill Pioter

Servant Leadership
Servant Leadership 1200 628 Jill Pioter

(Excerpted from Vincentian Life: Conference)

Within the Rule of the Society, Servant Leadership is identified as a scripture-based method of leadership which all Vincentians aspire to practice. The following quotes are from the Rule.

Rule: Part 1, 3.11: Following Christ’s example, the Presidents at all levels of the Society endeavor to be servant leaders. They provide an encouraging atmosphere in which the talents, capacities and spiritual charism of the members are identified, developed and put to the service of the poor and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The President of the Conference or Council will have special responsibility for promoting Vincentian spirituality.

Rule: Part 3, Statute 11: Leadership positions in the Society, at any level, are always to be accepted as service to Christ, the members and the poor. Servant leadership is done in imitation of Jesus who said: “For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.

The passage below is an excerpt from the Newsletter of the Australian National Council by Livia Carusi and Jenny Papps. The article is entitled “Vincentian Leadership – Is There Such a Thing?”

“You say you experience great difficulty in the mission. Alas! Monsieur, there is no lot in life where there is nothing to be endured.” (St. Vincent de Paul)

It is believed that Vincent de Paul wrote over 30,000 letters during his life. For Vincentians, his letters provide a small window into his character, his courage, his struggles and achievements over a lifetime of service and leadership which was marked with great personal transformation as well as a steadfast vision for mission, charity, justice, spirituality and servant leadership.

Fast forward a couple of hundred years, and a young French man, Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and his companions, with the guidance of a Daughter of Charity, Blessed Rosalie Rendu, made a conscious and heartfelt decision to name our organization in honor of Vincent de Paul. This decision, we suspect, would not have been taken lightly, and in choosing the name “Society of St. Vincent de Paul,” they too would have understood the very essence of the man, his vision for the world and also the magnitude of his legacy.

Like other community organizations doing “good works,” the St. Vincent de Paul Society has its own unique DNA, of which our leadership model is a large part.

So what makes our DNA unique?

Briefly, it is our founding story, which no other organization can claim.

It is our place within the broader Vincentian family; our model of assisting people; home visitation (which remains authentic to our founder’s vision of assisting people in need and in pairs), and also being part of an international organization; the opportunities that we afford to members, volunteers and staff to connect and engage in our mission, our governance model of subsidiarity as well as our model of leadership.

The Vincentian model of leadership is quite simple – servant leadership.

Servant leadership is not connected to a person’s title, as it is quite different to the function of management. The cornerstone of this model is the belief that all people have within them leadership qualities and that an office, Conference or Special Work should facilitate opportunities for individual and collective leadership qualities to come to the fore.

Servant leadership echoes the message of Christ, Vincent de Paul, Frederic Ozanam and the countless number of Vincentian men and women around the world whose primary mission is to serve another first – so yes, there is such a thing as Vincentian leadership that is very much part of our DNA.

One of the topics that comes up very often related to Conferences (as well as Councils) and the role of the President is focused around a statement that has been made for years in our writings as well as our training sessions. That statement is: the Conference as a whole makes all of the decisions. Some people have a tough time grasping what that means; and that is very understandable since it is not a simple and straightforward statement. There are a few embedded qualifications.

Those two articles from the Rule (shown earlier) make it very clear as to how the Conference should be run. There is no place in the Society for a Conference dominated by one or two individuals. The Society does not support a small group of people making the decisions for the whole. Conference members should be made aware of all aspects of the item to be decided. And, for all practical matters, the decision should be made by the Conference simply through consensus. That means the members are in agreement with what should or should not be done. Formal voting on any topic should occur only when there is reason to believe there is a significant difference of opinion.

The President, as well as all members, needs to be an excellent listener and a good facilitator. This most likely means that some of us have to fine-tune our listening skills. The President must listen to what the Conference wishes to do (not tell them what he/she wishes to be done). Then the President must help (through guidance and facilitated dialogue) the Conference to make it happen. The President must serve the Conference – not the other way around.

There are times, however, that the democratic process is inappropriate. This is because the Conference is not totally autonomous. All members of the Society must be faithful to the Rule and spirit of the Society. No decision can be made at any level of the Society that contradicts the Rule. This holds true also for bylaws, standards of affiliation, or any other standards set by the general membership or by Councils.

