NEWS

IN THANKSGIVING FOR YOUR LONG-TERM VOCATION AS A VINCENTIAN

Dear Jim,

Thank you for your many years of service and formal association with the National Council of Canada as a Member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Social Justice Committee.

Thank you for your long and distinguished Vincentian Vocation of fifty years and ongoing.

I am confident that this is not the end of your vocation but the beginning of a new and exciting journey of service to the poor and the Society. I can imagine that you have served in many different capacities, elected and appointed, at every level of the Society over the decades.

Like the majority of Vincentians, I imagine that you primarily embarked on your vocation by serving the poor, person to person, during a home visit. Over the years and decades, you have seen and witnessed many struggles, changes, some good others not so beneficial, and saw much progress in the life and growth of the Society in Canada.

Now as an Elder you are now fully prepared to tie the future and the past together for neophytes and prospective Vincentians. Your knowledge of where we came from and experiences of how we arrived in the present can act as the catalyst to build the future.

Thank you for your generous spirit of giving to the benefit of your sister and brother Vincentians and to the poor whom we serve. May God bless this new journey on which you are embarking. May He grant you good health, long life and prosperity all your days.

Yours in a unity of prayer and service.

Claude Bédard, National President
Council of Canada Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
 

SSVP THRIFT STORES - A NEW BRAND HAS BEEN DEVELOPED

The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul's thrift stores in Canada have begun a transition to a new look. Over the past several months, with the help of representatives from several thrift stores and councils, a new brand has been developed, Chez Vincent Thrift Stores; this was made possible with the support of the National Council of Canada and a creative brand development agency.

Several thrift stores have begun the work of introducing this new look. The Ottawa SSVP thrift stores are the first to adopt the new name; here you can see the Ottawa Stores Executive Director, Marilyn Powell, with a freshly painted truck.

For more information, please contact us national@ssvp.ca.
 

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

2021 FINANCIAL AND STATISTICSANNUAL 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
 

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES - SSVP NATIONAL OFFICE

Administrative Assistant, SSVP – National Council Canada, Part-Time
 

ANNUAL DUES APPEAL - 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

COUNCIL GENERAL INTERNATIONAL

SSVP AND DEPAUL ARE TOGETHER, IN CLOSE COLLABORATION, IN AN EFFECTIVE HUMANITARIAN ACTION IN UKRAINE

The agreement foresees the transfer of monthly resources for one year

The war in Ukraine has disproportionately affected already vulnerable people, particularly women and children, the poor, the elderly, those living in institutions and the disabled.

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SPIRITUAL REFLECTION

CHARITY, INSPIRED

“May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, and may charity be the root and foundation of your life.” (Ephesians 3:17)

Perhaps this one-liner teaches us to give being charitable a gracious try: to be compelled by others’ life situations, to use our gifts for others, and to even inspire charity in others.

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TWINNING

TORONTO NORTH PARTICULAR COUNCIL RENOVATIONS PROJECT, COLOMBIA

Dear Vincentians,

Allow me to share my twinning experience with our current twinning partner, the Palmira Particular Council, Colombia. The Toronto North Particular Council started twinning with this Council in 2018 and we are pleased with the renovations that have been done to the premises of the Elderly Welfare Center, Casa del Mendigo, Palmira Colombia. The Centre, supported by the Palmira P.C., is hosting 60 vulnerable seniors.

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VINCENTIAN ACTIVITIES

BED FOR EVERY CHILD

The Bed for Every Child project was conceived to help alleviate some of the ill effects of poverty on children in the Brant/Brantford community. The goal is to provide a new bed to a child in an underprivileged home who would otherwise not have a bed to sleep in. These children are currently sleeping on the floor, carpet, couch, or are sharing a bed with parents and/or several siblings. The living conditions in these homes are personally witnessed by SSVP Brant home visitors, who (prior to the Covid pandemic) engaged in home visits to determine the extent of the need within these families. The hope is that we will soon be able to return to the in-home visits.

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QUESTION & ANSWER

QUESTION

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) would like me to submit the T3010 for my conference online instead of paper; I need to become a representative. How do I do that?

ANSWER

Returns (e.g. T3010) can be filed electronically with NETFILE. NETFILE is an online filing service that allows registrants to file their returns directly with CRA.

There is a two-step process to achieve this. The first is to obtain a Representative ID (repID) from CRA; the second is to submit your information to National, who will confirm with CRA that you are authorized. 

Please refer to form 9.7.2 in the National Operations Manual.

IN CONCLUSION

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.

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