St. Vincent de Paul

ST VINCENT DE PAUL APRIL AND MAY 2006

Present: Josie Holzner, Ann McCormick, Rosemarie Micklinghoff

1. Minutes: March minutes mailed out

2. Treasurer's Report: unavailable. $11.77 collected from poor box. A new lock was put on. Ann and Fr. Tom have the keys.

3. Lenten Food Drive: Food went to Transfiguration. We discussed ways to make the food drive part of the Lenten Mission and increase its visibility in the parish.

4. Home visits: None this month

5. Drive for teen parenting program: We are asked to help out as needed.

6. Next meeting: Thursday, May 11

May 2006

Present: Josie Holzner, Fr. Tom Lamping, Ann McCormick, Rosemarie Micklinghoff, Lorraine Morgan, Richard Morton, Phyllis Ramseth

1. Minutes: April minutes reviewed

2. Treasurer's Report: $2,626.30

3. My Brother's Kitchen: April was paid for by the Athletic Board. Next meal we are responsible for is July 29^th.

4. Home visits: No visits, there were 3 calls-none appropriate for follow-up

5. Parenting Program: Several members assisted the Respect Life

Committee with the collection for new parents. It was very successful. An will follow up with Patti to see if she needs assistance with delivery,

6. Next meeting: June 8th, No meeting in July.

Outreach to the Poor

A couple years ago, our parish had a series of meetings to discuss our response to poverty in our neighborhood. Here is a report on three groups working our poverty issues. We invite interested parishioners to join us.

For those interested in meeting immediate needs, My Brother’s Kitchen is a soup kitchen serving those in need on Saturdays at Our Lady of Mercy. Queen’s is responsible for the meal on the fifth Saturday of the month. The next month with 5 Saturdays is April; the meal will be April 30th. Help is needed shopping for food and preparation, cooking, serving, and clean-up. There is one meeting a week or two after every meal to help plan the next session. Call Stella Peters at 539-8061 for more information or to volunteer.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society runs the parish food drives during Thanksgiving and Lent, helps the Ravenswood Food Pantry, has developed referral sources for basic needs and visits those who call the parish office requesting help with bills. The Society is able to provide one time emergency financial aid to those in need. Meetings are the 2nd Thursday of every month at 7pm in the Voss Center. Call the parish office at 539-7510 to volunteer or to request help for yourself or a neighbor.

The Peace and Justice Committee focuses on the long-term needs of the poor, especially peace, workers’ rights, hunger awareness, Catholic citizenship and Fair Trade. The committee works on education through articles in the Guide and the parish web site including links to other sources of information. The group has also coordinated the recent Hunger Banquet, the registration of new voters, the sale of Heifer animals as alternative holiday gifts, and the sale of Fair Trade coffee in conjunction with Market Day. The next event is a Spanish language presentation on workers’ rights that is scheduled after the 12:30 mass on April 17th, 2005 in the church basement. Regular meetings are held the third Tuesday of every month at 7:30 pm in the Voss Center. Further information is available at our website, www.peaceandjusticechicago.com.