For prayer with the Word of God.

Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church.

January 25 – Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, which marks the Foundation Day of the Congregation of the Mission founded by St. Vincent de Paul in 1617.

In the wealthiest country in the world, there are thousands of people who don’t have three meals a day, affordable housing, quality education or clean drinking water.  

The United Nations defines poverty as “the inability of having choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity.”  

• 710,463 – Number of New Mexicans covered by Medicaid/CHIP as of June 20251
• 262,613– Number of New Mexicans covered by ACA Medicaid expansion as of December 20242
• 52% – Increase in total Medicaid/CHIP enrollment in New Mexico since late 20133

https://www.healthinsurance.org/medicaid/new-mexico/

SVdP USA is ranked #45 on the Forbes Top 100 Charities list this year! Last year we were 59th on the list. What an incredible accomplishment for our organization at large and an amazing opportunity for our work to receive attention on a global stage.

United Way of Central New Mexico provides this free tax-filing resource for people whose household income is less than $67,000.  Please share the document at the end of this newsletter with your neighbors and any other organization you work with.  This information is not final at this time.  Please check with https://uwncnm.org/tax-help-new-mexico/

for current information.

Workers below the ALICE Threshold often perform the jobs that keep our economy functioning smoothly — they are child care providers, food service workers, cashiers, personal care aides, delivery drivers, and more. Their stories capture the systemic and structural barriers to financial stability, and the struggles and resilience of families experiencing financial hardship.

https://www.unitedforalice.org/introducing-ALICE/new-mexico

The information included in the ALICE Report can be useful in all grantwriting.  Be informed! 

As Vincentians, we call ourselves volunteers.  What we should understand is that, yes, we do volunteer our time, talents and treasures, but only within the paramenters of a ministry.  Many of our Conferences struggle to find “ministers” for this work, not only as home visitors, as officers of the Conference, providing soup for a Lenten soup supper, being on a committee for Council work.  Let’s look at what makes a good Vincentian Minister, aka volunteer.

#1 Passion – passion for our organization’s values, goals and mission.  The first rule of being a minister is – don’t commit unless you can complete.  Our ministry for this organization begins at the Conference level but also includes the District Council and National Council work.  

#2 Reliability – a commitment to complete the mundane and not so mundane works on time, with diligence for accurate and precise work and the willingness to learn due to the necessary changes.  Don’t be afraid to volunteer outside your comfort zone.  

#3 Teamwork – working well with others and reaching out when the answers aren’t easy to find. Understanding the ministry’s culture and why it’s necessary for meet the goals and objectives of the work.  

#4 Patience – an endless reservoir of patience.  Accepting deadlines, changes, and new ideas.

#5 Creativity – maintain an open-mindedness to build on the current culture for the betterment of the future.  

#6 Energetic – Sometimes it’s the physical energy, but many times it’s the mental and emotional energy that we need to persevere through the exhaustion.  

#7 Positive Attitude – leaving our comfort zone to learn new skills and face new challenges.  An attitude of gratitude for the opportunity to change the lives of the less fortunate.

#8 Willingness to Help – stepping up regardless of the task, answering emails promptly, complete training for new endeavors, and not be the grumbler of the group. This is more than work at the Conference level; consider this as a business that requires time and effort all up and down the ladder of operations.

#9 Compassion – Volunteering is a selfless gesture; The Golden Rule: practicing the principle of treating others as one wants to be treated.  We give our time, our skills and our resources not because we need to, but to give thanks for our many and continued blessings.  We make the home visit with a smile after an awful workday.  We attend meetings and trainings when other tasks are more exciting.  We share our resources because all of us have much more than we truly need.  Is it true that we don’t have time or that we don’t want to make time?  

#10 Organised – being on time, prepared and ready for what is asked of us.  Understand time-sensitive issues: assistance to those we serve is provided promptly, filing reports on time, complete and accurate.  Think of this as a good work ethic to stay motivated and focused supporting the work and policies.  

A lot of the above characteristics of a good minister, aka volunteer, appear to deal with matters that seem to be not at all spiritual.  How can this be if our spirituality is the main focus of this ministry?  

The Society is enabled in our work because we have nonprofit status with all government entities; the IRS when we file our 990, file our 1099s, register with the NM Attorney General’s office and complete the annual required audit.  All of these filings require paperwork provided on time, valid and truthful and in compliance with their requirements.  All of the great work that we as Vincentians do would disappear if we lost this nonprofit status due to noncompliance.

Our political spirituality looks at our style of existence and the self-discipline to “repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” Matthew 22:21  Our priorities and values cannot be compromised so we recognize both the secular and religious authorities.  Catholic Social Teaching tells us the common good is reached when we work together to improve the well-being of all people.     

As I was writing this, I noticed some areas that are ripe for improvement in my personal ministry.  Maybe some are apparent for you also?  Could this be our New Year’s Resolution?

If your District Council or Conference has special event dates, please send them to me so we can include them on our calendar.

We had a wonderful Christmas holiday party celebration with our ABQ Thrift Store staff, volunteers, and board last week. Thank you to all that came out! It is abundantly clear to me that everything we do--from thrift stores to food distributions to Vincentian visits--is an exercise in collaboration, companionship, and community. We are in this together! Thank you to all of you that contribute to this beautiful work and to all that came out to celebrate with us! 

One of my greatest joys in the job so far has been hearing from Conference Presidents and other Vincentians about the work that is going on in their Conferences. I would love to know more; and, on my journey to help tell our story more clearly and effectively to the community, I encourage you to take pictures (with photo releases) of any events you have going on and send me a little write up! I would love to turn these goings-on into social media posts, newsletter stories, and community updates. You can always email me (jared@svdpsantafe.org) or call/text (505-288-7829).

Attached, please find additional resources that may prove helpful to your Conference.

I plan to attend the Immigrant and Workers Day of Action at the Roundhouse on Monday, January 26. If you would like to join me, please reach out. All are welcome!

Thank you for your service and sacrifice as a Vincentian. If you need any support or have any questions, please reach out by replying to this email or giving us a call.