The spirit of the Society is determined by the traditions of the Society on a global scale. As it is, the current Rule is very explicit about most things. Our focus in our decision-making should be on ways to enhance the spiritual growth of our fellow Vincentians as well as improve our service to those in need. There are many official writings of the Society, both current and historical, which can help define what is proper for Vincentians if it is not explicitly defined in the Rule.

So in summary, the statement “the Conference as a whole makes all of the decisions” is very true within the constraints described above. Our servant leaders must be geared up to serve the members rather than dictate to them. It’s all part of being Vincentian.

  • Jill Pioter

12-07-23 Questions & Answers
12-07-23 Questions & Answers 1200 628 Jill Pioter

Q: Our Council is under the “District Council with Separate Boards” Bylaws and my tenure as Council/Board President is ending. I was asked if it is allowed for the Board President and Council President be 2 different people? The Board President could have the business acumen and the Council President could have the Vincentian Spirit. What are your thoughts?

A: The President and other Council board officers are one in the same. There cannot be two sets of officers within a Council. We hope that as many members as possible have the Vincentian spirit, and this can be led/organized by the Spiritual Adviser.

ESPANOL

P: Nuestro Consejo tiene los Estatutos del “Consejo Distrital con Mesa Directiva Separada” y mi mandato como Presidente del Concejo/Mesa Directiva está terminando. Me preguntaron si está permitido que el Presidente de la Mesa Directiva Separada y el Presidente del Consejo sean 2 personas diferentes. El Presidente de la Mesa Directiva Separada podría tener la perspicacia para los negocios y el Presidente del Consejo podría tener el Espíritu Vicentino. ¿Qué piensa usted?

A: El Presidente del Consejo y los demás funcionarios de la de la mesa Directiva separada del Consejo son lo mismo. No puede haber dos grupos de funcionarios dentro de un Consejo. Esperamos que el mayor número posible de miembros tengan el espíritu Vicentino, y esto pueda ser dirigido/organizado por el Consejero Espiritual.

  • Jill Pioter

11-29-23 Questions & Answers
11-29-23 Questions & Answers 1200 628 Jill Pioter

Q: Should Conferences pay tuition for Catholic school education since elementary and high-school education is free? 

A:  The National Governance Committee has recently reviewed and agreed to the following:

  1. Helping a family make a tuition payment under the right circumstances can be justified.
  2. Making a contribution from Conference funds to the parish or school to support the tuition-assistance program is prohibited by the Rule as a donation to an outside organization. Tuition payments are directed to benefit specific families.
  3. There are a couple of appropriate conditions that the Committee identified: the case of a student needing to be removed from public school as a way to ensure his/her health and safety; and a case in which a student is already attending Catholic school, but the parents are having financial problems and it would be improper to force the child to attend a new school. These are not the only possible special conditions.
  4. The Committee confirms this is actually a decision to be made by the Conference.
  5. The Committee recommends that a possible alternative is to pay other bills for the family allowing them to pay the tuition.
  6. The Committee also believes that Conferences need to have good advice related to this available to them.

Q: Can members use personal funds for payment of neighbor’s utilities if the treasurer is not available to write a check to the utility company?

A: Vincentians should refrain from providing help using their own personal resources, especially since those we serve will view the assistance as being provided by SVdP.  We are not a personal ministry for individuals; we are a group ministry, and members should treat the Conference as such. In extenuating circumstances, if no one from the Conference is available to issue the check, the member may do so from their funds if they are available. But the member must be reimbursed by the Conference as soon as possible. Remember, this is not a personal ministry. This is the work of the Conference.

ESPANOL

P: ¿Deberían las Conferencias pagar la matrícula de la educación en las escuelas católicas ya que la educación primaria y secundaria es gratuita? 

R: El Comité Nacional de Gobernanza ha revisado y acordado recientemente lo siguiente:

  1. Puede estar justificado ayudar a una familia a hacer el pago de la matrícula en las circunstancias adecuadas.
  2. La Regla prohíbe hacer una contribución de los fondos de la Conferencia a la parroquia o escuela para apoyar el programa de asistencia para la matrícula como una donación a una organización externa. Los pagos de matrícula están dirigidos a beneficiar a familias específicas.
  3. Hay un par de condiciones apropiadas que el Comité identificó: el caso de un estudiante que necesita ser retirado de la escuela pública como una forma de garantizar su salud y seguridad; y un caso en el que un estudiante ya asiste a una escuela católica, pero los padres tienen problemas económicos y sería impropio obligar al niño a estar en una nueva escuela. Estas no son las únicas condiciones especiales posibles.
  4. El Comité confirma que en realidad se trata de una decisión que debe tomar la Conferencia.
  5. El Comité recomienda que una posible alternativa es pagar otras facturas para la familia que les permitan pagar la matrícula.
  6. El Comité también cree que las Conferencias deben tener a su disposición buenos consejos relacionados con esto.

