Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram LinkedIn Pinterest

Volunteers In Action

Vincentians In Action

"In my life, I want to become better and do a little good." -Frederic Ozanam
Support The Mission
When Action Meets Compassion, Lives Change.
- Isabel and St. Henry's
  
  On St. Patrick's Day, the Vincentian Volunteers at our St. Henry's distribution center were super busy. While others were celebrating the holiday, they were working to feed the hungry.
  
  Families with children, elderly individuals, and grandparents caring for their grandchildren lined up outside the center to receive food boxes.
  
  Despite the fact that they had a freezer malfunction and quit on them AND they have two refrigerators on the verge of the same fate, they try to keep their spirits up.
  
  Isabel Sigala, the Conference President at St. Henry's, spoke about the difficulties this past year. "I am not going to lie. It's been hard. But we have to make it happen."
  
  "She always makes it happen," another Vincentian echoed in the background.
  
  Isabel and her team are part of a network of over 2,000 Vincentian volunteers working at 55 distribution centers in our community. They dedicate their time every week to feeding, housing, clothing, and advocating for those in need.
- Elda and Juan- Our Lady of
  Mt. Carmel
  
  Elda and Juan Garza have been Vincentians with the Society of
  St. Vincent de Paul since 1984. Originally both from the Rio Grande Valley, Elda and Juan have known each other their entire lives. After marrying, Juan entered the United States military and the family embarked on a full life of service to their country. After retiring, the couple came to San Antonio, Texas. Juan worked for the US Postal Service and Elda worked for SAISD. Even with their busy schedules, they wanted to find a way to give back to the community.
  
  "We were introduced to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul through St. Rose of Lima. Our first volunteer opportunity was helping serve meals at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul kitchen at the old SAMM's shelter. We prepared and served many meals. And we washed many dishes too! In those days, they didn't use plastic plates and utensils", Elda remembers. "That was in 1984." Elda and Juan are now in their 80s and still serving.
  
  In 2002, Elda and Juan began volunteering at the distribution site at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. They are currently the youngest Vincentians serving in that area. Juan also assists the church with funeral services for the community.
  
  "It's a lot of work but there is a lot of need," stated Elda as she lovingly looked upon her husband as he fielded phone calls from the community. It was clear their devotion to each other was just as strong as their devotion to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul mission. Elda and Juan know their community. Prior to COVID, they attended daily mass. Over the years, they have sat face-to-face with many families in despair. They have helped grandparents provide food for the grandchildren they are caring for while their parents work. They have helped the sick and the elderly ensure their basic needs are covered.
  
  It is very clear that the need can be overwhelming but they are thankful for the handful of people that help.
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Conference
  
  As we all know, disasters take time to recover from and thus, we stand ready to support families in need with the resources and support available in our community.
  
  Recently, the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton conference included Valentine cards made by local youth inside their food bags and started packing Easter baskets for children.
  
  Despite the troubling times, we are continuing to find ways to show love and compassion to our families.
- St. Brigid Steps it Up for Seniors
  
  After the winter storm devasted many homes in our area, St. Brigid was worried about their March senior food box distributions. St. Brigid’s lost all of their meat and eggs due to the mass power losses.
  
  Determined to do their best to recoup their losses, volunteers came together to ensure food bags, hygiene necessities,
  and fresh produce would be available.
  
  Working diligently, the senior boxes were assembled at the end of February and delivered to the front doors of seniors
  in need. Due to the generous support of volunteers and donors such as Greehey Family Foundation, St. Brigid can continue to do senior box distributions monthly.
- John Stanley and St. Lukes Conference
  
  It was a quiet Wednesday morning at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's St. Luke's Conference. John Stanley was the only Vincentian at the Conference that day.
  
  John has been a Vincentian for nearly 10 years now but in his heart, he has always been a Vincentian.
  
  John has a wealth of life experience and the compassionate heart of a true servant leader.
  
