SSVP CANADA - April 12, 2023 | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR We are happy to share that Philippe E. Blain is joining SSVP National Council as Executive Director effective April 3, 2023. Please join us in welcoming Philippe to our organization. Philippe is joining SSVP after a long and varied career in the private sector (construction, cosmetics, telecom) as well as several roles in non-profit organizations. His latest challenge was with St. John Ambulance where he established a national account process to secure the organization’s viability in the future. Originally from France, Philippe has long and meaningful connections to SSVP. He arrived in Canada in 1990 and chose to make his life in this country. He and his wife have 2 children and they are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary this year. He is thrilled to join SSVP and hopes to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve. | | SPIRITUAL ADVISOR At our recent National Council Board meeting, Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie led a Retreat Day for us on “Serving the Poor and Just Reconciliation”. The first part of the Retreat focused on “Service, Justice and the Eucharist” and the second part focused on “Moving Forward Together – the Art of an Apology”. It was an amazing Retreat and we thank Archbishop for sharing this day with us and giving us a lot to reflect upon. Archbishop Lavoie is stepping down from his role as National Council Spiritual Advisor due to a number of other commitments he currently has. We sincerely thank Archbishop for his spiritual direction and leadership over the past 3-1/2 years, and wish him all the best in his future endeavours. We will miss him, and we will be searching for a new Spiritual Advisor to take on this role. | | ANNUAL NATIONAL FORMATION (ANF) We are very pleased to announce that the Annual National Formation (ANF) conference is confirmed to take place in Ottawa on Friday June 9 and Saturday June 10, 2023. Our theme for the 2023 ANF is Servant Leader. Once again, we have chosen Carleton University. Our workshops this year will fall within the theme Servant Leader. We have been receiving proposals and we will offer several choices in French and English. These will be announced as we get closer to the event. The meeting will start at 10.00 am Friday morning, with welcome speech, followed by the keynote speaker (to be announced). Workshops will be presented in the afternoon, followed by the Live Chat Room in the evening. More workshops will be presented on Saturday morning and afternoon, followed by the candidates for National Council President presentations. Look out for our next newsletters for more information. | ANF - WORKSHOPS PRESENTER Workshops are typically 75 minutes long, to include presentation with a question and answer period. Presenters must provide their own presentation material. Please submit your workshop proposal by filling the submission form. WORKSHOPS SUBMISSION FORM Please submit by April 30. | ANF - LIVE CHAT ROOM The Live Chat Room is a forum where members, conferences or councils can identify a topic for discussion or share their successful initiatives/projects with other Vincentians. Please reserve a spot at the Live Chat Room to present your initiative or project by filling the submission form. LIVE CHAT ROOM SUBMISSION FORM Please submit by April 30. | | ELECTION - NATIONAL PRESIDENT Once again, the time has come to consider candidates for the position of President of the National Council of Canada. The format, timelines and candidate eligibility considerations are as follows and taken from the Canadian Statutes and Rule of the Society in Canada (2.3.4). Only members of Aggregated Conferences and Instituted Councils are eligible as candidates or nominators. The Role and Responsibilities of the National President can be found in Section 2.5 and 2.5.1 of the Canadian Statutes and Rule. | COUNCIL GENERAL INTERNATIONAL | THREE CARIBBEAN TERRITORIES ARE VISITED BY THE PRESIDENT GENERAL The visits took place in Haiti, Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico During the month of March, the 16th President General, brother Renato Lima de Oliveira, had the pleasure of visiting Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The SSVP has been working with great care in these countries to strengthen the conferences, to energize the social works and to strengthen charity towards our neediest brothers and sisters. READ MORE | SSVP IS CELEBRATING 190 YEARS OF ITS FOUNDATION On April 23, a Holy Mass will be broadcasted live on Ozanam TV to the whole world On Sunday, April 23rd, at 3:30 pm (Paris time), a Holy Mass of Thanksgiving will be celebrated for the 190th anniversary of the foundation of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and the 210th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Antoine-Frédéric Ozanam. READ MORE | | REFLECTION ON DEADENED HEARTS “And Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?” (Mark 4:39-40) The Holy Father in his homily for the 6th World Day of the Poor on November 13, 2022 declared: “If our heart is deadened and indifferent, we cannot hear the poor’s faint cry of pain, we cannot cry with them and for them, we cannot see how