P: ¿Pueden los miembros usar fondos personales para pagar los servicios públicos de un vecino si el tesorero no está disponible para escribir un cheque a nombre de la compañía de servicios públicos?

R: Los Vicentinos deben abstenerse de brindar ayuda utilizando sus propios recursos personales, especialmente porque aquellos a quienes servimos verán la asistencia como proporcionada por SVdP. No somos un ministerio personal para individuos; somos un ministerio grupal, y los miembros deben tratar a la Conferencia como tal. En circunstancias atenuantes, si no hay nadie disponible de la Conferencia para emitir el cheque, el miembro puede hacerlo de sus fondos si están disponibles. Pero el miembro debe ser reembolsado por la Conferencia lo antes posible. Recuerde, este no es un ministerio personal. Este es el trabajo de la Conferencia.

  • Jill Pioter

Ground Rules For Visitation
Ground Rules For Visitation 1200 628 Jill Pioter

There are a set of basic ground rules that should be kept in mind before visiting with those who have requested our help. It is a good idea to review them on occasion, understand them and put them into practice.

 1. If you are on a witch hunt, stay home.

One of our purposes as members of the Society is to bring the love of God to those who are in need. You cannot do this if your personal expectation is that the people you visit are on the take, that they are out to get us for whatever they can. If you believe that the people you are going to visit are going to give you a phony story, if you believe before you actually meet with them that they “are only going to sell the food to get money for cigarettes or alcohol or drugs,” then you have prejudged them and shouldn’t be participating in the interview. Our role as helper obliges us to keep as open a mind as possible. Give those we serve the benefit of the doubt — at least until you have heard their story and can make a reasonable judgment as to the validity of the need. Remember, it is the need we are judging — not the people. So, the first ground rule calls for you to judge yourself — not the circumstances, not others. What is your reason for going on this visit? If you are on a witch hunt, you have no Vincentian reason for being there. Stay home.

 2. If you are an expert on life, stay home.

Have you ever heard the comment: I’ve lived a long, difficult life and I’ve never had to ask for help? (Better yet, have you said such?) Some people (Vincentians) have a tendency to feel that they know the answers, they’ve heard it all before, they know the circumstances, they know what questions will be asked, and they know what they are going to do to resolve the request before the visit occurs. The problem with being an expert is that experts have the answers before the questions are asked. The problem with experts is that they are ready with what needs to be done while the words of the request are still being formed in the mind of the one asking. The problem with experts is that they don’t listen. And, that is exactly what is expected of Vincentians: Vincentians must be good listeners. Vincentians should go on a call with no preset plans in mind. Vincentians should visit those in need with the spirit of a servant asking their masters “what is it that we can do for you?” Our Lord has called out to us. It is He whom we are serving in the person of the poor. We must go to Him humbly asking what it is He seeks. But He does expect us to say “yes” when appropriate and “no” also when appropriate. Be a good listener. If you are an expert on life, stay home.

3. If you cannot smile and be pleasant, stay home.

Let’s face it, everyone has a bad day once in a while. It happens to the worst of us. It happens to the best of us. However, as Vincentians we represent Christ to those we serve. We must be pleasant, loving and caring when we encounter those in need. Our Lord asked us to love one another as He has loved us. That’s a tall order and we need to represent Him well. What this means is that if you are having a bad day, you can’t show it. And, if you can’t not show it, stay home.  You are doing no one any good — including yourself.

If your normal personality matches the movie title “Grumpy Old Men,” then you shouldn’t be going on home visits. Grumpy people never provide those they encounter with feelings of love and renewed hope. That’s part of what we are doing when we go to those in need. We are showing them that God cares. He cares so much that He sent us to try to help. So, if you are a grumpy old man or woman, stay home.

