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January 7, 2001 During the past year, you have brought comfort and peace to many of our parishioners by your support of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. May the peace and joy of this Holy Season be yours. "The Poor Boxes are the bread boxes of the poor."
January 11, 2001 When we pray the Our Father, we ask God to provide our food. The majority of us receive sufficient food, but some do not. We can be our Father's instrument by providing "bread" for the needy. You do this by your contributions to the St. Vincent de Paul Society poor boxes.
January 14, 2001 The St. Vincent de Paul Society exists to assist those in need. We can help those we know about. We hear of their need from people like you. Do you know of a parishioner in need of temporary assistance. Please call [rectory number] and leave a message.
January 21, 2001 In the life of Mother Teresa, the Two Commandments--to love God and to love our neighbor--were inseparable. In her life and work, she exemplified the relationship between the two. How, if we do not love God we cannot love our neighbor, and if we do not love our neighbor, we cannot love God.
January 28, 2001 The St. Vincent de Paul Society loves and works for God. The members love and work for our neighbors in need. They do this through your kind offerings each week in the poor boxes. God will and does reward those who share and care.
February 4, 2001 We have received so much from the good Lord that we in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul wish to encourage others to experience his love for them through our ministry of visiting and assistance.
February 18, 2001 The work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society is the Gospel message in action. Jesus says, "I was hungry; I was thirsty; I was a stranger; I was naked; I was sick; I was in prison." Ours is the response of the laity of Christ...to care for Christ in the poor.
February 25, 2001 Alms are an old-fashioned word for money given for charitable purposes. The St. Vincent de Paul Society thanks you for allowing us to be a channel for your almsgiving. And through us the poor thank you for the food, medicine, heat and clothing you supply. "The Poor Boxes are the bread boxes of the poor."
March 4, 2001 We are an organization of lay men and women who strive to grow in Christian holiness by assisting our neighbors in need. We have dedicated ourselves to visit the homes of families in need in our parish to assist them materially and spiritually.
March 11, 2001 These things I warmly wish for you:
March 18, 2001 There is a time for study, a time for discussion, a time for decision, a time to act. Act now on the Gospel message: "Love your neighbor" and share your coins in the St. Vincent de Paul Society poor boxes. Act now during Lent, a special time for almsgiving.
March 25, 2001 "He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, but has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, while the rich he has sent empty away." Your donations to the poor box help lift up the lowly and fill the hungry with good things.
April 1, 2001 The Society has a rule, just like a religious order. Our rule states: "St. Vincent de Paul members should always act in pairs. They are prepared to visit persons wherever the need exists, whether it be in the home, hospital, nursing home, prison, etc."
April 8, 2001 The love of our neighbors is a safe and rather accurate measure of our love of God. Scripture says, "Do not turn your face away from any of the poor, and God's face will not be turned away from you." (Tb 4:7)
April 15, 2001 to help someone or a family who is out of work or needs other assistance. Maybe it's only a temporary setback. Call the Rectory and ask to speak to a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
April 22, 2001 During our liturgy, you extended your hand and said, "Peace be with you." After the liturgy, you stretched out your hand to put some money in the Poor Boxes, and by this action again you said, "Peace be with you."
April 29, 2001 "The Question which is agitating the world today is a social one. It is struggle between those who have nothing and those who have too much, it is the violent clash of opulence and poverty, which is shaking the ground under our feet. Our duty as Christians is to throw ourselves between those two camps, in order to accomplish through charity what justice alone cannot do." Frederic Ozanam
May 6, 2001 You are performing a good work, far greater than you think, when you donate to the poor boxes. Your offering, no matter the size, is multiplied by the donations of others. May your heart be glad because of your almsgiving. A sincere Thank you!
May 13, 2001 We cannot let Mother's Day go by without a very special and warm desire for God's blessings on all those women who have shared in God's creation by giving birth to a child. We also applaud all of you who have supported the mothers around you...in a society which often doesn't recognize the value of children or motherhood, your witness to the intrinsic and God-given value of life is very important.
