The Apostle in the Top Hat

Daughters of Charity

March 14. St. Louise de Marillac was born August 12, 1591. She married Antoine LeGras on February 5, 1613, had a son named Michel, and was widowed when Antoine died on December 21, 1625. St. Vincent de Paul then became her spiritual director, and under his guidance she became very active in caring for the poor and in visiting the Confraternities of Charity. With Vincent, Louise co-founded the Daughters of Charity on November 29, 1633. She died March 15, 1660, and was canonized in 1934. In 1960, Pope John XXIII proclaimed her the patron saint of all Christian social workers.  (Vincentian Feast Days.)

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.

***
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.

West Sacramento Partners

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

Interview with National President

On September 1, 2010, Joe Flanagan, the President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the United States, was interviewed by Father Mitch Pacwa, SJ, on EWTN. The efforts of the Society locally, nationally and internationally, were discussed, as well as the Society's history and spirituality. To view the video please click here


Sacramento District Council President John Hallissy notes, "The interview is very informative for longtime Vincentians as well as those new to the Society or those non-Vincentians who want to learn more about the Society."

Call for Youth Service to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul

From National, the new Vincentian Youth and Young Adult website is now available. This website will help to keep you current on the groups and the activities of young people who are engaged in the works of the Society. It is intended to help engage young people in conference work.


As our Rule states: "Young members keep the Society young ... The senior members assume the responsibility of assisting them along their path of training, respecting their personal choices and their aspirations of Vincentian service." (Rule 3.7)

E-Evangelization

Source:  California Catholic Conference

"Pope Benedict XVI tied his World Communication Day letter to the Year for Priest celebration by urging greater use of new technologies to spread the Word:

'Priests stand at the threshold of a new era: as new technologies create deeper forms of relationship across greater distances, they are called to respond pastorally by putting the media ever more effectively at the service of the Word.' 

"The Pope and the Vatican have been available on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other sites for some time now."

All Hallows' Eve

"This holiday [Halloween], properly understood and celebrated with all of its fun trappings, can be a way for us to deepen our understanding of our faith. The key to this understanding is close at hand for Catholics in our love of the communion of saints."

Read more.

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.

Annual Report

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

Year for Priests

Pope Benedict XVI has declared a “Year for Priests” beginning with the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on June 19, 2009. The year will conclude in Rome with an international gathering of priests with the Holy Father on June 19, 2010.

With the announcement of this Year for Priests, the Pope has declared St. John Vianney the Universal Patron of Priests on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the death of the Curé d’Ars. (Source: USCCB)

Corpus Christi

THE SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

June 14, 2009

(Source: Vincentian Reflections, National Conference)

Gospel: (Mark 14: 12-16)

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Reflection:

Jesus’ identity as the suffering servant who obtained redemption for us “with his own blood” is truly the same as his mission – to give of himself without counting the cost, even if its cost is his very body and blood. Self-giving unites identity and mission into the same reality. This solemnity brings us once again to Jesus’ self-giving on the cross and to continued self-giving in the Eucharist, and challenges us to take up Jesus’ mission of self-giving. The Eucharist is the centerpiece of our lives, challenging us: our identity is our mission – self-giving.

Vincentian Meditation:

The Eucharist plays a major role in Vincentian spirituality. This is seen in the lives of St. Vincent and Blessed Frederic.Vincent spent one hour each morning before the Blessed Sacrament before celebrating Mass. He would frequently make short visits to the chapel before leaving and upon returning from his responsibilities. Frederic attended Mass daily whenever possible. Also, with every day, Frederic would make a short visit to the Blessed Sacrament in one of the churches in Paris as he made his way to an appointment. Both Vincent and Frederic discovered what the Church teaches today: the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life; it augmented their union with Jesus, strengthened their charity and committed them to the poor. (US Manual, P.31-32)

Discussion/Journal Entry: (Share your thoughts after a moment of silence)

How can we make the Eucharist play a prominent place in our lives, as it did in Frederic and Vincent’s?

Closing Prayer:

Christ Jesus, your Eucharist is a sign of love,
-may the poor and outcasts find a place at your table.