  Like many Vincentians, service to others has always been apart of John's life. Mr. Stanley served in the United States Air Force. After retiring from the military, John taught Math at Holmes High School and then Calculus at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
  
  Now, as a Vincentian, John is blessed with the privilege of feeding, housing, clothing, and advocating for our brothers and sisters in need.
  
  The St. Luke's Conference is blessed to have a food pantry, a hygiene items pantry, a clothing and household goods pantry, and provide financial assistance for utilities and rent. They are also blessed to have strong community support. St. Luke's receives financial contributions from parishioners, food from the San Antonio Food Bank, and miscellaneous contributions from community members, businesses, and organizations.
- Meet the St. Mary Magdalen Conference
  
  Vincentians at the St. Mary Magdalen Conference serve individuals and families in need four days a week. Despite many of the challenges the pandemic has created, they have continued to find ways to meet the need.
  
  St. Mary Magdalen has a small food pantry that is stocked with non-perishable food donations from the community. They also regularly provide frozen protein items and fresh fruits and vegetables. Donations they receive through community members, businesses, and partner agency relationships are critical to ensuring they can provide balanced food bags with fruits, vegetables, dry goods, easy meals, and even some toiletries.
  
  St. Mary Magdalen also assists families with rental assistance and utility assistance. Through specialized training and a partnership with Bexar County, St. Mary Magdalen Vincentians sign up individuals and families for the CEAP program.
  This special program supports families that are experiencing financial hardship. Everyday, our Vincentians are assisting the elderly, disabled, and households with children 16 years of age and younger stabilize their homes.
- Meet the St. Francis Conference
  
  Anyone who has ever walked on the
  St. Francis de Assisi parish grounds immediately feels surrounded by serenity.
  
  The grounds are covered in trees and healthy green foliage. Pathways wind through parish buildings-almost deliberately making you stop and take in the peaceful surroundings.
  
  It's quiet and especially inviting for those experiencing hardships and visiting the St. Vincent de Paul Conference
  on-site.
  
  The St. Francis de Assisi Conference, like many St. Vincent de Paul Conferences, serve those in need quietly and humbly.
  The beauty in their ministry is much like the surroundings around their Conference.
  
  While most associate ministry with pulpit talks and sermons, Vincentians show, day-in and day-out, that ministry can and should be something every Catholic does.
  
  Why? Because in it's simplest form, ministry is what we do for God.
  The St. Francis Vincentians recounted story after story about the individuals and families they have served...and loved. They knew their names and their struggles. Through their actions, St. Francis Vincentians were utilizing their God given giftings and living out a ministry that is "inspired by Gospel values, growing in holiness and building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to people in need." And that is the mission of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Meet the St. Paul Conference

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul feeds, houses, clothes, and advocates for individuals and families in need. For the Vincentian volunteers that run the Conferences, serving others is much more than paying a utility bill or providing a box
of food.

And while there are many “drive-thru” food distributions in the city, the individuals and families that visit the Society of St. Vincent de Paul are needing more than a band-aid solution. They are looking for someone to listen to them. They are seeking real guidance out of their trying situations. That is what makes the Society of St. Vincent de Paul experience unique. Vincentian volunteers are called to serve and support those in need with love and compassion. And sometimes that means stabilizing a family requires months of hand-up support, not a quick hand-out.
The changes that came with the pandemic came hard and swift for the St. Paul Conference. Normally, the St. Paul team that helps individuals and families in need, averages about eight to ten people. But fear of virus spread and the life-threatening complications that came with COVID caused the team to dwindle in size.

“Mondays and Thursdays are busy days still,” states Irene Aurilio. “We are looking at adding another distribution day but we will see.”

While opening up another day will assist those in need, the obstacle remains that volunteers are in short supply.

“Our Vincentians are coming back. But if you ask me what we need the most, I would say is more volunteers.”