Burnout often reflects itself in rude, crude and downright ugly behavior. Unfortunately, we never recognize it in ourselves. It’s always someone else who sees it. And it is worse if the one who sees it is the one you are supposed to be helping. If you see this in your partner, make sure he/she stays home.

4. We are responsible for our effort, not for success.

It would be great to point to every Home Visit that we make and be able to say, “This is one of our finest success stories. We did such and such and it really turned things around for this family. They’re doing great now.” Well, in doing a reality check, we know better. We know, in fact, that very few of the families we visit for the first time ever even take the good advice we give them. That’s part of human nature and we should not expect much more. So then, what is our role if it is not to change people’s lives and get them on the road to heaven? Our role in serving those in need is twofold. First, it is to show those who are in need that God cares about them; He cares so much that He sent us to do what we can to help. Second, our role is to make life a little bit better for them right now, this moment, to give them some hope. If we can do more, that’s great. If not, that’s okay too.

We are responsible for making the effort to help. We are responsible for our attitudes, for the amount of love we put into the visit, for the amount of love we put into the advice we give. We are not responsible for making it all work. We can give advice but we cannot force those we are trying to help to take the advice and run with it. We cannot place conditions on the help we give; so we should never refuse to help because they didn’t follow our last advice. Christ asked us to love one another as He loved us. His love was unconditional. Focus on what you can control and that is your effort. You may walk away from a visit feeling like you have made a real difference or you may feel like you were not able to change anything. The impact of what you do today may not show up for months or years. If you are going to make an evaluation of the visit, then evaluate yourself, your effort, the impact of the visit on you, and not whether anything is different for the family you visited.

 5. Judgment — not judgmental!

Every day we are faced with making decisions and every day we make a choice on each one of those decision points presented to us. Some of those choices are good, some are bad and some are inconsequential. We hope for the most part that our decisions are good ones. When we are faced with what our Lord presents to us on our visit to Him (in someone’s home), we are asked again to make a decision, a choice, a judgment.

We are asked to judge the validity of the need and the level of resources that are available to us. We are asked to listen to what is presented, observe the surroundings, analyze the circumstances, and evaluate what we have to work with. It is the need that is important. Is this real? Do they really need the groceries? Do they really need the rent help or is the rent not even due for another two weeks? Do we have enough money to pay the portion of the bill that they cannot cover? We are asked to make a judgment — period.

Don’t make your decision based on any one of the many varied lifestyle choices that people make: are they living together instead of being married; is it a mixed marriage; are they just going to take our help and use their own money to buy cigarettes, beer or drugs; is the house filthy and the kids as well; does the whole place smell of stale cigarette smoke or urine; is the old man just lounging on the sofa? These and a thousand other questions are based on lifestyle choices and cause us to be judgmental.

We are asked to make good judgments about whether to help or not. We are not to be judgmental about lifestyle choices. It’s not easy. We have to deal with mind and heart issues as well as all our life experiences. Our Lord told us to love one another as He loves us. Don’t deny someone your help because you disagree with how they choose to live. Make the judgment — don‘t be judgmental.

6. Who owns the groceries? Let go!

Letting go is something that has been promoted as a necessary part of maintaining both a good mental and emotional balance. Essentially the saying is “let go, let God!” Within our Vincentian way of life we are asked to do the same thing but from a slightly different aspect.

Often our members place a tremendously high value on the material things that we give to those in need. Often we are judgmental about the people we serve based on how they deal with the things we give them. Jesus told us to love one another as He loves us. And He loves us unconditionally. He doesn’t attach any strings to the gifts He gives us. He doesn’t ask us to dance to a particular tune in order to receive the gifts He gives out of love. And He certainly is not going to withhold any future gifts because we didn’t care very well for what He gave us in the past.

The same should be applied as Vincentians give their gifts to those in need. There are no strings attached. Our gifts are unconditional. When we give a person or family a box of groceries, who owns the groceries? They do. When we give a person or family some clothing or some furniture, who owns the merchandise? They do. They have ownership. How they handle it, how they dispose of it is their business.

