MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Well, we have rounded to corner. Mandates for the most part are gone. The work of the Society may once again be normalized. We can now return fully to our most cherished and prized charism, the in-home person-to-person visits. Many conferences have re-organized the way in which we deliver services during the pandemic. Now is the time to change course and turn back to the original intent, when Bl Frédéric Ozanam and friends started responding to the call to serve the poor. CLICK TO READ MORE | | | | WORLD DAY OF THE POOR The Sixth World Day of the Poor will be observed on 13 November 2022. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul is in a perfect position to promote the World Day of the Poor as part of its work to assist persons in need. That special day is also a great opportunity for the Society to: - increase the visibility of SSVP work and activities;
- make known the mission of the SSVP;
- foster closer ties between Vincentians and parishioners during Eucharistic celebrations, to live the message of the Gospel together by serving Christ through the poor with love, respect, justice and joy;
- recruit new members;
- conduct campaigns to raise funds or collect non-perishable food items in support of Vincentian work.
Material for the World Day of the Poor available here:
WDP 2022 CAMPAIGN MATERIAL | | | | 2022 FINANCIAL AND STATISTICS ANNUAL REPORTS Great news!
Members can now access the new online annual reports and the Members Portal! All 2022 annual reports should be entered online through the Members Portal by an administrator. To access the reports, each conference and council must assign a member to be an administrator. Administrators will then complete the online form to request an account to access the Members Portal. Request an account here: https://forms.office.com/r/0pT9m3qR63 The Members Portal is an online National Membership Database with restricted access that requires a login for access, it is located at: https://members.ssvp.ca CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION | | | COUNCIL GENERAL INTERNATIONAL | THE WORLD DAY OF THE POOR WILL BE CELEBRATED ON NOVEMBER 13 Father Motto has prepared an excellent reflection which will be very useful for all members of our Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, and for all the other branches of the Vincentian Family. It is not lengthy, but is a very profound and knowledgeable piece. Going from the Introduction to the Conclusion, it is divided into three, very well-written parts: Jesus and the poor; Vincent and the poor; Ozanam and the poor. At the end, there is a list of 10 suggestions for a more focused way of living the World Day of the Poor, serving those who suffer in more practical ways. I know that we are presently living through a health crisis, but the suggestions can be implemented without anxiety, always respecting safety protocols. Father Motto’s text is incredibly rich, but at the same time, easy to understand, full of examples with scripture quotations or references to major writers, not just Catholic and Vincentian, linked to human history. It is pleasant, encouraging and, above all, very comforting to read Fr Andrés Motto’s words. He always teaches us to live our Vincentian charism with prayer and action, like St. Vincent and our leaders and founders, through Ozanam. We can never lose sight of our servants, our loved ones, our friends and our masters -the poor- who open to us the gates of Heaven. May this World Day of the Poor help us achieve the aims proposed by Pope Francis in this world, helping us to build a more fraternal, fairer civil society, since the poor you will always have with you (Mk 14:7). Brother Renato Lima de Oliveira16th President General VINCENTIAN REFLECTION - WDP | SIMPLE REFLECTIONS BY JOSE I. TORRES We will be presenting a series of five reflections over the next newsletters, starting in this issue. These reflections offer insights on how our human journey converges with our hope-giving faith journey. They invite us to contemplate on how day-to-day conflicts, grievances and other burdens are mended by our faith in our eternal God’s mercy and caring for others’ dignity. Central to these reflections is the theme of sisterly and brotherly love, and service to others, including “listening with our hearts”, fostering deep relationships with those in need, sharing our gifts with them and growing our spirituality. Conference and Councils may consider using them in their future regular meetings. | REFLECTION 1 NOT BEING JUDGMENTAL AND SHARING HIS MERCY “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you.” (Luke 6:37-38); “Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.” (Philippians 2:6) | | The Holy Father calls us to listen to what God’s word teaches about mercy, and to allow that word to resound in our lives; by his works and his actions, Jesus taught us this way of looking at others. Pope Francis points to apostle James who teaches that our mercy to others will vindicate us on the day of God’s judgment. This and other biblical exhortations, he adds, summon us so emphatically to brotherly love, to humble and generous service, to justice and mercy toward the poor. CLICK TO READ MORE | ABEJORRAL - COLOMBIA York South Particular Council, Richmond Hill, Ontario, is twinning with Conferencia de Abejorral, Antioquia Department, Colombia since July 2022. Abejorral is a municipality (est. pop. 20,000) located about 3 hours' drive from the city of Medellin, Colombia. This conference was founded on August 6, 1905, and aggregated on February 24, 1986. This is a very active conference with many members engaged in a variety of charitable activities. CLICK TO READ MORE | | SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL CLIENT SERVICES
ST. TERESA’S CONFERENCE, NL The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, St. Teresa’s Conference, has a long history of helping the community in ways other than a food hamper. Our housing project is a prime example of this but a lesser-known service is our Client Services team. Since its inception years ago, the St. Teresa’s Conference has numerous examples of helping those in need. | | Society members have completed home visits and responded to client concerns: the purchase of a pay-as- you-go cell phone for an older couple who needed a phone in case of a medical emergency; the payment of light bill arrears for a grandparent struggling to support her special needs grandchild; successfully advocating to Child Welfare for financial allowance to assist that grandparent in her daily expenses; advocating to MHAs for services to mutual clients. The list is endless. CLICK TO READ MORE | QUESTION
What are the requirements to obtain and maintain charitable status for a conference or council with Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)? | ANSWER An organization must meet a number of general requirements to qualify for charitable registration under the Income Tax Act. The charitable purposes are the objectives that an organization is created to achieve. Activities are the ways in which an organization furthers its purposes. To be eligible for charitable registration, an organization must show that each of its purposes is charitable by law, and that its activities further these charitable purposes in a way that complies with the requirements of the common law and the Income Tax Act. CLICK TO READ MORE | | MORE THAN HALFWAY ACHIEVED We are slowly returning to “normal” after two years of following different local/regional/provincial Public Health requirements. As 2021 financial and statistics reports are being received, we have a better understanding of the impact the pandemic had on conference life, where certain conferences have managed to continue and even thrive, while others went dormant. This latter situation implies that some conferences are not in a position to cover their annual dues. Since multiple conferences are not in a position to cover their dues, this ultimately has an impact on the National Council of Canada revenues since a significant portion of these dues cover the day-to-day operations. Based on current information received, there is a contributions gap in the order of $35,000. We are therefore reaching out to conferences and councils that are capable of providing some financial coverage for sister conferences who would not be in a position to pay their annual dues. Currently, we are more than halfway there; thank you. Funds can be sent to National via the donation portal: CONTRIBUTIONS Or by sending a cheque to the National office at: 2463 Innes Road, Ottawa ON K1B 3K3 Dave O'Connor, Treasurer
National Council | We are always looking for Vincentian testimonials and conference/council activity stories. Send your stories to share with Vincentians across Canada to editor@ssvp.ca. If you received this from a friend, you can subscribe to receive our newsletter directly. SUBSCRIBE HERE | | | | |
