Gateway Vincentian Volunteers: Our Lives

I work at the Franciscan Connection’s Stone–by-Stone Project with another Gateway Vincentian Volunteer, Elizabeth, and our boss, Brother Donald. I was excited to come to St. Louis and help the low-income families in the southern part of the city with minor home repairs. I had always felt that I had a blessed childhood and never went without. It was now time for me to give back.

I thought I would go from house to house and do small repairs for the families and then leave. I was right except I missed the most important part of my job: getting to know the people I am helping. I have gotten much more out of talking with them than they could ever get out of me fixing their window or replacing a broken lock.

We have helped one woman three times and every time I ask her how she is doing she replies, “Blessed.” At first I did not believe her since she had to call us to help her. But after talking with her and just being around her I know she is blessed. She has healthy children and a roof over her head, not to mention her great faith. God takes care of her and her family. After all, He brought a farm boy all the way from Kansas just to help her light her pilot light and fix her thermostat so that she would not be cold during the winter.

Another man that we helped has been laid off of work. He helped as much as he could while we worked on his roof except for the times when he had to walk to the food pantry to get lunch for himself and his brother, or left to help an autistic neighbor for the afternoon, or to say his daily rosary.

I could continue to write about the people who have made an impact on me here in St. Louis, but instead I invite you to meet some families yourself so that you can have your own story. My only recommendation is to go with an open mind. Do not treat them as a job but as a way to meet Jesus.

The names listed below are those donors who made contributions after the mailing of our September newsletter. Thank you for helping us spread the mission of St. Vincent DePaul to young adults. This program would not be possible without you!

An Anonymous Vincentian
Delbert & Agnes Bohnert
Dennis & Susan Cuddihee
Rev. Louis Derbes, C.M.
Rev. Jerome Fortenberry, C.M.
Paul Heidemann
Rev. Miles Heinen, C.M.
Paula & Clinton Lassiter (Parents of GVV 05-06 Clare Lassiter)
Tom Ochocinski
Rev. John Richardson, C.M.
Rev. Paul Sisul, C.M.
Rev. Ray Van Dorpe, C.M.
Joan & Gerald Wentzel
Grace Whalen

The diaconate ordination of
Jeremy Dixon, C.M. (GVV 03-04)
from the GVVs of 03-04

Dennis Cuddihee’s 60th birthday
from Mike & Katy Kapilla
Mary Lou Schicker
from Joyce & Vern Knobbe

Michael Sain (Father of GVV 02-03 Liz Sain)
from the following:
Paul and Amy (GVV 03-04) Dossett
Nathan and Suzette (GVV 05-06) Thompson

We also sincerely thank our donors who have asked to remain anonymous. If we have inadvertently omitted your name from our donor list, please accept our sincere apology AND let us know so that we can correct the error!

True charity knows not how to remain idle or shut up within
itself. The property of fire is to give forth light and heat, so also the property
of love is to communicate itself. We should love God and serve our neighbor
at the expense of our goods and even of our lives.

This year, through the great generosity of our Gatekeepers, the Sisters of Mercy Health Ministry,

and a Challenge Gift from the Southern Province of the Congregation of the Mission,

All gifts made from the time of the mailing until the end of March will be matched
up to a total of $15,000!

We thank our Gatekeepers, the Sisters of Mercy, and the Southern Province of the Vincentians for making this appeal possible.

Each year, the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers create a covenant that states how they intend to live their year of Vincentian service to those who are poor. The covenant is finalized on September 27th, the feast of St. Vincent DePaul.

During Orientation Week, Jeremy Dixon, C.M., presented a session on the Vincentian virtues. The GVVs chose to develop their covenant from their understanding of these virtues. Please take a moment to read the covenant of the GVVs of 2009-2010.

Our covenant is inspired by the five characteristic virtues of St. Vincent DePaul: simplicity, humility, meekness, mortification, and zeal. We will strive to live out the following covenant:

We will continually challenge ourselves to live simply through conscious consumerism and discern our wants from our needs.
We will maintain a balanced lifestyle to be healthy spiritually, mentally, and physically.
We will be genuine and trustworthy in building community and developing relationships.

