Excerpt from the May 15th Nativity of Mary bulletin.
Dear Nativity of Mary Community,
We are excited to announce that Nativity of Mary officially started a St. Vincent de Paul Conference in our parish in March 2022. Since October 2020 we have operated through the sponsorship of St. Vincent de Paul for the Nativity Free Food Giveaway. This takes place the second Saturday of every month from 9:00-10:00 am in the South parking lot. We serve as many as 150 cars or about 275 families at each event. It is a fun and inspiring way to volunteer.
The Society of St Vincent de Paul is a world-wide Christian community founded in1833 and established in the United States in 1845. We are a Catholic lay organization, inspired by Gospel Values, that leads women and men to join together to grow spiritually by offering person-to-person service to those who are in need and suffering. We are funded by private donations and take no government funding. At Nativity of Mary parish we witness God’s love by embracing works of charity and justice. The Nativity of Mary Conference collaborates with other people of good will in relieving need andhunger and addressing its causes. We make no distinction in those served because, in them, we see the face of Christ. Our three fundamental principles are spirituality, friendship and service.
As Catholics we are called to serve others. Unlike other secular institutions we have the opportunity, if they are willing, to pray and minister with those in need. When we minister to the least of our brothers and sisters we find in them the person of Jesus. And this encounter with Jesus, this interaction, transforms us. We grow spiritually through our person-to-person service. We see Jesus, who is, in truth, the flesh-and-blood poor person before us.
At our March and April 2022 meetings we formed the Nativity Conference, elected an Executive Committee of Chris and Peggy Dietzen, Greg and Ann Marie Bartz, Dan and Mary Jo Rolczynski and Zach Hoffman. Chris Dietzen was elected President and he appointed Greg Bartz-Vice President, Dan Rolczynski-Treasurer and Zach Hoffman-Secretary. We also elected 15 voting members from Nativity of Mary parish. We meet monthly at 7:00 pm on the second Sunday of the month at Nativity of Mary Church. All are welcome.
Currently, our focus is to institute home-visits to those who ask for our assistance and, if they are interested, we offer to help them manage their households and budget their income. Our home-visits involve two volunteers meeting with the client at their home to discuss their situation and how we can help them. If they are willing, we begin and end our home-visits with prayer. Sometimes our assistance is simply to explain what services are available and their eligibility requirements. Other times we provide temporary financial support by arranging temporary housing, food and negotiating better terms to pay overdue rent and utilities.
Last month we decided to conduct an inventory of existing services in Bloomington so we can advise clients of the services available to them and how to utilize them. To that end we contacted service providers in Bloomington to better understand their services and eligibility requirements. We met with, among others, a representative of Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People (VEAP), which is a government-funded program that provides a range of programs to help low-income individuals and families, to better understand their program and to establish a collaborative relationship. During that meeting we learned what VEAP does and which clients we can refer to VEAP. And VEAP agreed to distribute our flyers announcing the dates of the next Nativity Free Food Giveaway.
Father Nathan wholeheartedly supports this work and joins us in asking for your support. Please prayerfully consider serving in our conference, supporting us financially and, most of all, praying for us. If you are interested or have questions please contact either Christopher.dietzen@gmail.com; or bartzgregory@gmail.com.
All For His Greater Glory,
Christopher Dietzen, President