Mural for St. Vincent de Paul Social Services Building

This beautiful mural now hangs in the lobby of the new St. Vincent de Paul Social Services Building! Above St. Vinny’s Willy St. at the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin Streets in Madison, the mural will welcome people into the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and Microlending program spaces.

A huge round of applause goes to Eva Pratt, St. Vinny’s Verona Assistant Store Manager, for creating this art! Additional thanks to Deborah Goedel, St. Vinny’s Verona Store Manager and Leighla Baney, St. Vinny’s Waunakee Assistant Store Manager, for their design collaboration.

The mural showcases and highlights the connection between our thrift stores and charitable programs across Dane County. Two more panels will be installed beneath the stairs. While four separate pieces of artwork, each panel flows together. When asked about the inspiration, Eva said…

“The ideas were all of ours, we collaborated. We thought about the services that we, Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison, offer and talked about the history of our first thrift store on Williamson Street. It was interesting doing research on the store to understand our history. We went with a somewhat 1950s vibe with that section. I knew the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Program was going to be upstairs in this building, so I thought that it would be a really nice visual of the mother and children walking up to people helping them. We did some preliminary sketches, looked it over all together, and came to agreement on what looked good. After that, I went for a cleaner sketch and designed the final artwork.”

From 2024 through 2027, SVdP — Madison will work on a new Strategic Plan with three key goals:

1. Improve Service Offerings: To improve the delivery of service offerings through better communication, consistency, and accessibility.
2. Reignite our Values: To revitalize people and use our facilities in ways that will inspire exceptional neighbor services rooted in Vincentian virtues.
3. Cultivate Equitable Community: To cultivate a culture of inclusivity and belonging, we are committed to implementing practices that promote equity and inclusion for all members of our community, including our employees, volunteers, and neighbors in need.

View Strategic Plan

Mission

The District Council of Madison — Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a Catholic lay organization in which members join together in friendship to grow spiritually by providing person-to-person services to our neighbors in need.

Vision

We envision a future where our organization is providing services that are responsive to the changing needs of our neighbors and where we can demonstrate our Vincentian values in a seamless and cohesive way in everything we do.

Virtues

• Simplicity
• Humility
• Gentleness
• Selflessness
• Zeal

Our founders, influences and patron

Among the Society of St. Vincent de Paul founders were Frederic Ozanam, a college student, as well as an adult mentor, Emmanuel Bailly. Young Frederic, a Catholic, wanted to help the poor, who found themselves reeling from the major social changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution.

Taught in part by Blessed Rosalie Rendu, a Daughter of Charity revered for her work to help the poor of Paris, Frederic and his friends visited the homes of the poor and helped them by sharing whatever food, fuel and other necessities were available to give. More importantly, the young men provided food for the spirit through their many acts of kindness and friendship. The home visits our Society’s founders began became a hallmark of our Society. Our members’ home visits to families and individuals requesting assistance continue to take place today around the world – and right here in Dane County.

Frederic also wanted to help improve the spiritual lives of his peers by urging them to perform works of charity rather than simply talking about the problem of the needy. Today a candidate for recognition as a saint, Blessed Frederic founded the Society in the name of St. Vincent de Paul, a French priest from the late 16th and the 17th centuries. Sometimes called “the Apostle of Charity,” St. Vincent organized efforts to bring resources to bear on the needs of those struggling with poverty – a characteristic that made him an ideal patron for the work of charity Frederic and friends began.

A worldwide Society

When the Society crossed the Atlantic in 1845, it began what is now the National Council of the United States, headquartered in St. Louis. Today, there are more than 150,000 U.S. members of the Society – and more than 800,000 worldwide. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul now operates in 153 nations across six continents.

Our global mission is to help people in need, primarily through person-to-person contact made by our volunteer members. We accomplish this mission through our parish- and community-based member conferences and through special projects conducted at the next level of organization, the “council.” Our members, known as Vincentians, continually strive to promote the dignity of the people they serve while helping alleviate their suffering and working to correct conditions that cause the problems of those we help.

 

Learn more here: https://ssvpusa.org/about-us/history/.

Did you know that a powerful set of virtues root the work you do for neighbors in need?

