#HelpUsHelpOthers

 Welcome to the website for Our Lady of Grace Conference, Society of St. Vincent de Paul! For easy NAVIGATION of this website, please use the TABS at the top of the page or any of the LINKS along the right side of the page.  Be sure to SCROLL DOWN to find lots of helpful information.

For current events and information about the Vincentian Family here and abroad,
please click on the poster below:

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Vincentian Stations of the Cross

Walking the Road to Calvary with the Poor

Sacramentum Caritatis

 

The Diocese of Sacramento has published its strategic plan for the diocese and, with it, a call to action to Catholics in Northern California.  Read the strategic plan here.

Of particular interest for Vincentians is the renewed focus on charity and social justice, with the foundation of both being Jesus Christ in the mystery of the Holy Eucharist.  In the document, this concept is called, Sacramentum Caritatis - The Sacrament of Charity.

Two excerpts from the strategic plan's discussion under Sacramentum Caritatas explain the concept:

The Sacrifice of the Mass is where the charity of the Church begins.

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In the Diocese of Sacramento, we will make explicit the relationship between the Eucharistic mystery of the Mass and our commitment to serve society with the truth and beauty of the Gospel.

The Way Out (of Poverty)

Serving in Hope.  Charity and Social Justice are the two aims of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul.   They are not exclusive concepts, but work together as responses to "the cry of the poor."  The Society is concerned with serving in hope--and bringing hope in Christ to those we serve.  Helping the poor to find "the way out" of poverty requires new attitudes, new approaches, new actions.  "Systemic change" is one way to describe this new approach.  National President Sheila Gilbert describes the new direction in this short video message.

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.

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.

West Sacramento Partners

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

Daughters of Charity

On the role of the Daughters of Charity: 

St. Vincent de Paul has said the Daughters' main role is to "honor our Lord Jesus Christ as the source and model of all charity, serving Him corporally and spiritually in the person of the poor."

For the full article, click here.

Haiti Earthquake Relief

The National Society of St. Vincent de Paul has released the following information:

Society Of St Vincent De Paul National President Calls For Haiti Earthquake Relief Funds
Society has strong permanent presence in Haiti
For Immediate Release

ST LOUIS, Mo./EWORLDWIRE/Jan. 13, 2010 --- National President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA Joseph D. Flannigan has issued a call to the 120,000 volunteer members of the Society in the United States, as well as to the general public, to help provide assistance for the victims of the terrible Haiti Earthquake.

Flannigan said, "The people of Haiti are suffering with mass devastation. Our sister and brother Vincentian volunteers in Haiti will need our help in what will be an enormous and long term recovery. I ask for your prayers and financial support for the poor of Haiti."

The Society of St Vincent de Paul has a permanent presence in Haiti. Flannigan went on to explain. "Our Society of St. Vincent de Paul volunteers - who we call, 'Vincentians,' are at the scene of disasters long after many other service organizations have left. Our Society volunteers live and work in, and are primarily native to, the communities in which they serve. In the aftermath of natural disasters, this permanent presence is particularly important. Our volunteers already know and understand the people who are suffering. Using Hurricane Katrina as an example, several of our Society units - called, 'Conferences and Councils,' are still working with the many people of the Gulf Coast still impacted by the tragedy of Katrina."

"The Society of St Vincent de Paul makes no distinctions in service to the victims of disaster. We address their needs, whatever they may be, and we keep on addressing them," added Roger Playwin, national executive director of the Society of St Vincent de Paul USA, headquartered in St Louis, Mo.

Contributions for Haiti Disaster Relief and Recovery can be made via the Society's national Web site at SVDPUSA.org ('http://www.svdpusa.org'), or mailed to:

Haiti Earthquake
Society of St Vincent de Paul USA
58 Progress Parkway
St Louis, MO 63043

Holiday Donation Opportunities

Throughout the holidays, we will try to keep you posted on charitable donation opportunities for the poor and homeless. These will be posted under the NEWS & UPDATES section, above.

Children in Poverty in California

More than 5.3 million Californians had incomes below the federal poverty line in 2008, a substantial increase from the previous year. The share of California’s children living in families with incomes below the poverty line jumped above 20 percent for the first time since 1999.

Source: California Budget Project

Annual Report

The Sacramento District Council reports 5,847 home visits. Learn more. See SVdP Annual Report.

SVDP Position on Healthcare Policy

Message on Healthcare from the National President

“The Society of St. Vincent de Paul does not support nor will it support any legislation, provision or amendment that fails to uphold the sanctity and dignity of human life. Further, we will continue to work with Catholic Health Association and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Charities USA to ensure that any legislation will continue to support the conscience clause protection to health care workers and that the Hyde exception continues to ensure no abortion can be funded with federal funds.”

Joseph Flannigan National President

Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA

The Society’s Position on Health Care

The National Council of the United States, Society of St. Vincent de Paul has worked with its Voice of the Poor Committee to develop a sound and thoughtful position for health care reform which was adopted by its national membership in 2004. This work is based on and guided by the Church's social and moral teachings and informed by pastoral letters prepared by the United States Bishops as well as through the guidance of Papal Encyclicals. The basis for this vision of health care reform was captured recently in a letter to Congress on behalf of the United States Bishops written by Bishop William F. Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Center: "The Bishops' Conference believes health care reform should be truly universal and should be genuinely affordable. ... Health care is not just another issue for the Church or for a healthy society. It is a fundamental issue of human life and dignity."

Click here to read the Society’s national position paper on health care issued in 2004

Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth)

His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI offers another opportunity for reflection on social justice in his encyclical letter, Charity in Truth, Caritas in Veritate

An excerpt from the introduction of the encyclical letter:

2. Charity is at the heart of the Church's social doctrine. Every responsibility and every commitment spelt out by that doctrine is derived from charity which, according to the teaching of Jesus, is the synthesis of the entire Law (cf. Mt 22:36- 40). It gives real substance to the personal relationship with God and with neighbour; it is the principle not only of micro-relationships (with friends, with family members or within small groups) but also of macro-relationships (social, economic and political ones). For the Church, instructed by the Gospel, charity is everything because, as Saint John teaches (cf. 1 Jn 4:8, 16) and as I recalled in my first Encyclical Letter, “God is love” (Deus Caritas Est): everything has its origin in God's love, everything is shaped by it, everything is directed towards it. Love is God's greatest gift to humanity, it is his promise and our hope.

Fighting Poverty

On this web page, we've created a new area. called "Fighting Poverty," for links that relate in general to the issue of poverty. Our first link is PovertyUSA, the site sponsored by the U.S. Catholic Bishops.