President's Message

President's comments at the 9/11/01 Council Meeting

We have several important directions to improve the Society here in Orange County. We have the Council General's speech at St. Louis, his letter of June 30 this year, and the five-year plan from National. While these initiatives to improve and grow may require additional effort on our parts, and perhaps temporarily reduce the focus on our current activities, we must remember that the Society is not a club, and membership in the Society is a vocation. "We do not choose to be Vincentians, we are chosen. Vincentian work is a lifelong vocation. Our way of life is defined by carrying out our four main missions: spirituality, fellowship, helping the poor, and giving others a chance to help the poor." It is almost like the words on the Statue of Liberty, modified Give me your tired, and I will give them more to do. If we look at these initiatives in a positive way, we will see that by improving the Society at all levels, Conferences, Council, etc. in the ways suggested, that not only will the poor be served better, and the people who join have the opportunity to serve, but also those of us who are the leaders will have or tasks become easier. How will this be easier? Well after investing effort in the improvements, which will be more work, we will have additional trained members, a Society that is a more visible sign of Christ, improved spirituality, a Society that is better known, more unity among Conferences, Councils, Special Works, Vincentians in Foreign countries, greater solidarity with the people who are poor, and have strengthened relationships with the Church, and the Vincentian Community.

The Council General spoke at the National midyear meeting in St. Louis in May. Among many other important things, he said that we should be one conference, like Frederic Ozanam founded. Imagine one conference with one Rule! We are not isolated from one another. For instance, here in Orange County, the Conferences obtained over one million pounds of low cost food from the Food Bank in FY 2000. That is an average of over 40,000 pounds each. In fact three conferences picked up over 100,000 pounds each. This food was provided at less than 4 cents a pound without any tax on any conference. The Thrift Stores provided over $100,000 in free distribution to 25 Conferences. We are not isolated from the world either. Twenty-five of our conferences have twinning arrangements with conferences in foreign countries. So we help one another, because we do it for Him.

In order to be one conference in many places as the Council General recommends, we need to follow the Rule of the Society. This allows us to be faithful to the founder. As you know many other groups have requirements for membership. Our requirement is that Active, and Associate members accept the basic principles of the Society, and these are found in the Rule.

The Council General, in his letter, said that The regard in which Conferences are held in the Catholic world is an honor but, more so, it places on us a responsibility to be more caring for the needs of the Church of the poor whom we wish to serve. Indeed, since our sense of belonging to the Holy Church of the poor is fundamental, we should have a very clear understanding of what this means and how it obliges us to live. It may help when we recall the following simple rules, which have evolved, from our tradition:

• Vincentians pray and meditate on the word of God in the Christian community of the Conference, the active union of love and friendship with their friends in the group being their primary concern.

• Vincentians share in the suffering and needs of the poor, as individuals and as a group, using their prayer, work, imagination and dreams as a way of finding paths to end their suffering. Working actively in all possible social fields, without forgetting first how to provide comfort for the individual human being who is suffering.

• Vincentians do not judge: they are always available.

• Vincentians are faithful to their baptismal vows, particularly in their commitment to the poor.

• Vincentians have a deep love for the Holy Church of Christ.

• Vincentians constantly feel concerned about the training which will equip them to give the best service in Christ for poor people, throughout the Holy Church and the Christian community.

• Vincentians are aware of their responsibility in spreading the Good News and their duty to do this by example through the testimony of their own lives, being cheerful witnesses of hope.

• Vincentians enjoy and look after the land in which they each live and work. They also feel they are world citizens and brothers of the whole human race.

• Vincentians enjoy working together. They take strength from their community spirit, which leads to a commitment to the poorest people. Members always carry out this work in pairs, working closely together.

He says "I think that it would be very good, and that the benefits would rapidly be noticed in Conference life, if we would use a Conference meeting to look at our methods and their effectiveness. This should be done at least once every three months, and we should consider not only how to deal with the emerging poverty that is noticeable around us, but also to discover new causes of suffering and see clearly if we are ready to receive new members amongst us. Are our procedures appropriate and is the image we portray to newcomers to our group such that they will feel welcome and want to join us in our Christian community of prayer and action where we will work together to relieve our brothers' suffering. Occasionally I have the impression that hope, which faith nurtures, is missing due to a false modesty in communicating to others what we do and the benefits we receive ." He also gives his ideas on meetings, and many other important points.

The five-year plan goals areas are spiritual growth, image, unity, solidarity, and relationships. I will discuss these shortly when I give our status.

I know that I, and others have introduced ideas in the past. Many of these were met with the feeling that there was already too much to do. This is a good reason then to review what we do in each Conference, and to decide whether our emphasis is correct, and how it can be improved. I am not saying that we are doing bad things, only that if upon review we find that someone else could or is doing some function that is not essential to the Society, then perhaps we could make an arrangement with another group to do one thing, while we concentrate on another. The following is a status of where we stand with respect to goals the five-year plan. Many of these actions are just starting, and our National leaders, the Council General, and I expect your support.

• Remember our prayer ".to seek and find the forgotten, the suffering, and the deprived, so that we may bring them your love. Help us be generous with our time."
• Consider how you can support these goals, and listen with an open mind and heart to the representatives who will be contacting you
• Conduct regular reviews of your own Conference's works, and processes to determine the better things to do, and share with other organizations
• Pray, and do not be afraid to take some new actionist Practices."

Message from National Convention - 2002
Message from the Annual Dinner
Comments from President at Council Meeting (9/11/01)