“All have the right to lay their burden upon us without our having the right to complain about it. We must be like a milestone on a street corner where all those who pass by can rest and lay down their heavy burdens.” ~ Sister Rosalie Rendu, Co-Founder The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul 2015 Annual Report Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Diocesan Council of Pittsburgh Our Mission. Inspired by Gospel values, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, a Catholic lay organization, leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by of- fering person-to-person service to the needy and suffering. Vincentians wit- ness God’s love by embracing all works of charity and justice and collaborate with other people of good will in relieving need and addressing its causes making no distinction in those served. Our History. St. Vincent de Paul The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul was founded in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam, a 20-year old student of the Sorbonne University in Paris, France. Challenged to "practice what they preached", Frederic and a group of fellow students sought out the poor in Paris in their homes and brought them bread, clothes and, most importantly, friendship. This small group took as their Patron the great French priest, St. Vincent de Paul. Similar groups began to form in Paris, and then spread throughout France, and eventually throughout the world. In 1845, the first U.S. Conference was formed in St. Louis, Missouri. Seven years later (1852) the first Conference was started in the heart of Pittsburgh. Today there are 107 Conferences within the Diocese of Pittsburgh with more than 1,000 members. Our Members. We are young and old. Our members come in every shade of skin color. Some of us are wealthy, some are financially poor, but all of us are blessed with an awareness that our blessings (time, talent or treasure) are to be shared with our brothers and sisters in need. We are part of an international society of friends united by a spirit of poverty, humility, and sharing, which is nourished by prayer and reflection, mutually supportive gatherings, and adherence to a basic Rule. Energized by the awareness that service to our brother or sister in need is in fact an encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ, members of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul are keenly aware that poverty, suffering and loneliness are present for millions in our communities. For that reason, we collaborate with all who seek to relieve need and address its causes. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul offers tangible assistance to those in need on a person-to-person basis. It is this personalized involvement that makes the work of the Society unique. This aid may take the form of intervention, consultation, or often through direct dollar or in-kind service. An essential precept of the Society's work is to provide help while conscientiously maintaining the confidentiality and dignity of those who are served. The Society recognizes that it must assume, also, a role of advocacy for those who are defenseless or voiceless. Some 12 million persons are helped annually by Vincentians in the United States. The list of services of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in the United States is endless. No work of charity is foreign to the Society. To quote our patron, Saint Vincent de Paul: "Charity is infinitely inventive." 2 A Joint Letter from our Diocesan Council President & Executive Director Dear Friends: Saint Vincent de Paul reminds us that “Since God is satisfied with our good will and honest efforts, let us also be satisfied with the outcome He gives to them, and our actions will never be without good results.” During the past year, the Diocesan Council of Pittsburgh faced some major challenges as well as achieved an incredible amount of good results for our sisters and brothers in need. Let’s focus on the challenges first and then move on to the good news. As reported on page 10, financially, 2015 was a difficult year for the Diocesan Council of Pittsburgh. We ended the year with a net loss of $476,825. A number of factors contributed to this deficit, including: lower thrift store sales due to ongoing highway construction limiting customer access to two of our stores; a depressed world market for recycled clothing; and unrealized depreciation of investments. We were able to hold expenses at less than 1% higher than the previous year. Fortunately, due to the good stewardship of our board over the past years, our organizational reserves were able to cover our revenue shortfall. These reserves remain strong for future years. Now for the good news and highlights: We made a number of management changes during the year to maximize efficiencies and better-respond to the changing economic environment. Jim McGinley was hired as our new Director of Warehouse & Recycling Operations and veteran SVdP thrift store manager, Carolyn Kintzing was promoted to Director of Thrift Store Operations. With their leadership, we have been able to reduce expenses and increase both thrift store and recycling revenue. During the first four months of fiscal year 2016, we experienced a net surplus of $67,759. As indicated on pages 6 & 7, our 100+ conferences reported serving 171,134 people-in-need during 2015. That is 57,898 more people than the previous year! Under the leadership of Matt Walker, our Voice of the Poor subcommittee is thriving. Throughout the year, members of the committee have been meeting with local and state elected officials, advocating on behalf of the people we serve. In addition, the group facilitated a successful Poverty Simulation for over 100 Vincentians, sensitizing participants to the realities of life faced by people with low incomes. Michael’s Place, our home of hope and recovery for men transitioning from jail to independent living and gainful employment, has a new strategic plan to better serve the needs of these men as well as generate new long-term revenue streams to support the ministry. We were honored to have Sheila Gilbert, our National President, join us as the keynote speaker for our Annual Bishop’s Mass & Brunch. Sheila challenged all of us to combine our works of charity with efforts toward systemic change and social justice as we work to eliminate poverty, one person, one family at a time. Despite the financial challenges that we faced in 2015, we are confident that we are positioned to move forward successfully, ensuring that our important work and mission continues for generations to come. We are grateful for all that you do in the spirit of Vincent, Frederic, and Rosalie and assure you of our ongoing prayers. Al Bannon Keith G. Kondrich Al Bannon, President Keith G. Kondrich, Executive Director 3 Allied Forces slowly made their way up the boot. Vincentians - Called to be the There were times when the soldiers did not meet Hands of Jesus much resistance so they often had a lot of time on their hands. In one town that had been badly bombed During this Holy Year dedicated to the theme of they entered a church that had experienced a lot of mercy, I have often reflected on a sentence that damage. Inside the church they found pieces of a occurs shortly after the consecration in the Second statue and they decided to try to rebuild it. Slowly it Eucharist Prayer. The priest says: “Giving thanks that became apparent that it was a statue of Jesus. They you have held us worthy to be in your presence and finally had the statue put together except they minister to you.” couldn’t find the hands. Since there was no electricity The words “. .to be in your presence and minister in the town, they kept searching until it was dark. The to you” make me ask myself, “How do I minister to next morning, some of the soldiers went back to the God as I celebrate the Eucharist?” “What type of church to try to find the hands of the statue. When ministry does God need?” This question always brings they entered the church, they were shocked to see a me back to the exchange between Jesus and Peter sign hanging on the arms of the statue. The sign read, after the Resurrection. After asking Peter three times “I have no hands but yours.” if he loved Jesus, and each time receiving a yes from This Holy Year of mercy calls us to be the hands of Peter, Jesus told him to feed and care for his sheep. Jesus. When we practice the Corporal and Spiritual I realize that giving people the Eucharist during Works of Mercy we make Jesus real for people. It is Mass is a wonderful way to show them the love and important to practice both the Corporal and Spiritual mercy of God. Yet, what about after Mass, how are Works of Mercy. Both are equally important because the sheep shown the mercy of God? The Church has we are called to nurture mind, body and spirit. attempted to respond to that question throughout its Practicing both of them gives the Vincentian vocation history. We know that the apostles chose deacons to its unique place in the ministry of the Church. help them with the day-to-day needs of the faithful. ~ Fr. Scott Seethaler, Capuchin One of the reasons that the followers of Christ were Spiritual Advisor for The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul called Christians was because of the love and mercy Council of Pittsburgh they showed even to strangers.