Sunday, January 25th, over 100 volunteers, staff and their guests gathered at St. Bernard Catholic Parish to enjoy a wonderful meal and the awarding of door prizes. There were so many gifts available that everyone who entered the drawing won a prize.
We were joined by Bishop Michael Warfel and everyone enjoyed themselves. Our thanks go out to the many merchants who gave us gift certificates to reward our volunteers for all their hard work throughout the year.
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This excerpt from the writings of St. Vincent de Paul (Epist. 2546: Correspondance, entretiens, documents, Paris 1922-1925, 7) is used in the Roman Office of Readings for the Feast (liturgical memorial) of Saint Vincent de Paul on September 27. St. Vincent was born in Gascoy, France, in 1581.He was ordained a priest and went to Paris where he was stationed in a parish. He founded the Congregation of the Mission to supervise the formation of priests and to give support to the poor. With the help of Saint Louise de Marillac, he also founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity. He died at Paris in 1660.
Even though the poor are often rough and unrefined, we must not judge them from external appearances nor from the mental gifts they seem to have received. On the contrary, if you consider the poor in the light of faith, then you will observe that they are taking the place of the Son of God who chose to be poor.
Although in his passion he almost lost the appearance of a man and was considered a fool by the Gentiles and a stumbling block by the Jews, he showed them that his mission was to preach to the poor: He sent me to preach the good news to the poor. We also ought to have this same spirit and imitate Christ’s actions, that is, we must take care of the poor, console them, help them, support their cause.
Since Christ willed to be born poor, he chose for himself disciples who were poor. He made himself the servant of the poor and shared their poverty. He went so far as to say that he would consider every deed which either helps or harms the poor as done for or against himself. Since God surely loves the poor, he also loves those who love the poor. For when one person holds another dear, he also includes in his affection anyone who loves or serves the one he loves. That is why we hope that God will love us for the sake of the poor. So when we visit the poor and needy, we try to understand the poor and weak. We sympathize with them so fully that we can echo Paul’s words: I have become all things to all men.
Therefore, we must try to be stirred by our neighbors’ worries and distress. We must beg God to pour into our hearts sentiments of pity and compassion and to fill them again and again with these dispositions.
It is our duty to prefer the service of the poor to everything else and to offer such service as quickly as possible. If a needy person requires medicine or other help during prayer time, do whatever has to be done with peace of mind. Offer the deed to God as your prayer. Do not become upset or feel guilty because you interrupted your prayer to serve the poor. God is not neglected if you leave him for such service. One of God’s works is merely interrupted so that another can be carried out. So when you leave prayer to serve some poor person, remember that this very service is performed for God. Charity is certainly greater than any rule. Moreover, all rules must lead to charity. Since she is a noble mistress, we must do whatever she commands. With renewed devotion, then, we must serve the poor, especially outcasts and beggars. They have been given to us as our masters and patrons.
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If you’re still looking for something to do this weekend come up to the upper MetraPark parking lot this Saturday at 9:00 a.m. and show your support for St. Vincent de Paul.
All monies collected from the Friends of the Poor Walk go directly to helping those in need in our community. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with bthe walk to follow at 9:00 a.m.
The Most Reverend Michael Warfel, Bishop of Great Falls-Billings will be walking with us and ay 12:00 noon he will also celebrate Mass at St. Patrick Co-Cathedral commemorating the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Paris in 1833. A reception will follow Mass in the parish hall.
If you wish to help or want to attend the reception please contact either Harry or Randy at 252-1855 or randyh@svdpmt.org
We’ll see you there.
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Our local daily has an excellent article about the upcoming Friends of the Poor Walk and the Billings District Council.
Don’t forget to check out the picture of a most studious Executive Director.
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September 7, 2008
Blessed Frederic Ozanam
(1813-1853)
A man convinced of the inestimable worth of each human being, Frederic served the poor of Paris well and drew others into serving the poor of the world. Through the St. Vincent de Paul Society, his work continues to the present day.
Frederic was the fifth of Jean and Marie Ozanam’s 14 children, one of only three to reach adulthood. As a teenager he began having doubts about his religion. Reading and prayer did not seem to help, but long walking discussions with Father Noirot of the Lyons College clarified matters a great deal.
Frederic wanted to study literature, although his father, a doctor, wanted him to become a lawyer. Frederic yielded to his father’s wishes and in 1831 arrived in Paris to study law at the University of the Sorbonne. When certain professors there mocked Catholic teachings in their lectures, Frederic defended the Church.
A discussion club which Frederic organized sparked the turning point in his life. In this club Catholics, atheists and agnostics debated the issues of the day. Once, after Frederic spoke on Christianity’s role in civilization, a club member said: “Let us be frank, Mr. Ozanam; let us also be very particular. What do you do besides talk to prove the faith you claim is in you?”
Frederic was stung by the question. He soon decided that his words needed a grounding in action. He and a friend began visiting Paris tenements and offering assistance as best they could. Soon a group dedicated to helping individuals in need under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul formed around Frederic.
Feeling that the Catholic faith needed an excellent speaker to explain its teachings, Frederic convinced the Archbishop of Paris to appoint Father Lacordaire, the greatest preacher then in France, to preach a Lenten series in Notre Dame Cathedral. It was well attended and became an annual tradition in Paris.
