SVDP Society serves poorest of the poor

Editor's note: This is a guest post from Julie Benkoski, St. John Neumann parishioner and member of the SJN chapter of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; for He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.”  (Lk 4: 20)

During this sacred season of Easter, we are reminded of the Lord’s gift of Himself on the cross made present in the Eucharist and which is the foundation for every act of charity.  Listening yet again to the words of the Passion, we are reminded of the intense suffering that our Lord Jesus Christ endured for all of mankind.  After having called the 12 to follow Him, Jesus kept them at His side and lived with them, imparting His teaching of salvation to them through word and deed, and, finally, He sent them out to do His will.  But before they were sent out to do His work, He made it quite clear that, “you will always have the poor with you” and that any act of charity in His name would bring His healing presence there in the midst of them.

Emulating the Lord’s humanitarian acts of charity, St. Vincent, the patron saint of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, made it his life work to bring the kingdom of Heaven to all those in need here on earth, the essential plan of God.  Our SVDP ministry brings spiritual and corporal healing to the working poor and poorest of the poor right here in our own community.  Providing basic living necessities such a rent, utilities, food, clothing, prescription medications, we serve over 50 families each month.  And because of the generous support of the parishioners here at SJN, we have been enabled to reach out to more of those we are called to serve:  the abandoned, neglected and forgotten.

And so God continues to challenge us all to take up His cross and do His work.  Scripture tells us that it is in giving that we receive but never more so than when bringing the healing of our Lord to those who are so vulnerable…those close to losing their homes, those without electricity, parents unable to feed their children, those who are ill and without prescription medications…  As a member of SVDP and following our Lord as a true disciple, you will be blessed and enriched beyond all imagining.  The joy and happiness you will feel when you know your actions have made a real difference in the lives of those who suffer will surpass all other temporary, materialistic producing forms of happiness.  The intense, spirit-nourishing goodness that will flow into your soul is just as passionate as the pain that we felt when listening to the words of the Passion.  The Lord told His disciples to “come, follow me and I will bring you light.”  The lightness of God’s work will fill your entire being when acting on behalf of the ministry of SVDP.

Finally, as we come to the end of our annual SVDP Lenten Food drive, we ask everyone to remember those who hunger and struggle each day to feed their children.  Truly, hunger pains are painful to the 18,000+ children in our community who suffer from ‘food insecurity.’  The San Francisco Javier Catholic Church food pantry will receive our donations.  Serving a large, low income populated area; this tiny pantry struggles each day to provide the needed food.  Please, remember the poor as we celebrate the goodness and promises of our risen Lord Jesus Christ, and return your nutritious, nonperishable food to the hallway past the church offices in the pastoral center by April 11.  If you don’t have time to shop, financial donations are gladly accepted; just indicate that the funds are for the Food Drive.

We are all challenged to bring the love and hope of our risen Lord Jesus Christ to the poor; please prayerfully consider becoming a member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.  It is only in giving to others that we can find that special, spiritual happiness that is rooted in and through our union with our sweet Lord Jesus Christ!

Thank you for helping us help others!

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Julie Benkoski is the immediate past president of the SJN conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and has been a Vincentian for over 10 years.  She is a board member of the Austin diocesan SVDP Council and vice president of the SVDP South Austin District Council.  Julie has been an SJN parishioner for the past 23 years and has served on the Parish Council and on countless parish committees and organizations, including the Lay Missionaries of Charity.  She is married to Harold, who is a past grand knight of the SJN Knights of Columbus council.  Julie has her own law practice, which focuses in the areas of estate planning, probate and mediation.  Besides her church work and career, she loves riding and jumping her horse, Raphael, and enjoys her Catholic dog, Dixi, and three kitties.