Dr. Michael Thio, President General of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP CGI) addresses a letter to Vincentian Family with an urgent and detailed appeal to support humanitarian aid efforts for persecuted people of Iraq with members of SSVdP among them. This message comes along with released earlier Circular by Fr. Gregory Gay, C.M. calling on the day of prayer for Iraq.

August 19, 2014

Dear Vincentians,

The Peace and Love of Christ be with you.

Please see the circular letter of 15 August 2014 from Fr. Gregory Gay, Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentian Fathers), specifically referring to the atrocities being committed in Northern Iraq which has caused lives and hardships to thousands of people and Christians and especially affecting also members of our Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

The Commission for International Aid & Development (CIAD) of CGI has been providing relief assistance to the Iraqi refugees and displaced people and also those in Gaza cause by this war-torn crisis along with SSVP Lebanon and SSVP Palestine. We have limited funds available in CIAD from the General Disaster & Solidarity Fund as we have informed you in a circular issued last month and we can only do limited amount of aid. We are making an urgent general appeal to you for donations/contributions for us to continue to undertake relief assistance humanitarian work to help the suffering and persecuted Iraqis. We seek your compassion and generosity to send donations to CGI for the “General Disaster and Solidarity Fund” so that we can do more for the victims of this dreadful crisis.

For all donations and contributions to CGI please send to the CGI office in Paris to our Bank Account as follows:

Bank name: CIC PARIS BAC
account number (IBAN): FR76 3006 6100 4100 0105 8120 129
BIC/SWIFT code : CMCIFRPP
account owner : Confédération Internationale Société de St Vincent de Paul Conseil Général
For payment please state: For the “General Disaster and Solidarity Fund of CGI”

Let us unite in special prayers for the people in Iraq and that the horrendous situation they are experiencing will abate and peace and sanity will prevail.

“Happy is he who has regard for the lowly, the poor and suffering the Lord will keep and preserve him” – Psalm 41:2-3

We pray for the intercession of our Mother Mary, St. Vincent and Blessed Frederic. In Jesus adorable name, we pray. God’s Grace and blessing be to all of you.

Yours appreciatively in Christ,

Dr. Michael Thio
President General

Here You can find the presentation in downloadable format in English and Polish as PPT or PDF. Also, you can view it at Slideshare.net online:

THE STATEMENT ON HELPING THE POOR

Today is the feast day of St. Vincent DePaul, considered by many to be the “star” saint of Christian charity and concern for the poor. Many people, including those who don’t know that much about this great saint from the 17th century, know of the work of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, which is active in so many parishes and dioceses around the world bringing direct help to people in need.

Recent statistics sadly remind that today the poor do need a champion. Michael Powell, writing earlier this week in the New York Times “Gotham” blog, notes that while economic conditions have started to improve for some, there are still a shocking number of other people for whom poverty persists, if not worsens, and a recovery is nowhere in sight. The statistics are overwhelming. For instance, Powell notes that both The Bronx and Brooklyn have unemployment rates above 13 percent, and, he adds, “Fully 21 percent [of New Yorkers] live below the poverty line; median income declined in nearly every group; 1.8 million New Yorkers now rely on food stamps.”

You can find great contrasts within a few miles of each others. In some communities families are finding decent jobs and earning sufficient income to provide for themselves and their families. Thanks be to God. However, close by, many other families do not have enough to eat, face the threat of eviction because of the disparity between their income and the rent payment. One poignant statistic – in one zip code on the Eastside of Manhattan the average household income is about $101,000. In the South Bronx another zip code’s average income is about $19800.

This is not something confined to New York City, of course. The basics human needs of good jobs, food, and housing continue to challenge tens of millions throughout this country.

At the same time we are fortunate that as a society we do try to provide for those struggling. Government programs provide enormous support to poor Americans. In addition generous Americans contribute billions to charities each year. And so there is much to be grateful for.

However, two things must be said.

1) It is not enough. Even with the generosity of the American people, and the work of groups like the Saint Vincent de Paul Society and so many others, much more needs to be done, and not just by private charity. The government must continue to play its part as well.

2) There are very darks clouds. Too much rhetoric in the country portrays poor people in a very negative way. At the same time, this persistent sluggish economic and slow pace of recovery does two things that hurt the poor: it does not provide sufficient jobs for poor people to earn decent living to support themselves, and it provides less resources for government to do its part for Americans in need. This is creating a situation that is devastating to struggling families throughout the country.

As the Church celebrates the feast of St. Vincent DePaul, we affirm that the poor must receive our special attention to ensure that they have basic necessities of life. While St. Vincent de Paul may be the “star” saint, the commitment of the Church to the poor comes directly from Jesus and was first formally recognized by the appointment of deacons to cares for the Greek speaking
widows. Throughout the history of the Church there has always been a preferential option for the poor. Archbishop Charles Chaput, the Archbishop of Philadelphia, said it simply and straightforwardly: “Jesus tells us very clearly that if we don’t help the poor, we’re going to go to hell.”

This commitment and dedication continues and grows today throughout Catholic hospitals, charities and educational institutions. All of these in their own way make service to the poor the hallmark of their work in building the common good. Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn serve literally hundreds of thousands of people each year – the neglected child, the homeless family, the hungry senior, the new immigrant to our shores – through our soup kitchens, homeless shelters, family and youth services, and so much more.

There is too much finger pointing and not enough joining hands. Solidarity is critical to ensure the dignity of all.

