Sunday, November 20, 2011

Our Miraculous Medal

As we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King at the close of the Church's liturgical year, we also recall
Saint Catherine Laboure' and the events of the Miraculous Medal.  In these events, we are reminded of the closeness of Mary to her son and her role as Co-Mediatrix.

Vincentians have a special devotion to the Miraculous Medal.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Catholic Involvement in Public Life

reprinted from California Catholic Conference

Faithful Citizenship, the U.S. Bishops’ instruction on Catholics’ moral and ethical involvement in public life, is traditionally re-written every four years. This year, however, the Bishops have reissued the document which was overwhelming approved by them in 2007. They changed only the introduction saying that the issues faced by the nation in 2007 still challenge us:

“We urge our Catholic pastors and people to continue to use this important statement to help them form their consciences, to contribute to civil and respectful public dialogue, and to shape their choices in the coming election in the light of Catholic teaching,” they write. “It (Faithful Citizenship) does not offer a voter’s guide, scorecard of issues or direction on how to vote. It applies Catholic moral principles to a range of important issues and warns against misguided appeals to ‘conscience’ to ignore fundamental moral claims, to reduce Catholic moral concerns to one or two matters, or to justify choices simply to advance partisan, ideological or personal interests.”
The Introductory Note does not modify or interpret the document itself and emphasizes the importance of religious freedom. It raises six “current and fundamental problems, some involving opposition to intrinsic evils and others raising serious moral questions.” These are: abortion and threats to the lives and dignity of the vulnerable, sick or unwanted; threats to Catholic ministries, including health care, education and social services, to violate their consciences or stop serving those in need; intensifying efforts to redefine marriage; unemployment, poverty and debt; immigration; and wars, terror and violence, particularly in the Middle East.

The entire document, with the new Introductory Note, can be found on the USCCB page.

New Food Law Helps Poor

reprinted from the California Catholic Conference:

Since 2003, the California Catholic Conference has made food security a top priority for Catholic Advocacy (Lobby) Day and thousands of you have added your voice through the Network, phone calls and visits. Yesterday, Governor Brown signed AB 6 CalWORKs and CalFresh (Fuentes, D-Los Angeles) helping to fight hunger, especially for children, in the Golden State. Well done!

AB 6 will simplify the reporting process and eliminate the fingerprinting requirement that impedes low-income Californians from getting federally funded assistance. The Governor also signed AB 69, which will help low-income seniors access nutrition.

The CalFresh program is a critical component of the safety net for Californians, providing modest nutritional aid that helps avert hunger for families living below or near the poverty line. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also shown that for every dollar of expenditure, CalFresh generates $1.79 of economic activity in local communities. Thank you to all Network members who became engaged in this issue over the years by emailing or speaking to their representative.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Bundle Sunday - September 24-25



BUNDLE SUNDAY

Saturday, September 24, noon to 6 PM
Sunday, September 25, 8 AM to 2 PM

HELP US HELP FAMILIES IN NEED

On September 24-25, the St. Vincent de Paul Donation Truck will be at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, 911 Park Blvd., West Sacramento. We accept donations of new and used items.

Household Items to Donate* Beds, rugs, chairs, furniture of all types, blankets, clothing, shoes, lamps, cookware, utensils, plates, towels, linens, home decorating items, sleeping bags, sporting goods, lawn furniture, toys, other useable goods

WE CANNOT ACCEPT *large appliances *built in appliances *lighting with direct connection *console or projection TVs *office desks *paint or any toxic materials *carpeting (area rugs OK) *exercise equipment *furniture with missing parts, rips, stains, animal hair or detectable smoke smell *king size beds *mattresses with rips, stains or tears *mattresses or box springs separately (bedding must be matching sets) *office copiers *cribs, playpens, high chairs or car seats *hospital-type beds *firearms or any weapons *encyclopedias or large volume reference books *computers, monitors, keyboards, mouse, CPUs
*FOR PICK UP OF LARGE, HEAVY ITEMS,
PLEASE CALL THE SVDP STORE DIRECTLY AT (916) 972-1212

Thank you for helping us to help others.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Call for Sponsors: Join Our "Circle of Angels"

On September 24, 2011, Our Lady of Grace Conference, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, will join with hundreds of other Vincentians and friends across the United States as we take our first steps in the Friends of the Poor ® Walk to raise awareness in our community about the poor and funds to support our works of charity. Walkers will take donation pledges to help the poor. We also need a “Circle of Angels” to sponsor this event and its costs. Can you or someone you know help?