Gentleness, Selflessness, Simplicity, Humility and Zeal are our guiding principles. These virtues impact every aspect of our organization from our thrift stores and volunteers to our home visits and charitable programs. Your compassion is essential too. In your kindness you have alleviated our neighbors’ suffering and upheld their dignity.

Take a look at the impact of your support (October 1st, 2022 – September 30th, 2023)…

Gentleness

Compassionate help that provides stability

Our gentleness is expressed through a friendly assurance and invincible goodwill, which mean kindness, sweetness, and patience in our relationships with others.*

Because of you, St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy staff go the extra mile for adults unable to afford their prescription medications. The gentle care they provide includes taking time to organize medications, check a blood sugar level, and answer patients’ questions. As a community pharmacy, staff have the unique opportunity to spend quality time with patients to make sure they understand their medications. With help from pharmacy and nursing student volunteers, the pharmacy is also an incubator for future medical professionals who are passionate about helping underserved communities. A recent survey showed that 74% of Spanish-speaking patients responded “strongly agree” or “agree” when asked if they felt respected when visiting the pharmacy.

Your gentle care for single adult families experiencing the trauma of homelessness is remarkable. On any given evening, between 70 and 100 Dane County families are homeless. These adults and children living in shelters, outdoors or in their cars are more likely to face hunger, poor hygiene and delayed early-childhood development. Through the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Program, single parents and their children have the support they need to stabilize in permanent housing.

 

12 single-adult families are currently receiving ongoing case management support to prevent a recurrence of homelessness, heal from trauma, and set goals for their future.

Selflessness

Thanks to you, no one needing help has been turned away

Dying to our ego with a life of self-sacrifice; members share their time, their possessions, their talents and themselves in a spirit of generosity.*

Every week, hundreds of caring volunteers sort, pack and deliver food to families struggling to make ends meet. These faithful souls remove the one damaged orange from a donated bag and repackage it, check expiration dates, and move hundreds of pounds of milk, dairy, and meat between the food warehouse, into shopping carts, and into cars.

Your selfless gifts of time and talent means that no one needing food was turned away from the pantry this year despite escalating need. Access to quality food means people have money to pay for gas, rent and utilities – bills that have no other social support.

 

2,204 families with transportation barriers received food through DoorDash delivery.

5,336 families choose culturally-appropriate and dietary-friendly food through the Pantry2Home online system.

Simplicity

Neighbors receive basic essentials for their day

Simplicity is expressing ourselves honestly, with frankness, integrity, and genuineness.*

Simplicity is central to how you help neighbors in need through St. Vincent de Paul — Madison. Thanks to you, neighbors receive essentials of food, diapers, medicine, clothing and furniture. These basic needs are offered simply with the intention that neighbors can access them without complicated processes or unnecessary questions. Care is provided without regard to a neighbor’s sexuality, race or legal status.

Each day, about ten adults or children receive clothing at no cost to them from St. Vinny’s Thrift Stores. Sometimes families have lost all of their possessions in a fire and need clothing. In other cases, young kids wear through clothing and need bigger sizes faster than what a family can save for. Your generous material and financial support means we’re able to donate goods directly from our stores to people in need. Along with providing a reliable thrift experience for shoppers (we know that’s many of you!), our stores are visible signs of our collective work in our community and commitment to helping our neighbors in need.

 

Your generosity provided clothing to 3,607 adults and children.

 

Humility

Home visitors offer a personal connection to struggling neighbors

Humility can be understood as humbleness, “the foundation of all the other virtues” or “the knowledge of truth.”*

In a spirit of humble generosity, St. Vincent de Paul Members offer their very selves to neighbors in need. Volunteer home visitors respond to calls for help by meeting with neighbors in their homes. They offer a listening ear and encouragement to neighbors; they problem solve and provide information on community resources. Many times, they find that people just need someone to talk with to remember that they are not alone. Often families moving into new apartments lack beds, furniture, pots, pans, dishes and utensils. Home visitors direct neighbors to St. Vinny’s Thrift Stores where they can redeem clothing and furniture vouchers giving dignity, warmth, comfort and hope for brighter days ahead.