The St. Paul Conference, like many Conferences in our area, need volunteer support to pick up food donations and stock shelves.

As times continue to change, the needs of the people will change as well. But the one thing that will never change is the heart of the Vincentian volunteer.

If you are interested in learning more about being a Volunteer,
please visit www.svdpsa.org/volunteer.

- Meet the Little Flower Conference
  
  The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference at Little Flower Basilica tried their very best to be open during the COVID pandemic. They knew that as businesses shuttered and schools closed, organizations like the Society of St. Vincent de Paul needed to stand ready to serve. But as it is with many conferences, the Vincentian volunteers that operate these distribution sites across the area are mostly retired individuals--many of them elderly. The nature of the COVID virus made volunteering on the front lines a life-risking experience.
  
  Richard Aguilar, a San Antonio Fire Fighter and Vincentian, recounts the difficulties the conference faced staying open. Donations dwindled and need increased. Richard, a man who has been a front-line hero for nearly 30 years in San Antonio, also felt the weight of protecting his fellow Vincentians. In his sixties, Richard is one of the youngest Conference Vincentians at Little Flower. He worried deeply about his elderly counterparts and asked them to stay home where they could be sheltered and protected. When Eloisa Guerrero, a well-respected and award-winning Vincentian volunteer, passed away on December 5, 2020, Richard’s heart broke. The decision to cut back services drastically was made. The Little Flower Conference moved from operating with an average of twelve volunteers to only operating with only two Vincentians at the helm.
  
  Although it meant spreading himself thin, Richard took on the majority of the duties.
  
  “I can’t turn my back on my people.”
  
  Richard stated solemnly as he recalled why he felt the need
  to stay.
  
  Because of that internal call to serve, the Little Flower Conference did not and do not turn their back on the people in need. As the Little Flower Conference moves from operating on an “appointment only” basis to fully operational, Richard has asked for two things:
  
  1) Prayers
  2) A call for volunteer support.
  
  “We need lots of prayers. It has been an extremely difficult year. We also need new blood to keep the Society going. I know it’s hard right now but we hope it gets better and more people answer the call to become Vincentians.”
- Meet the Holy Family Conference
  
  The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Conference at Holy Family Catholic Church, like many conferences in our area, has recently seen a decline in individuals and families needing assistance. But they also know that circumstances can change dramatically--so they stand ready to serve should anyone arrive at their door looking for help.
  
  "We didn't close during the pandemic. We stayed open. We were here." recalls President Juanita Gonzales. "We will always be here when they need us."
  
  Juanita has been serving with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for nearly 25 years. Even though the toughest of times, Juanita continued to serve.
  
  "By the grace of God, I have been blessed in life. But I know what it feels like to struggle...to suffer. So I keep serving because I can."
  
  Juanita and her fellow Holy Family Vincentians say they receive blessings through their service.
  
  "When you see the joy in the children's faces as they check and see what is in their food box, you understand just how important that box of food is to them," states Juanita. "Their joy is a blessing for us."
  
  The Holy Family Conference has a food pantry, provides basic hygiene items, and helps families with financial assistance for utilities. Holy Family Catholic Church parishioners support the Conference with financial contributions through their second collection. These collection dollars allow Juanita and her team to purchase staple food items to fill their pantry.
  
  "We do not buy something we would not eat ourselves. Our families deserve the BEST." Juanita states. "Just because they have very little does not mean they do not deserve the best. We try really hard to give them good things."
  
  As Juanita and I spoke about the mission and what connects us to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, we found ourselves in tears. We shared stories of our family's migrant farmworker experiences and the struggles generations before us overcame that afforded us the blessings we have today.
  
  "I don't judge others because I understand." Juanita said.
  
  Through our tears, we were reminded that we are all God's children. Regardless of situation or circumstance, we should all be treated with love, compassion, and dignity. And that is why we choose to serve through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Because serving with love and compassion is the Vincentian way.