Dear Brother and Sister Vincentians,

Please share this monthly news with all Vincentians at your Council and Conference levels.

ONRC MEETING
Thank you to the 104 attendees who attended the ONRC meeting in Etobicoke April 13/14 despite the poor weather conditions on Saturday. It was great to see you there. Thank you for providing your feedback on the survey so that we can cater to your needs at future ONRC meetings. Check out the website for details of the workshop presentations and guest speaker presentations. You will see that the Volunteer Cycle workshop was videotaped.

The draft meeting minutes and roundtable notes are also posted on our website under the “Member” section where you sign in with the password “ozanam”. Please note that you will need to sign in before clicking these links; as these are draft copies and therefore not yet for public viewing they are under are members only/password protected area of our website.

It was mentioned how some Conferences are struggling with having very few members. We know how important prayer is and, therefore, we launched “A Call to Prayer” to help our Conferences who have very few members. We ask that you pray this “Prayer for Vocations to the Vincentian Family” at every meeting. This prayer is included in Denise’s May spiritual reflection. Should you have any questions, please email linda@ssvp.on.ca.

SPIRITUAL MATTERS
The May spiritual reflection is an opportunity for us to reflect on “Coming Together as A Family” and how we come together as family when we meet with members from our Conference, Particular Council, Central Council, Ontario Regional Council and National Council.

SUCCESSION PLANNING
Phil Bondy has now completed 17 Succession Planning workshops achieving great success in identifying and inviting a new President both at the Conference and Council levels when a new leader was not ready to step forward into the role when the current President’s term came to an end.

It is in the Society’s best interest to develop leaders at every level, and to adhere to the terms outlined in the Rule Book as follows:

• Conference President – 3 years which may be renewed once for an additional 3 years; maximum of 6 years;
• Particular Council President – 4 years which may be renewed once for 2 years; maximum of 6 years;
• Central Council President – 5 years which is not renewable.

It is imperative to develop future leadership to govern and nurture the Spiritual and Practical aspect of our mission. Without developing future leadership, the Society risks its ability to effectively continue to serve our members and vulnerable persons. When a President exceeds their term limit, a potential future leader is lost. I am certain that every President at the Conference/Particular Council/Central Council/ONRC and National level did not take on the positions as a 'career goal'. They listened and prayed about God's calling to them, and took on what God was calling them to do.

A change in leadership is vital to any healthy organization and fosters an environment for rejuvenation. If your term as President is coming to an end this year or you are beyond your term limit, please contact phil@ssvp.on.ca and invite him to do the Succession Planning workshop. You will be pleased with the results achieved.

NEW MEMBER PACKAGE
The Rejuvenation Committee has developed a new member package that can be shared with new members

FINANCE
Thank you to Halton Particular Council for sharing one of their best practices, Conference Financial Checklist.

NATIONAL NEWS
Further to a communication earlier this year on the Canada Summer Jobs Program, The Most Reverend Fabbro, Bishop for the Diocese of London, announced a special collection that was taken up in light of the funding that was lost due to not applying to the Canada Summer Jobs Program .

National Council has developed a Social Justice Guide which talks about the importance of Social Justice, the role of the Social Justice Committee, tips in creating a Social Justice Committee plus more. Every Council is encouraged to have a Social Justice Committee, and every Conference is encouraged to have a Social Justice representative. If you have questions, contact jim@ssvp.on.ca.

An excellent Social Justice workshop was held in Burlington April 28 with guest speakers who spoke about social justice issues and systemic change projects being carried out to help move our friends beyond poverty. If you are interested in having a Social Justice workshop in your area, please contact jere@ssvp.on.ca.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS
The 1st edition of the Ozanam Network for the year 2018 shares International news and activities, information on the themetic year of François Lallier, President General’s visit to Africa plus more.

Should you have a best practice document or project to share with our Vincentian members, please send to linda@ssvp.on.ca.

Thank you for your passion, dedication and commitment to helping our friends in need!

Linda Dollard,
President