After Frederic earned his law degree at the Sorbonne, he taught law at the University of Lyons. He also earned a doctorate in literature. Soon after marrying Amelie Soulacroix on June 23, 1841, he returned to the Sorbonne to teach literature. A well-respected lecturer, Frederic worked to bring out the best in each student. Meanwhile, the St. Vincent de Paul Society was growing throughout Europe. Paris alone counted 25 conferences.
In 1846, Frederic, Amelie and their daughter Marie went to Italy; there Frederic hoped to restore his poor health. They returned the next year. The revolution of 1848 left many Parisians in need of the services of the St. Vincent de Paul conferences. The unemployed numbered 275,000. The government asked Frederic and his co-workers to supervise the government aid to the poor. Vincentians throughout Europe came to the aid of Paris.
Frederic then started a newspaper, The New Era, dedicated to securing justice for the poor and the working classes. Fellow Catholics were often unhappy with what Frederic wrote. Referring to the poor man as “the nation’s priest,” Frederic said that the hunger and sweat of the poor formed a sacrifice that could redeem the people’s humanity.
In 1852 poor health again forced Frederic to return to Italy with his wife and daughter. He died on September 8, 1853. In his sermon at Frederic’s funeral, Lacordaire described his friend as “one of those privileged creatures who came direct from the hand of God in whom God joins tenderness to genius in order to enkindle the world.”
Frederic was beatified in 1997. Since Frederic wrote an excellent book entitled Franciscan Poets of the Thirteenth Century and since Frederic’s sense of the dignity of each poor person was so close to the thinking of St. Francis, it seemed appropriate to include him among Franciscan “greats.”
Comment:
“Those who mock the poor insult their Maker” (Proverbs 17:5). Frederic Ozanam never demeaned the poor in offering whatever service he could. Each man, woman and child was too precious for that. Serving the poor taught Frederic something about God that he could learn only there.
Professor Bailly, the spiritual leader of the first St. Vincent de Paul conference, told Frederic and his first companions in charity, “Like St. Vincent, you, too, will find the poor will do more for you than you will do for them.”
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Friends of the Poor Walk National Spokesperson Deacon Alex Jones has a compelling message as to why we should support the Friends of the Poor Walk and the Society.
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The following Letter to the Editor has been sent to the Billings Gazette, Billings Outpost and Laurel Outlook by Billings District Council President Mary Jo Michels.
Dear Editor:
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has been a very dynamic group in Billings for many years with a dedicated group of volunteers participating in responding to the needs of the poor. As Vincentians, we see the personal tragedy of poverty firsthand and do much to alleviate it. We are dedicated to ending poverty in America.
The Billings District Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul needs your help now. Plans are underway to promote the first ever Friends of the Poor® Walk, a unique national fundraising effort organized nationally and locally by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The Walk will be held on September 27, 2008 to raise significant funds for use in direct service to the poor. All funds raised locally will be used locally.
Now is the time for individuals, community groups and corporations to commit their participation. Join us at this event to celebrate the poor and honor those caring individuals who work directly in the community to bring about healthy change for men and women to live and grow as God intended.
To sign up to participate as a walker, a corporate sponsor, or a volunteer, please call Harry or Randy at 252-1855, or visit www.svdpfriendsofthepoorwalk.org.
Our Vision: to embrace the world in a network of charity.
Mary Jo Michels
President, Billings District Council
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
2610 Montana Ave.
Billings, MT 59101-2340
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I have wonderful news on the subject of gaining identification cards for inmates leaving the Montana Department of Corrections. The DoC has firm plans to begin issuing IDs to all inmates leaving the system before or by October 1, 2008.
I received a forwarded e-mail from Voice of the Poor member Sen. Roy Brown which he received from Bob Anez, Communications Director for the MT DoC, which explains the plan:
Hi Roy,
Attached you will find a document detailing what we’re doing regarding IDs for departing inmates. This was presented to the Law and Justice Committee earlier this spring, at the request of Sen. Shockley.
We are working with DMV and should be set up to do the IDs ourselves by Oct. 1 at the latest. We realize the number of Ids provided at the women’s prison are not very high yet, but the driver license coordinator is in the process of traveling to Billings two days a week in order to get IDs ready for all women who will be leaving the facility in the next year.
We also realize that it would have been preferable to have this process in place years before. But the Department of Justice already had a procedure in which inmates could go to a local DMV office to get free IDs. We just recently found that this was not working well, as there are residence and document requirements that were creating barriers. So we took on the process of getting inmates IDs prior to release.
Here’s some statistics that may be helpful. Since 2000, we have issued 355 Montana IDs at Montana State Prison and 8 at the women’s prison. In fiscal 2008. we issued 40 IDs at MSP and during the first month of FY2009, we already have issued 20.
By the way, the issue was discussed at the May meeting of the Corrections Advisory Council. You find the audio of that agenda item at the following Web site:
http://www.cor.mt.gov/Resources/CorAdvCouncil/May2008/MeetingSummary.pdfBob Anez
Montana Department of Corrections
Communications director
(406) 444-0409
I want to thank Sen. Brown for inquiring into this issue when we asked and to fellow VoP member Sen. Kim Gillen who has been chairing the Montana Correctional Enterprises commission which has been spearheading this effort.
If you want to read the white paper Bob mentions click here (pdf Object).
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