Home visitors help where they can. If a neighbor’s needs are more sizable, they may refer them to our Sr. Rosalie Fund for one-time financial assistance. For example, a car repair or unexpected medical bill may threaten a neighbor’s ability to pay rent. The Sr. Rosalie Fund is reserved for these types of bills that are one-time emergencies. Your support of time, talent, and treasure fuels the work of home visitors. The goods you donate generate income, your volunteer hours, and your financial gifts all come together to help our neighbors in need.

 

54 families received one-time financial help through the Sr. Rosalie Fund.

Vincentian member volunteers conducted 1,135 person-to-person home visits.

Zeal

Being available and present when neighbors call

Zeal, which St. Vincent de Paul once described as “the soul of all the virtues,” is a passion for the full flourishing and eternal happiness of every person.*

Your support of our neighbors in need through St. Vincent de Paul — Madison kindles our collective zeal to actively alleviate suffering. You are part of a large team of people, businesses and foundations working to help our neighbors in need. Many of you have been supporters of neighbors in need for years and decades – thank you! Some of you are new in joining us to help our neighbors in need – welcome!

It’s hard to be poor. It’s hard to not know where your next meal will come from or not have proper clothing during winter. With you, so many people in our community have someone to turn to for help. Our neighbors’ resilience is strengthened when they walk through challenges with someone by their side.

2,494 individual, business, and foundations gave support.

$3,860,435 received in financial contributions.

 

None of this would be possible without you. Thank you for your generosity. Will you continue to kindle our zeal so that every person can fully flourish? Please give now: /donate/.

 

*The Vincentian Virtues, National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul, https://members.ssvpusa.org/our-spirituality/the-vincentian-virtues/

On January 4th, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Who is she and how does her example inspire us today?

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s story is one of loss, grief, and struggle. It’s also a story of love, charitable service, and fervent devotion to Christ. 

Born in New York City, she is the first United States-born canonized saint. Locally, her legacy lives on in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison’s St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Program.

A mother, widow, Catholic convert, and Daughter of Charity

Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born to an upper-class Episcopal family in 1774. Her first loss occurred at age three when her mother passed away. She read extensively and knew her Bible well. At 19, Elizabeth married wealthy businessman William Magee Seton and were blessed with five children. When the family business struggled and fell into bankruptcy after the loss of William’s father, she and the children went to live with her father. Elizabeth sold their remaining possessions to join William in Italy who was convalescing with advancing tuberculosis. He succumbed to the disease in 1803.

Amid the loss and grief of her husband’s death, Elizabeth became familiar with the Catholic Church drawn particularly by the Eucharist and surrendering to God’s will. She drew close to Our Lady and “felt great comfort in the idea that the Blessed Virgin was truly her mother.” She converted to Catholicism in 1805.

Upon her return to the United States, Elizabeth established several schools; including Saint Joseph’s Academy and Free School, the first free parochial school for girls in the United States dedicated to Catholic education. Elizabeth’s leadership of the school laid the foundation for the United States parochial school system.

In Maryland, Elizabeth co-founded the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, the first community for religious women established in the United States, professing her vows in 1809. Now Mother Seton, she continued her maternal duties to her children while carrying out her roles as a sister. In 1811, the Sisters of Charity adopted the rules of the Daughters of Charity; the congregation co-founded in France by St. Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. During this time, Elizabeth lost two daughters to illness and guided the Sisters’ growth by establishing two orphanages and a second school. God called Mother Seton home to Him in 1821, at the age of 46.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is the patron saint of Catholic schools, educators/teachers, loss of parents, widows, orphans, and people rejected/persecuted for their faith.

Preventing family homelessness

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul — Madison shares a particular devotion to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. In 1989, they honored her as a single mother, a Vincentian, and one dedicated to charitable service by establishing the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton House as transitional housing for single women and single mothers struggling with homelessness. 

Its successor, the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Program now provides individualized supportive services to single adult families who have recently moved from homelessness into permanent housing. Program staff accompany families to work on issues negatively impacting their well-being and help them create manageable goals that bring stability, prevent future homelessness, and help them thrive. Help is individualized to meet each family’s unique needs.

If you too have a heart for St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and her living legacy, visit: /program/seton-program/

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us.

 

Sources: https://setonshrine.org/elizabeth-ann-seton/, https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=180, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Ann_Seton, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph_College_and_Mother_Seton_Shrine,