May 20, 2001 do not keep them waiting on your generosity. In obedience to the commandment, help the poor; do not turn the poor away empty-handed in their need. (Sir 29:8, 9)
May 27, 2001 As we remember those who served our nation to the point of giving up their lives, let us rededicate ourselves to the service of those most in need: the poor, the widowed and orphaned, the lonely and sick.
June 3, 2001 The Holy Spirit is Christ's gift to the Church, to keep her faithful to all he has taught us, to lead us into all truth. Your gifts to the poor are a faithful expression of that Holy Spirit within you, the Spirit of charity and compassion.
June 10, 2001 Usually, when you see this headline, you know it means a shorter schedule. That's not the case with the poor...Jesus said, "The poor you will have with you always." Even in the summer. Your St. Vincent de Paul Society will be here too, to serve those in need.
June 17, 2001 Perhaps after Mass your child will ask you to lift her up so that she can drop a coin in the Poor Box. In doing so, you'll be truly fulfilling your vocation as a father, to train your child up in the ways of faith, hope and charity.
June 24, 2001 but not for all. Your contribution to the poor boxes can help relieve the burdens and distresses of the poor.
July 1, 2001 We are anxious to hear your voice telling us of the needs of our neighbors. We will try to alleviate their immediate needs for food, medicine, clothing, etc. Almsgiving is but one of many expressions of charity; informing the St. Vincent de Paul Society of someone's needs is another. Call the rectory phone and leave a message!
July 8, 2001 What a nice invitation -- Eat! Mangia; it has a hospitable and generous sound--a warm welcome to share a meal. You are saying "mangia" to a person you do not know every time you share your coins in the Poor Boxes. On behalf of the poor, your St. Vincent de Paul Society says "Grazie!"
July 15, 2001 We do want to hear from you. We need you to act as our eyes and ears. Is there a neighbor of yours in our parish that might benefit by our visitors, a neighbor in temporary need because of job loss, illness, a financial crisis? We may be able to assist them. The St. Vincent de Paul Society would like to hear from you. Please leave a message at the rectory office for us.
July 22, 2001 The welcome and attention you give friends and neighbors when they gather for your backyard cookouts is a sign of your hospitality. There are others who are just as truly your guests. They are the ones who share in your generosity each time you make a contribution to the Poor Boxes. Thank you for this sign of your welcome and kindness.
July 29, 2001 we usually stop to say thanks to the Lord for his blessings. When you pray, remember also those less fortunate in your prayers: the sick, the lonely, the poor. Teach your children to be concerned in your prayers together, and in sharing through the Poor Boxes.
August 5, 2001 was a deacon of the Roman Church. When commanded by the emperor to bring the treasures of the Church before him, he asked for three days to collect the treasures. On the appointed day he appeared at the palace with the sick, lame and poor of Rome. "These are the treasures of the Church," he declared, "because Christ taught 'whatsoever you do to the least of these, you do to me.'"
August 12, 2001 During the hot summer months, we all seek some sort of relief to make living more bearable: air conditioning, a vacation, a trip to the beach. Some of our neighbors cannot afford these luxuries, however. They would be content if they could meet their food, medical and other bills. Your support enables the St. Vincent de Paul Society to help others have the basics, and makes living more bearable for them.
August 19, 2001 When we pray the 'Our Father', we ask God to provide our food. the majority of us do receive sufficient food, but some do not. We can be instruments of our Father's providence by providing "bread" for the needy. You do this by your contributions to the St. Vincent de Paul Poor Boxes.
August 26, 2001 If you would like to serve the poor of our parish, contact the St. Vincent de Paul Society by calling the rectory and requesting that a member visit. We are always happy to welcome new members to our ranks!
September 2, 2001 As we remember the contributions of the American worker to our society's freedoms and rights, we might also recall the saying of our Savior: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest." You can provide rest to those who are burdened with the problems of poverty or illness by your continued support of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Thank-you!
September 9, 2001 the founder of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He lived in France, and started the Society while attending college in Paris, while in his early 20s. He founded the "conference of charity" as it was first called, so that lay people could live out the practical aspects of their faith and fulfill their call to holiness. Pope John Paul II beatified Frederic, a student, professor, husband and father, because he exemplified the living out of the "vocation to holiness" that the Second Vatican Council so urgently called each of us to pursue.