We will adopt a willingness to acknowledge that our plan may not be God’s plan.
We will work on humbling ourselves and truly being open to all those we encounter, letting go of our pride and recognizing that we are all created in the image and likeness of God.
We will understand that each of our unique perspectives has value, not only in our community of nine but also in the broader community of those we serve.

We will have compassion for the poor and each other.
We will support one another through struggles, vulnerabilities, joys, and triumphs.
We will boldly share experiences, learn from those experiences, and try to accept truth when confronted with it.

We will commit to growing stronger in faith through individual and community prayer.
We will trust that we are a part of God’s plan.
We will live a balanced life by investing our time and talent in all three components of the Vincentian program: living, working, and praying.

We will be enthusiastic in developing a strong community life and enjoying each other’s company, laughter, and insight.
We will work to the best of our ability at our service sites and serve the poor without reservation.
We will make a conscious effort to pray wholeheartedly and graciously.

Praying for patience is something I do often. I pray for patience with my family, with my friends, with my community, and with myself. I've heard the only problem with praying for patience is that in the end you will just be given more "opportunities" to test your patience. Working as a teacher’s aide with twenty-five energetic and, yes, sometimes difficult, second graders has been the answer to my prayers.

At the end of some days, I have had it up to here with them, after the umpteenth complaint that so-and-so has looked at me, touched me, said my name, or God forbid has deigned to breathe the same air. After a day of saying, "Sit down the right way!" "Stop touching her!" "Stop rolling your eyes at me!" and numerous other corrections, I am tired and testy. To the shock of many people, I continue to go back. I try to go back each day with a smile, but it isn't always easy to go back into a classroom where it feels like I am not always making a positive impact.

I think about what could be going on with some of these kids that they crave so much attention; any and all attention, even negative. I try to give them as much attention as I can while I am there, and I try to make it positive whenever possible, which, to be honest, on some days isn't very often. Even on the worst days though, when the toughest kid has been sent out of the room for the second time, I'm still looking for any way to tell him, "Good job!" I do not know if I am helping him; I do not know if I'm helping any of them. Sometimes it feels like I'm not.

Not all the kids that I work with are so eager to help me gain patience, though. The majority are easy-going; not perfect obviously, but easier. The kids that drive me the craziest, however, are just as likely to give me a hug each day or run up to me and say, "Guess what Miss Maria!" and tell me all about their weekends. Even after I have told them over and over again to keep their hands to themselves and get in line, they still hug me. I may not always want to hug them, but they still want to hug me. I have lost my patience with them, and I will lose it again...and again.

As I leave school, the principal jokes, "Please come back tomorrow!" And I will because I enjoy it; because despite the rough days, it's fun. The hard days are hard, but the good days are great. There are some difficult kids and situations. Sometimes, it's a difficult job. If it were easy I wouldn't need to be there. If it were easy I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I do. Besides, tomorrow is another "opportunity" for patience.

A missionary needs patience and restraint in his works with those to whom he is sent...
Gentle patience, then, is demanded of us.

The lyrics in the Paul Simon song, I Am a Rock, speak of a person’s desire to separate from society so as to no longer feel the pain of a failed relationship. Rather than seeking out the compassion of a friend, the speaker decides to isolate himself in an attempt to handle his problems alone. What he may have learned on that road is that being an island in this world only brings one thing—loneliness.

At times, we may become lost within our own pride and unwavering self-reliance and start to believe in the misconception that we must be solid rocks, holding ourselves together by ourselves. We may believe that if we are not strong enough to fight through all of life’s trials and sufferings on our own, then we will not survive. If life were a game of “every man for himself,” we all would have lost a very long time ago. In this light, what if the solutions to our problems are not found in self-isolation but within one another?