We are asked to make a judgment about the need that is presented to us. We are not asked to be judgmental about the actions of the people we are about to help. Let go. Judge each case on its own merit. “The measure with which you measure will be used to measure you.” (Matthew 7:2)

 7. Work within the guidelines of the Conference.

It has been stated in many ways in many St. Vincent de Paul publications: the basic unit of the Society, the most important unit of the Society is the Conference. It is the Conference that has the resources. It is the Conference that does the works of charity. It is the Conference that decides what will and what will not be done. In the United States, all Conferences are run democratically. All decisions are made by the group. No individual member has a right to override what the Conference decides. Every Conference establishes a set of guidelines upon which the members may operate as Vincentians. Assuming that the guidelines do not contradict the Rule of the Society, it should be understood by all members of the Conference that the guidelines must be followed.

For example, a Conference guideline may allow for any visiting team to spend up to $150 based on their own evaluation of the need and circumstances. If more than $150 is needed, then it must be brought back to the Conference for a decision. It would be improper for any visiting team to simply approve payment of or pay a bill for $220.

If the Conference as a group decides not to give any further assistance to a specific family (regardless of reason), it would be wrong for an individual member or visiting team to assist the family in spite of the Conference decision. All members must work within the guidelines of the Conference.

 8. Your decision is the right one.

The visiting team must have confidence in themselves and their decision-making ability. They are being asked to make a decision that will affect not only the person/family they are working with but also the Conference. The visiting team members are the only ones present to hear the story, to ask the questions, to understand the circumstances and to formulate a resolution to the problem. Their decision is the right one. The only exception to this is if their decision contradicts a Rule of the Society or a prior decision/guideline made by the Conference.

No one within the Conference has a right to criticize the team for the decision they made. Other members may make recommendations as to other questions that may be asked in similar circumstances next time, other resources that may be referred, other paths that may be suggested. But criticism is out. Our role as Vincentians during the meeting is to bolster, encourage and assist each other.

Always remember: unless you are doing something contrary to your Conference’s prior decisions or contrary to the Society, your decision is the right one.

 Conclusion

Take a moment and review all eight of the ground rules. Essentially, they all deal with attitude. Attitude is what you bring to the visit. It affects the way you think and the way you act. It truly is your contribution to the encounter. Our Lord presents us with opportunities to serve Him by serving those in need. It is not so much the material things that we give that are important as what we bring from our hearts. Let us close with an excerpt from Praying With Frederic Ozanam (pages 92-93, Ron Ramson, C.M.).

Frederic’s Words

 On 21 October 1848, Frederic wrote a remarkable article in his newspaper, the New Era. The article was entitled “Help Which Humiliates and Help Which Honors.” 

Help is humiliating when it appeals to men from below, taking heed of their material wants only, paying no attention to those of the flesh, to the cry of hunger and cold, to what excites pity, to what one succors even in the beasts. It humiliates when there is no reciprocity, when you give the poor man nothing but bread, or clothes, or a bundle of straw — what, in fact, there is no likelihood of his ever giving you in return… But it honors when it appeals to him from above, when it occupies itself with his soul, his religious, moral, and political education, with all that emancipates him from his passions and from a portion of his wants, with those things that make him free, and may make him great. Help honors when to the bread that nourishes it adds the visit that consoles, the advice that enlightens, the friendly shake of the hand that lifts up the sinking courage; when it treats the poor man with respect, not only as an equal but as a superior, since he is suffering what perhaps we are incapable of suffering; since he is the messenger of God to us, sent to prove our justice and our charity, and to save us by our works.

Help then becomes honorable because it may become mutual, because every man who gives a kind word, a good advice, a consolation today, may tomorrow stand himself in need of a kind word, an advice, or a consolation; because the hand that you clasp clasps yours in return; because the indigent family whom you love loves you in return, and will have largely acquitted themselves towards you when the old man, the mother, the little children shall have prayed for you.

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

    CONTACT US
    ABOUT SVDP USA

    The National Council of the United States, Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Inc. is a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Donations to the National Council are deductible. The Council’s tax identification number is 13-5562362.

    No Surprises Act/Transparency in Coverage information for the National Council is available here.

    CONNECT WITH US

    © 2023 by National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul

    Search
    the Website
    Privacy Preferences

    When you visit our website, it may store information through your browser from specific services, usually in the form of cookies. Here you can change your Privacy preferences. It is worth noting that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our website and the services we are able to offer.

    Click to enable/disable Google Analytics tracking code.
    Click to enable/disable Google Fonts.
    Click to enable/disable Google Maps.
    Click to enable/disable video embeds.
    Our website uses cookies, mainly from 3rd party services. Define your Privacy Preferences and/or agree to our use of cookies.
    Skip to content