much loneliness and anguish also lie hidden in the forgotten corners of our cities.” He then urged Christians worldwide: “Let us take to heart the clear and unmistakable summons in the Gospel not to be led astray.” READ MORE | | FUND DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES The Fund Development Committee continues to work on creating resources to help share initiatives for your SSVP community. As mentioned in an earlier article, we recommend that your Council recruit someone knowledgeable in raising funds as a Fund Development Coordinator, either as a paid position or volunteer. This person will then recruit members to be part of your Fund Development Committee to implement new ways of raising funds. READ MORE | | SAINT-JOSEPH CONFERENCE HAITI Saint-Joseph Conference, Marché Canard, Haiti, is twinned with St. Catherine of Sienna/Our Lady of Lourdes Conference, Hamilton, Ontario. This Haitian conference is very active despite the socio-economic and security difficulties of the country, in particular the region of Mirebalais where this Conference is located. | | This young Conference, aggregated in June 2015, and counting several members, conduct its activities in a Haitian peasant community surviving from agriculture and livestock. READ MORE | CARDINAL GÉRALD CYPRIEN LACROIX
A ONE-DAY SSVP VOLUNTEER The Notre-Dame-de-L'Assomption Conference, in Québec city, received Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec, as a volunteer for a day: thank you to Guy Gauvin, President of the Conference, for this beautiful sharing. In this video, join Cardinal Lacroix at the Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption Conference in Quebec City's Lower Town as he shares the day's work with the people who volunteer there from week to week. VIDEO | SSVP HOLY REDEEMER CONFERENCE,
CORNER BROOK, NL In 2008 Holy Redeemer Conference started collecting used household items and distributing them to people in need of such items. It first used the basement of a business that offered to share space with them. After a couple of years, this arrangement came to an end and the Conference was offered the use of a building that was formerly a glass and building services shop. After a year of trial, the owner has leased the building to the Society on a pro bona arrangement. READ MORE | | QUESTION Why do we have the AGA and ANF at 2 different times of the year? | ANSWER It was never our intention to separate the 2 events; however, the pandemic forced us to do that. Since we had to cancel the Calgary ANF/AGA in 2020 due to the pandemic, we could not cancel the AGA. Legally we have to organize an annual meeting of the corporation to report to the voting members on the activities and finances of the organization for the past year. This is how the 2 events became separated. Afterwards, it has been difficult getting quorum for the AGA which results in the requirement to keep them separate and having a virtual annual assembly. Due to the pandemic, we were of the impression that we had little chance of convincing enough Vincentians to attend the AGA in person, and we require quorum to be able to proceed with the voting on the various motions presented at the AGA. READ MORE | | 2.2.8 THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CANADA 2.2.8.1 Responsibilities of the National Council The national council is, for all legal purposes, the highest and ultimate body responsible before any type of national or international jurisdiction for events occurring within Canada. However, under no circumstances shall the national council or any of its board members, be liable for events occurring without their full and proven knowledge. The national council also has the responsibility of supporting and implementing the Council General International’s decisions and directions. The national council shall convene an annual general assembly (AGA) to - present the minutes of the previous AGA;
- present the reports of the national council president, of the board of directors, and of the different committees;
- present the annual externally verified financial statements;
- present the operating budget of the national council for adoption;
- vote on the appointment of auditors;
- discuss and vote on the adoption of any motion introduced by the board of directors;
- proceed with the installation of the new national president if it is an election year;
- present the president’s proposed executive officers for approval; – 35 – Rule and Statutes of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Canada
- present for approval the amount of the financial contribution for the year that each council and conference is to send to the national office for administrative needs, the development of the Society, redistribution and international obligations.
In addition, during the annual general assembly or in a special meeting, the national council - may amend the Canadian Statutes;
- may adopt policies and procedures to guide the members with regard to the internal structure and governance of the Society and its various programs and activities.
| 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 | Society of Saint Vincent de Paul - National Council of Canada 2463 Innes Road Ottawa, ON K1B 3K3 | | | | |