Christ Jesus, your Eucharist is a sign of unity,
-may we embrace diversity with reverence and open hearts.

Christ Jesus, your Eucharist is a bond of charity,
-may we be living signs of your presence in our midst.

Christ Jesus, your Eucharist is a pledge of future glory,
-may you welcome home all who have died believing in you.

Amen.

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.

Homelessness: Update

Information from West Sacramento Press story, April 22, 2009, re 2009 homeless survey:

237 total homeless in West Sacramento. 16 were families with children: 26 of the children were under age of 18.

West Sacramento population of homeless men about DOUBLE that of Woodland (137 to 75).

92 more homeless in West Sacramento than 2007.

Homeless in West Sacramento NOT in shelters jumped from 107 to 201.

Resources:
Homeless and Poverty Action Coalition, Janice Critchlow, 924-0534
Housing and Community Investment, West Sacramento, Louise Collis, 617-4555
West Sacramento, Police Department Liaison, Lt. David Delaini, 617-4912

"The Church Herself Begins"

"The Church Herself Begins"

HOMILY OF THE MOST REVEREND TIMOTHY M. DOLAN
TENTH ARCHBISHOP OF NEW YORK
MASS OF INSTALLATION
ST PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL
NEW YORK
15 APRIL 2009

"The Resurrection, Easter, is the very foundation of our faith, our hope, our love. Everything in the Church commences when, like those two disciples on the road to Emmaus that first Easter, we recognize Jesus as risen from the dead. The Church herself begins."

Read the full text of the homily here.

Annual District Charity Dinner, April 23

3^rd ANNUAL BENEFIT FOR THE POOR

Dinner with Sister Rosalind Moss

http://www.catholic.com/seminars/moss.asp

Radisson Hotel, 500 Leisure Lane, Sacramento, CA

Thursday – April 23, 2009

5:30 p.m. Cocktails

6:30 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Program

[source: SVDP Sacramento District Council]

Born and raised Jewish, Rosalind Moss converted to Protestantism following a 15-year business careers as a successful executive with corporations in New York and California. After 18 years of Evangelical Protestantism, she entered the Catholic Church at Easter 1995.

She has since traveled the world speaking and teaching about the Church. For the past nine years, Rosalind has been a staff apologist with Catholic Answers and a guest of the radio program, From the Heart on Catholic Answers Live, as well as a co-host of programs on EWTN. Additionally, she has authored a Bible Study book on the Gospel of Luke.

At the invitation of then Archbishop Raymond Burke, Rosalind fulfilled her desire to establish a new community of sisters by forming the religious order, “Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope.” On a prior visit to Sacramento in February 2008, she first announced the formation of the new religious order, vowing to return to Sacramento one day in a habit.

Please help us welcome Sister Rosalind back to Sacramento.

Monsieur Vincent

“Monsieur Vincent”, an award-winning French film (1947) on the life of St. Vincent de Paul. In the film, St. Vincent de Paul models Christian charity by helping the poorest of the poor in the midst of the Black Death in Europe, carrying on his charitable work despite setbacks and obstacles.

Film review by US Catholic Bishops:

Monsieur Vincent -- Lucid, moving account of St. Vincent de Paul's work among the poor and the oppressed in 17th-century France, from his first labors in a plague-ravaged village and his appeals to the conscience of the aristocracy to the founding of an order devoted to charitable works and his death in 1660. Director Maurice Cloche portrays the poverty of the times and the cruelty of the regime in starkly convincing fashion, providing a solid historical framework within which Pierre Fresnay's performance in the title role shines with a warm compassion and spiritual intensity which most viewers will find irresistably compelling. Subtitles. High on the list of great religious movies. (A-I) (br) ( 1947 )

Stations of the Cross

Below are a number of links to help with understanding and praying the Stations of the Cross.

http://www.usccb.org/nab/stations.htm (John Paul II, from 1991)

http://www.catholic.org/clife/lent/station.php (Catholic on line)

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/Stations-with-Mary.pdf (meditations based on perspective of Mary)

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/stations-how.html (guide to how to pray Stations of the Cross)

http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/xstations/index.html (about Stations of the Cross)

http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/Stations/face.htm (Mother Angelica, EWTN)