Week 6:  Collaboration in Ministry

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Scripture: 
“As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit….

Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. Some people God has designated in the church to be, first, apostle; second, prophets; third, teachers; then, might deeds then gifts of healing, assistance, administration, and varieties of tongues…Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.” (1 Corinthians 12: 12-13, 27-28, 31)

Reflection: 
Isn’t it great to know that we don’t have to be or do everything? We are each just responsible for doing our part, though of course we need to discern what that part is. We can rely on others to do what we cannot, either because we lack certain gifts or because of other limitations, such as time and life circumstances. God’s plan is for us to each use the gifts and talents we have when we can, and to work with others for the maximum good. This maximum good includes both our own good and that of others, especially the Church.

Collaboration is a hallmark of the St. Vincent de Paul Society – at many levels.

• If you are a Vincentian, you meet with Vincentians regularly. Efforts are shared, problems discussed, decisions made, and assignments discerned, all together. 
• When assignments are decided, people work together in teams, as, for example, in making a home visit, always in pairs.
• Vincentian Conferences work together. When one Conference has needs they cannot meet, they often ask for help from another. When one has been scammed (and it does happen), they let the others know so that they are aware if the same person comes to them.
• When needs are significant, the members refer to their listing of agencies that serve a wide variety of needs in the area, and they help the clients to find the different resources that they need. (For example, if they discover that a woman has been battered, they refer her to the Women’s Center in Waukesha or Sojourner Truth House in Milwaukee.)
• All Conferences are connected through the national and international organizations, which coordinate large scale operations, offer training and enrichment, and help to get new groups started or struggling groups back on their feel. (See Organizational Chart below.)
• Vincentians collaborate with local groups to address issues too big for them alone, such as the meal program in Waukesha (that is offered in conjunction with Cooperating Congregations of Waukesha County), and the Catholics at the Capitol day in Madison (Tuesday, March 31^st) as part of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, which is a collaboration of several groups.
• Vincentians work together through their Voice of the Poor to address the causes of significant problems that they encounter frequently, which can often involve political issues.

The obvious benefits of collaboration include less duplication of efforts, greater effectiveness and increased efficiency. The less obvious benefits include a wider perspective, greater knowledge, increased energy, and strengthened community. When collaboration is strong more people’s wisdom is included in the decisions made. When people work together, they draw energy from each other so that they accomplish much more than they could if they worked individually. The Spirit multiplies their efforts, much as God multiplied the loaves and fishes on the mountain to feed the hungry people.

Organizational Chart

(figures from May 2006)

Conclusion

What is most amazing is that all of this vast and inspiring effort, which has helped so many people all over the world, sprang organically from the first, small efforts of Frederic Ozanam and a few of his friends, inspired by the great St. Vincent de Paul and others, all supported by a deep and pervasive lived spirituality and a wise and strong structure of both learning, praying, and acting together, all in the power of the Holy Spirit and in imitation of Jesus the Christ.

The St. Vincent de Paul Society is the Church at its best, in microcosm, which can help the rest of us to more fully claim our own role as active, effective members of the Body of Christ, whether we are part of the Society or merely support it with our money and prayers as we act in other ways toward the same end: to see Christ in others and to serve Christ so that others see Him in us.

Discussion Questions:

·         Where have you experienced effective collaboration?

·         One benefit of collaboration is meeting people who inspire you in your own efforts. Tell of someone you met in a collaborative situation who really impressed you and inspired your own efforts.

·         When have you seen your small efforts, joined with others’, that ended up making a bigger impact than you ever imagined?

·         Is there a way that you are now inspired to become part of a group that works together toward effective service and change (St. Vincent de Paul or other group)?

The Society in Action – St. John Vianney

St. John Vianney is a relatively affluent parish, and though we have members with very real needs, our Vincentians realize that it is necessary to work beyond the borders of our own parish, using the abundant blessings to help those who are less well off.  

One area that is a natural is working with our sister parish, Prince of Peace/Principe de Paz. For years our group has helped significantly to supply the needs of the much-used food pantry there. In addition, some of the members go there on a regular basis, helping to both stock the shelves and handle the pick up dates. 

When a parishioner there has a need they cannot handle, our group steps up to the plate. A couple years ago a young man at POP fell down a flight of stairs and desperately needed a hospital bed during his long recuperation. Our Vincentians not only found one for him, but they also muscled it up steep stairs into the apartment he shared with his mother.

St Joseph’s Parish in Waukesha has many more poor and immigrant people than their less affluent congregation can handle, and our SJV Conference regularly handles requests for help from people in that parish. On occasion they have also helped out in emergency situations with food donations to parishes such as All Saints.

Our Conference also has a sister parish in the Dominican Republic, which is part of the Archdiocesan Twin Parish, La Sagrada Familia. Recently Tom & Peggy Fahl visited there and learned firsthand of the needs of the people and of the parish there. They are pursuing the possibility of our parish accepting some role in helping to do some needed things like build a church building or supply scholarships for some young people to learn professions most needed by their people, such as teachers, doctors and nurses, and financial experts.

Together with the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, Catholic Charities, Diocesan Offices of Social Concerns and Respect Life, The Catholic Health Association of Wisconsin, Wisconsin (and Diocesan) Council of Catholic Women, and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (Region 9), and the Milwaukee Archdiocesan Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul is presenting Catholics at the Capitol on this Tuesday, March 31^st in Madison. At this all day event participants will attend workshops on issues before the State Legislature that are of concern to Catholics, exploring Catholic Social Teaching and applying it in practical ways. They will also hear a keynote speaker and have the opportunity to personally lobby their State Senators and Representatives. This is another example of how Vincentians collaborate to address the root causes of the problems that have helped to create difficulties for their clients. See the website for this event at www.wisconsincatholic.org and click on Catholics at the Capitol.

Closing Prayer:  
We join our prayers today with those of Vincentians worldwide for those who are poor in one way or another:

• That through our church we may find people who care about the things that we do so that we can form alliances to effect change, we pray…. Lord, hear our prayer
• For all non-profit groups, religious and otherwise, that truly seek to lighten the burden of suffering for the poor, we pray…Lord hear our prayer.
• For our own community, that we learn to work together to address issues that seem utterly overwhelming to us, we pray…Lord hear our prayer.
• For our State, that our leaders take heed when they are lobbied by Catholics who are aware and truly care, we pray….Lord hear our prayer.
• For our country, that we learn to work more with others to solve problems rather than seeking to impose our way on them, we pray….Lord hear our prayer.
• For Vincentians worldwide and especially those in our own parish as they seek to follow the Rule of the Society more fully, we pray…Lord hear our prayer.

In gratitude and wonder we thank God for the gift of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, for the wonderful work the members do, and for the example and inspiration they afford all of us at St. John’s and all over the world. We pray that we all imitate them as they imitate their founder, Frederic Ozanam, their patron St. Vincent de Paul, and most especially, our Savior, Jesus Christ. For all this and for the prayers we hold in our hearts we pray as Jesus taught us: Our Father…