Mr. Thio concludes his Circular addressing all Society members:
“We would encourage and urge all Conferences and Councils to recite the new Canonisation Prayer faithfully and fervently at your meetings invoking the blessing of a miracle to honour Blessed Frederic’s holiness as a saint.
«Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive and your joy will be complete» (John 16:24)”

READ FULL TEXT OF THE CIRCULAR
CZYTAJ TĘ WIADOMOŚĆ PO POLSKU

PRAYER FOR THE CANONIZATION
OF BLESSED FREDERIC OZANAM
In the hope of obtaining a miracle through his intercession

Lord,

You made Blessed Frédéric Ozanam a witness of the Gospel, full of wonder at the mystery of the Church.

You inspired him to alleviate poverty and injustice and endowed him with untiring generosity in the service of all who were suffering.

In family life, he revealed a most genuine love as a son, brother, husband and father.

In secular life, his ardent passion for the truth enlightened his thought, writing and teaching.

His vision for our society was a network of charity encircling the world and he instilled St Vincent de Paul’s spirit of love, boldness and humility.

His prophetic social vision appears in every aspect of his short life, together with the radiance of his virtues.

We thank you Lord, for those many gifts and we ask, if it is your will, the grace of a miracle through the intercession of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam.

May the Church proclaim his holiness, as a saint, a providential light for today’s world!

We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

MODLITWA O KANONIZACJĘ
BŁOGOSŁAWIONEGO
FRYDERYKA OZANAMA
w nadziei uzyskania cudu za jego wstawiennictwem

Panie,

uczyniłeś Błogosławionego Fryderyka Ozanama świadkiem Ewangelii,
podziwianym w tajemnicy Kościoła.

Zainspirowałeś go do pokonywania ubóstwa i niesprawiedliwości oraz obdarzyłeś go niestrudzoną hojnością w służbie wszystkim cierpiącym.

W życiu rodzinnym, objawił najprawdziwszą miłość
jako syn, brat, mąż i ojciec.

W świecie, żarliwa walka o prawdę oświecała jego umysł, pisma i nauczanie.

W naszym Stowarzyszeniu, które uczynił siecią miłosierdzia oplatającą świat, zaszczepił ducha miłości, pokory i odwagi,
dziedzictwo św. Wincentego a Paulo.

W każdym aspekcie jego krótkiego życia, pojawia się prorocza wizja społeczeństwa, jak również dowody heroiczności jego cnót.

Dziękujemy Ci Panie, za te liczne dary i prosimy, jeśli taka jest Twoja wola,
o łaskę cudu za wstawiennictwem bł Fryderyka Ozanama.

Niech Kościół głosi Jego świętość, jako świętego, opatrznościowe światło dla dzisiejszego świata!

Modlimy się o to przez Jezusa Chrystusa, Pana naszego, Amen.

St Louis is the birthplace of the Vincentian Family in North America. Fr. Felix de Andreis CM and Fr. Joseph Rosati CM were the first priests from the Congregation of the Mission who arrived to American soil in 1816 invited by bishop Dubourg. In 1818 they settled in Perryville, Misouri. In 1826 Rev. Joseph Rosati, CM was named the first Bishop of St. Louis (1826-1843). The Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph (Daughters of Charity since 1851) from Emmitsburg, Maryland arrived in 1828 to staff DePaul (Mullanphy) Hospital; a few years before the cholera outbreak in 1832. Both the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (1845) and the Ladies of Charity (1857) began their United States foundations in St. Louis. In 1859 Guardian Angel began and in 1907, St. Vincent’s School in Perryville where National Shrine of Miraculous Medal is located, too.

Today there are nearly 3,000 members of the Vincentian Family in the region. Most numerous are 2,600 members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in 143 conferences in St. Louis. The Society and the Daughters of Charity minister in East St. Louis and Belleville. Vincentian priests, Ladies of Charity, Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Vincentian youth minister in Perryville, St. Vincent’s Parish in St. Louis and St. Catherine Laboure Parish in St. Louis County. Ladies of Charity national head office and residence of  CM Western Province is in Louis, so is for West Central Province of Daughters of Charity. They are engaged in ministries with children, youth, families, elders and in administration of the Province. They are sponsors of Ascension Health. In recent years, the charism of Vincent and Louise has found expression in the works of Affiliate, Vincentian Service Corps, Gateway Vincentian Volunteers, Vincentian Marian Youth and Former Daughters.

The day of service – Saturday, August 21. It will be celebrated at more than a dozen sites across the St. Louis area and East St. Louis, Illinois, including St. Vincent Children’s Home, Cosgrove Soup Kitchen, Our Lady’s Inn, Our Little Haven, St. Elizabeth Mother of John the Baptist Parish in North St. Louis, St. Vincent de Paul thrift stores, St. Patrick Center and Holy Angels Shelter, among other locations. Complete list of locations can be found at www.famvinstl.org.

The day of liturgy – Sunday, August 22. At 2:00 PM Archbishop Robert J. Carlson of St. Louis will celebrate Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis (Lindell Boulevard and Newstead Avenue in the Central West End). Concelebrants include Superior General, Father Gregory GayCM, Auxiliary Bishop of  St.Louis Most Rev. Robert Hermann; Rev. Msgr Joseph Pins, Rector of Cathedral Basilica, Father Perry Henry CM, Provincial of the Western Province of the Congregation; and other priests. The Archdiocesan Choir under the direction of John Romeri (organist of the Cathedral) will provide the music.

Watch the video from the Anniversary Mass
(including homily by Most Rev. Gregory Gay CM)

Special collection will be held dedicated to ZAFÈN (in Creole “it’s our business”) — the microfinance project in Haiti supported by international Vincentian Family. The project allows individuals to invest online to support projects that are administered by Haitians. A special collection at the liturgy will support the work of ZAFEN. Visit their website for more details and how you can join the project.