It takes a great deal of humility both to ask for help and to accept help when it is offered freely. Yet, this is the humility I observe regularly as people surrender to their need for assistance. As a Gateway Vincentian Volunteer at St. John’s Mercy Neighborhood Ministry, I witness that need fulfilled when individuals come to the aid of others.

We all desire to be connected to one another. These connections bring happiness to both parties—knowing that someone cares enough about you to give of themselves, but also knowing that you are an instrument in making someone else’s life just a little easier.

As part of my job, I accompany medical residents to various social service organizations for health screenings of people who have no health insurance or are underinsured. The residents feel like their skills and talents are being utilized with those most deserving, while the individuals without insurance or a co-pay for a doctor’s appointment have answers and sometimes peace of mind.

I see this mutual benefit at work every day. The recovering addict provides motivation, advice, and support to the addict who feels alone in his or her struggle with substance dependence. While the men in a shelter fill up on a hot meal, the families who cook and serve it have the opportunity to meet incredible people with inspiring stories and grateful hearts. Those who sponsor families during the holidays gain an appreciation for that which they have, while the adopted families are able to enjoy this special time together blessed with gifts from people who wanted to share in the spirit of the holidays.

We are all called to serve one another despite backgrounds and circumstances, and our well being necessitates the support of others. People feel a sense of worth when they know that they are needed. Maybe the speaker in I Am a Rock should think of his rock as many, many tiny pebbles all holding each other together as a support system to remain sturdy against the sharp winds of life.

We invite you to join us for our annual golf tournament on Friday, June 4, 2010. The tournament is one of two major fundraisers that we undertake each year to support the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers Program.

Normandie Golf Course
Lunch before tournament
Noon shotgun start for four-person scramble
Dinner and prizes after tournament

Same fees as last year!
Player $100.00 Hole Sponsor $100.00
Corporate Sponsor $475.00 (Includes one foursome and one hole sponsor)
Dinner/Lunch Sponsor $1000.00 (Includes one foursome and program recognition)
Title Sponsor $2500.00 (Includes program and welcome banner recognition
and two foursomes)

We Need Your Help!
For the first time in seven years, our cupboard of prizes is bare! Please consider donating a prize for the tournament. We would be grateful for any gift!

Prizes Wish List
golf balls
golf umbrellas
golf bags
golf towels
golf shirts
gift certificates
bottles of wine
golf gloves

GVV Golf Committee: Denny Cuddihee (Chair), Fr. Jim Cormack, C.M., Mike Kapilla, Rich LaPlume, Fr. Ed Murphy, C.M., Fr. David Nations, C.M., Sr. Kathy Overman, D.C., Ted Ruzicka, Jim and Geri Ryan

Clare Lassiter (GVV 05-06) has joined the Franciscan Mission Service. In January, she will travel to Cochabamba, Bolivia, to begin her three-year term of service. The Franciscan Mission Service’s focus is a ministry of presence in poor communities overseas.

The Gateway Vincentian Volunteers Program is in its tenth year! To mark this milestone, we will be hosting a celebration in the fall of 2010. We hope to see all former volunteers and their families as well as friends and supporters of the GVV program. Mark your calendars!

Saturday, September 18, 2010
Celebration of the Eucharist at 5:45 pm
St. Vincent DePaul Parish
St. Louis, MO
Dinner and Party to follow.

Fr. Ed Murphy, C.M., President
Mr. Rich LaPlume, Vice-President
Ms. Tricia Thiel, Treasurer
Mr. John Capellupo
Fr. Jim Cormack, C.M.
Janel Esker
Martha Lane
Joseph Komadina
Sr. Rosa Lee Kramer, D.C.
Fr. David Nations, C.M.
Sr. Kathy Overman, D.C.
Jim and Geri Ryan, Directors

Gateway Vincentian Volunteers
2912 Arsenal Street
St. Louis, MO 63118
(314) - 771-1474
Toll free: (888)-771-7220
Fax: (314) - 771-2410
email: gatevol@aol.com