For children with incurable diseases. Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope.

February in the Vincentian tradition is a time focused on social justice, the legacy of key figures in the Vincentian Family, and the spiritual dedication of its members. Key celebrations and observances include: 

February 4 – International Day of Human Fraternity: The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) promotes this day to encourage a culture of peace, tolerance, and inclusion.

February 7 – Feast of Blessed Rosalie Rendu, D.C.: A major feast day for the Vincentian Family, honoring the Daughters of Charity sister known for her service to the poor in Paris and for being a mentor to Frédéric Ozanam.

February 20 – World Day of Social Justice: A significant UN-established day for reflection on equality, solidarity, and care for the disadvantaged, promoted by the Council General International for all Conferences.

God’s Covenant and the Way of Love

From the summit of Mount Sinai, in the midst of the trembling of fire and clouds, God gave Moses the TenCommandments; words not of domination but of liberation. Far from being a cold list of prohibitions, these commandments form a covenant of love and responsibility, inscribed not only on tablets of stone but meant to be inscribed on the heart of every believer.

Rooted in Exodus 20 and reiterated in Deuteronomy 5, the Decalogue is central to both Jewish and Christian traditions. For the Church, it has served as a moral compass, a path toward holiness, and a structure for catechesis. In Jesus Christ, the Law finds its full meaning—not abolished, but fulfilled in the commandment of love: “You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

As members of the Vincentian Family, we are called to live the Commandments not only as personal moral principles but as invitations to encounter Christ in the poor. Saint Vincent de Paul insisted that true religion cannot be separated from charity. The Ten Commandments, therefore, are not relics of an ancient legal code but daily paths to transformative love.

I. “I Am the Lord Your God: You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me”

For Vincentians, this first commandment demands radical trust in Providence. It is a

call to center our lives on God, the Source of all charity. When we idolize wealth, prestige, or comfort, we lose sight of Christ in the poor.

Saint Vincent constantly exhorted his followers to renew their gaze on Christ as the true Lord—especially in the face of human misery. God alone is the Absolute; all else must serve the cause of love.

Food for thought:

* Who or what claims my highest loyalty?

* Am I tempted to place my identity in success, ministry, or public approval?

* Do I let God’s will direct my daily service to the poor?

* What false “gods” do I sometimes serve unknowingly?

* In what ways can I grow in trustful surrender to God?

* Do I prioritize prayer as the foundation of action?

Prayer

Lord of the poor and humble,
strip away the idols in my heart.
Teach me to serve You alone,
and to recognize You
in those who suffer.
May my life be rooted in Your love,
and may I never let another take Your place.
Amen.

The Commandments as a Vincentian Path of Love

The Ten Commandments are not burdens but blessings. They lead us to deeper communion with God and neighbor. For the Vincentian Family, they challenge us to be poor in spirit, rich in love, and faithful in service.

Rooted in Christ, guided by Vincent, and moved by the Spirit, let us keep these commandments—not with fear, but with freedom. For in loving God and loving the poor, we find life in abundance.

Follow this link for the remainder of this article.

Please consider your conference needs and determine if you want to apply for this grant. They are exceptionally supportive of SVdP. 

Follow this link to an exceptional compendium of resources for the needs of our neighbors. 

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.    

Latest information: The 2026 tax season will officially begin on Monday, February 2, 2026, and will end on April 11, 2026. To ensure all taxpayers have an equal opportunity to schedule, appointments will be released every two weeks. We strongly recommend opting in for either email/text confirmations to ensure your appointment was scheduled and receive reminders before your appointment. 

Appointments can be made online below. If you need assistance scheduling an appointment, please call the 211 hotline.

NOTE: New appointments will become available on the following dates:

February 3

February 17

March 3

March 17

March 31

Please check back on these dates to schedule an appointment. Availability is limited and appointments fill quickly.

Albuquerque Locations

Open February 2, 2026 – April 11, 2026 

CNM Montoya Campus 

H Building, Room 127 

Limited walk-in availability, appointments take priority. 

Address: 4700 Morris St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111 

Hours of operation: Monday – Thursday- 9:00 am – 7:00 pm ** 

**Weekday availability may be subject to change depending on volunteer availability** 

Saturday- 9:00 am – 2:00 pm 

Book an appointment with the CNM Montoya Campus

They were honored at St Mary’s Catholic School for their Community Service. For more pictures and details, check out our Conference Spotlight Facebook post here.

Want to spotlight your Conference's work on social media? We would LOVE to do that? Please email Jared with pictures and a brief description of your Conference's work/event/accomplishment. It doesn't have to be anything huge--just a regular food distribution day for you is something VERY special that we would love to highlight for the community.

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

Food Distribution

I am so proud of the food distribution work that you as our Conferences do throughout the Archdiocese (which covers much of the state). 

If you are a primary contact for one of our SVdP food distribution sites, please make sure you complete the following steps (which I sent out by email to our individual leaders by email a few days ago):

Annual Report Ask

We are close to releasing out 2025 Annual Report, to include numbers served and dollars/values distributed to support our neighbors with housing, utilities, food, and clothing. 

Along with the data, I would LOVE to include some photos of the work happening, stories you may have permission from a neighbor to share, or quotes of how our services impacted a neighbor that you may have overheard someone say that we can share without revealing their identity. 

For instance, one of our board members shared the following quote from a neighbor at a food distribution event: “I cannot thank you enough and I appreciate you all. I promise I will pay it forward in the future.” This is the kind of quote I would love to share in our report! 

I recently received the advice from a sister agency to focus photos on our Vincentians and volunteers. Neighbors can be featured as they would like, but we never want to pressure them. Always get signed media release photos for photo/video. I'll attach those in the PDF packet on this email. 

We are very excited to share that SVDP-ASF received two grants this past month:

ABQ Faithworks gave $30,000 for the Clearinghouse.

Father Richard Rohr gave $10,000 for the Council.

ASF Council Board Members

Linda Strasburg – President

Dawn Miller – Vice President

Governance

Twinning

Larry Gonzales – CFO

Trish Novak – Secretary

Linda Stubbs – Spiritual Advisor

Formation

Barb Garrity – DC A

Margaret Trace – DC B

Gerry Rohrkemper – DC C

Marie Kemmeren – SW DC

Dorothy Duran – NW DC

Mark Sadowski – Santa Fe DC 

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.