September 16, 2001 We visit people at home, in prison, in rest homes and in hospitals. We give advice, money, food, or clothes to those in need. We reach out to the lonely and alienated. We are simply Christian men and women who follow the rule of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
September 23, 2001 whose feast is celebrated by the whole church on September 27, originally entered the priesthood because it was socially a step up. But after himself spending years as a galley slave, and later as chaplain aboard the French galleys, he was transformed by the grace of Christ: he lived in poverty, serving the poor, whom he referred to as "our masters"; he founded an order of priests, the Daughters of Charity, and the Ladies of Charity (a lay woman's group). After many years of labor, he died wishing only that he had done more. As Jesus said through St. Paul, "in your weakness my power is made perfect."
September 30, 2001 The St. Vincent de Paul Society doesn't have a lock on good ideas about how to serve others. We are called to consider any way that we can help someone. Have a good idea? Why not call to share it, or share your time to help put it into practice?
October 7, 2001 celebrates the intercessory power of the Mother of God to bring victory to the lives of her children. You also have intercessory power as part of that kingdom of priests that Christ died and rose to consecrate. Pray for the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, the lost; help us to intercede in the lives of others to help shoulder their burdens.
Your St. Vincent de Paul Society. October 14,
2001 wherever you live in our parish, there are poor families within walking distance of your home. When they ring the doorbell of the rectory, they are also ringing your doorbell. Your contributions to the Poor Boxes can have a powerful effect for good in the lives weighed down with the cares of poverty, illness or loneliness.
October 21, 2001 The partnership of giving is a special one created by faith, bonded by sacrifice, nurtured by love and blessed by God. How can we fail, if you remember our Poor Boxes, and keep the needy in your prayers?
October 28, 2001 The St. Vincent de Paul Society exists to assist those in need. We can help those we know about. We hear of their need from people like you. Do you know of a parishioner in need of temporary assistance. Please call [rectory number] and leave a message.
November 4, 2001 As we begin the month of November and look forward to the American feast of Thanksgiving, we all can give thanks to the Lord for the fruits of the harvest. We can also give thanks that we are able to share with others, so that all may enjoy the good things God provides. Call the St. Vincent de Paul Society at the rectory to see how you can help.
November 11, 2001 Our most important work is not so much what we do, but rather what we become. Our works are not something we do for God, nor even something we do with God. Our works, what we become, is something we allow God to do in us.
November 18, 2001 for the support you give us; for the opportunity to serve the poor in our midst; for the grace of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist which is the greatest Thanksgiving. On behalf of the many families who we will be able to help enjoy this week's Thanksgiving feast, we give thanks for you, and to you!
November 25, 2001 We wait silently at the doors of the church. We wait and hope, as do the needy, for a share of your coins. We are the Poor Boxes. Please don't pass us by.
December 2, 2001 Let your heart and means dictate what to share. Your contributions enable your St. Vincent de Paul Society to deliver your Christmas message of good cheer to our neighbors in need.
December 9, 2001 Once a prince, then reduced to poverty after the conquest of Mexico, Juan Diego was chosen by Mary at Guadalupe to deliver a message of hope to the peoples of the Americas. On his feast day, keep in mind that you have also been chosen to bring the Good News to the poor. The assistance you enable us to provide carries with it the Good News that the Christian community cares. Thanks be to God!
December 16, 2001 a bit more light in our homes and church. Each week as another wick is lit, more light shines forth. In the same way, your assistance, however small, is added to the contributions of others to provide for the poor. Together, we can make the world a brighter place for many.
December 23, 2001 Imagine how the innkeeper who found some room in the stable felt after the birth of Jesus. Sorry, perhaps that he hadn't given up his own bed, but glad that he had not turned away Mary and Joseph completely. A poor couple had a baby, born into poverty, just another mouth to feed. Yet, it was that baby who is the Savior of the world. Thank God for that innkeeper's help to the Holy Family. Thank God for your help to all the poor families of our parish.
December 30, 2001 include trying even harder to reach out to parishioners who need spiritual and material assistance, and to be better at making known the love of God. Thank-you for a year of financial and prayerful support. |
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