Dear Brother and Sisters,
I ask Conference Presidents to please share this monthly news with your members to keep everyone connected with what is happening at the Ontario Regional, National and International levels. Particular and Central Council Presidents, please share this monthly news with your Vincentian members who may not belong to a Conference, and feel free to email questions or comments tolinda@ssvp.on.ca.
SPIRITUAL MATTERS
The April spiritual reflection reflects on a time to rejoice - it’s almost Easter!
A Lenten Spiritual Reflection from National Council shares a Vincentian Tool Kit of 12 visual aids to help renew ourselves spiritually.
The Lenten Pastoral letter prepared by Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, is very supportive of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. He states, “I want a vibrant conference of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul to be active in every parish in this Archdiocese. I urge you to support generously the work of the Society and to become a member.”
ONRC SPRING MEETING
We look forward to seeing you on April 12/13, 2019 for the ONRC spring meeting and AGM taking place in Peterborough. This meeting is open to all Vincentians and Store Managers.
We have an exciting agenda and excellent workshops to choose from. In addition, check out the AGM agenda. The financials from January 1 to March 31, 2019 will also be presented.
Feel free to contact linda@ssvp.on.ca or sarah@ssvp.on.ca should you have any questions.
Videos from the workshops held at the fall meeting can be found on the website.
RECRUITMENT TOOLS WORKSHOP
Recruitment is an ongoing challenge in many Conferences. The ONRC Rejuvenation Committee has developed a Recruitment Workshop to assist Conferences with this challenge. Hamilton/Hamilton West PC hosted this Recruitment Workshop in February with a follow up session held March 23 that identified several opportunities conferences can consider to develop an effective recruitment campaign.
Please contact phil@ssvp.on.ca if you are interested in having this recruitment workshop presented in your community.
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE/PRISON MINISTRY
Jim Paddon shares information on work happening across the province on Restorative Justice. A meeting is being organized in London on May 11th. The hope is to develop methods that improve communications with members involved in this Ministry and ways to recruit more members to this important program. Should you have questions or wish to register for this meeting, please contact jim@ssvp.on.ca.
NATIONAL
The registration for the 48th Annual General Assembly of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul’s National Council of Canada is now open. The assembly will be held from June 19 to June 23, 2019, in Windsor, Ontario.
Please visit National’s website for the latest information on the 2019 AGA activities, events and registration.
Early bird registration is available until April 30, 2019. We look forward to having a great representation of Vincentians attend from Ontario.
Quebec Regional Council Social Justice Committee shares an article “Charity is Not Enough” in the March edition of Changing Times.
INTERNATIONAL
Holy Redeemer Conference in Ottawa collected from parishioners and contributed to a special twinning project to build a well in Nigeria which project has now been completed.
An excerpt in the conclusion of the International President’s Circular letter previously shared reminds us to reassess our actions, think ahead and adjust our strategies. He suggests members answer these five questions to help improve and rejuvenate Conferences and Councils:
- What do we need to STOP DOING in the SSVP?
- What do we need to KEEP DOING to continue our mission of charity?
- After this evaluation, what do we need to START DOING to improve Vincentian effectiveness?
- What do we need to DO MORE?
- What do we need to DO LESS?
BEST PRACTICES
Lenten Soup Fest in Hamilton
Please remember to share your best practices with
linda@ssvp.on.ca so we can post on our website and share the information with Vincentians.
Thank you for all the amazing work you do across Ontario reaching out and helping our many friends in need.
Linda Dollard
President