Thursday, May 19, 2011

West Sacramento Partners

Our Lady of Grace Conference is affiliated with the newly formed West Sacramento Partners.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Japan Relief Efforts (News from National)

Dear Vincentians,


After a disaster occurs there are three phases- Rescue, Recovery, and Relief. In Japan, the critical and current Rescue phase is also being impacted by the Nuclear Power Plant crisis. The protocol for International Disasters is that the Council General issues an appeal for funds to the National Councils around the globe. Until that appeal is issued we do not send out an appeal to Councils and Conferences from the National Office. We are not first responders and we will probably be involved in relief efforts. We do have a small presence in Japan in particular in the area of the epicenter. At this point prayers and patience are what is most needed.

As an update on our relief efforts in Haiti- we have two staff working on the ground in Haiti. We have sent funds to help with the Cholera outbreak and we are expecting to begin approving micro finance loans either this week or next. Hopefully by the end of this month we will be approving scholarship funds for several schools.

Your continued financial support for Haiti Relief will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and God Bless

Roger Playwin
National Executive Director
Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Monday, January 24, 2011

Bundle Sunday March 5-6


Let's fill the truck!
BUNDLE SUNDAY
Saturday, March 5, noon to 6 PM
Sunday, March 6, 8 AM to 2 PM

HELP US HELP FAMILIES IN NEED

On March 5-6, the St. Vincent de Paul Donation Truck will be at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, 911 Park Blvd., West Sacramento. We accept donations of new and used items.

Household Items to Donate* Beds, rugs, chairs, furniture of all types, blankets, clothing, shoes, lamps, cookware, utensils, plates, towels, linens, home decorating items, sleeping bags, sporting goods, lawn furniture, toys, other useable goods

WE CANNOT ACCEPT *large appliances *built in appliances *lighting with direct connection *console or projection TVs *office desks *paint or any toxic materials *carpeting (area rugs OK) *exercise equipment *furniture with missing parts, rips, stains, animal hair or detectable smoke smell *king size beds *mattresses with rips, stains or tears *mattresses or box springs separately (bedding must be matching sets) *office copiers *cribs, playpens, high chairs or car seats *hospital-type beds *firearms or any weapons *encyclopedias or large volume reference books *computers, monitors, keyboards, mouse, CPUs

*FOR PICK UP OF LARGE, HEAVY ITEMS,
PLEASE CALL THE SVDP STORE DIRECTLY AT (916) 972-1212

Thank you for helping us to help others.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Ministry Sunday

Vincentians accept donations for the St. Vincent de Paul store

Vincentians sort and organize canned food donations
  
Homeless Ministry provides a warm meal to the homeless by the river

On Ministry Sunday, January 9, we call to mind the beginning of Christ's ministry.  (Matt. 3:13-17)

In the year ahead, we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for your service in hope.

PHOTO ALBUM (below)

Please scroll down this page to view our photo album or find more pictures on our facebook page.

Walk for the Poor 2013

Walk for the Poor 2013

Homeless Strategies Workshop

Homeless Strategies Workshop

Feeding the Hungry

Feeding the Hungry

Walk for the Poor 2012

Walk for the Poor 2012

Homeless Ministry

Homeless Ministry
Our New Banner

Bundle Sunday Fall 2010

Bundle Sunday Fall 2010
Donations help the poor

Marian Retreat

Marian Retreat
Vincentians gather for a morning relecting on Marian devotion.

Hospitality Sunday 2010

Hospitality Sunday 2010
Vincentians thank the OLG parish for its genorosity.

Parish Festival 2010

Parish Festival 2010

Nat'l Vincentian Family Gathering 2010

Nat'l Vincentian Family Gathering 2010
Conference members attend via internet link up

West Coast Walk for Life 2010

West Coast Walk for Life 2010

Spirit of Giving

Spirit of Giving
A donation coin box symbolizes personal sacrifice

Hospitality Sunday

Hospitality Sunday
Donations support St. Vincent de Paul

Bundle Sunday

Bundle Sunday


Invitation to Service

Invitation to Service

Working in the Food Locker

Working in the Food Locker