Working, Praying, and Living in the Spirit of Vincent DePaul

June 2005

Life is full of surprises; this has been my experience at least. God has a unique plan for each one of us, each step unfolding as we are ready to greet the change it will bring. Born and raised in a Buddhist family in Japan, I had little exposure to the Christian faith, and, needless to say, to Catholicism. So why am I here in St. Louis volunteering my time and living with six young Christians whom I had never met prior to last August?

Looking back, I am just amazed how God prepares places and people in every corner of my life. When I was still blind to Christianity in 2000, my dear Japanese friend asked me to buy her a bible in Japanese when I visited Japan that year. Although she already had one with a black leather cover, she wished to have one with a red cover. What else can you do if your close friend asks you for something? So I bought the bible in Japan, brought it back to the United States, and gave it to her. In return, God prompted her to give me her old bible, the one with the black cover with which she had been praying for years. I thought it odd to have a bible at that time, but the more I read it, the more I was attracted to the truth contained within it.

Around the same time, I became friends with many good Catholics through DePaul University. One day I stepped into the St. Vincent de Paul Church in Chicago where I felt welcomed like I had never experienced before. Then the Holy Spirit whispered to me, and I responded by joining RCIA. Through helping at the sandwich window at the parish, I realized that there were a couple of significant things lacking in my life—love for my brothers and sisters through action and recognition of my own spiritual needs. When I talked about my experience to my baptismal sponsor and dear friend, Fr. Natal Bosio, C.M., he recommended that I contact the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers office. That is how God sent me here to St. Louis.

My volunteer work site is St. John’s Mercy Neighborhood Ministry, an outreach department of the St. John’s Mercy Medical Center in West County. St. John’s Mercy Medical Center is under the auspices of the Sisters of Mercy, known for the hospitality charism of their founder, Catherine McAuley. As an outreach department of St. John’s Hospital, our mission is to connect the underserved with resources, especially health care.
One of the projects I helped with was the Holiday Adopt-A-Family Program. We coordinated the holiday gift giving from the departments at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center to needy families in South St. Louis City. We selected 42 families. Many of them are refugee families from war-torn countries as well as low-income families in the community. People who really struggle do not need a fancy plasma TV or an extra coat as holiday gifts. They need just one sweater to survive the bitter winter wind or a blanket to use during winter nights in a house without heat. When one person from the donor department at the Medical Center dropped off gifts, she shared her own childhood experience with poverty. With a shivering voice she told how much her family appreciated the gifts they received during holiday seasons. Now she works full-time and is able to be a “giver” and return what she received. I could not help but listen to her story in awe and thank God for his loving presence in people’s lives.

Living with six other young Christians as a faith community that shares living space, meals, and life stories to deepen our faith has been a tremendous blessing for me. After living independently for several years, I wondered how in the world I could live in this simple lifestyle. We have shared limited monetary and material resources and supported each other through creative ideas. Though there have been struggles, we have found solutions together by utilizing our individual gifts from God. It has been especially in these struggles that we have been able to see our true love for each other, and we have been able to grow as individuals and as a community. Thanks to the leadership of Kate Jansen, another GVV, and the commitment of each community member, we have spent every Sunday evening together reading Scripture and sharing our faith journeys in light of things that happened at our volunteer work sites and in community. This has been extremely helpful to me in solidifying a sense of community and in connecting with others at a deeper level. When I hear the stories from fellow volunteers as to how they see God’s love through serving the poor, I am most grateful for their courage in sharing their experience of God. I am grateful to the founding members of the Vincentian community in St. Louis, the generous support of the Board of Directors, and most of all, to Jim and Geri who tirelessly pour out their love to each volunteer so that we can live fully as one body, exemplifying the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul.

Before Toshio Sato joined the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers program, he worked at the Japanese Consulate in Chicago. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Public Service Management from DePaul University. Toshio has applied and been accepted into formation with the Congregation of the Mission of the Midwest Province.

Fool for Christ

Fool for Christ, a one-woman play on the life of Dorothy Day, held on March 10th and 11th, was a huge success!

More than 300 people attended each performance.

Many thanks to Martha Lane, Fran Werner, and Peggy Brinkmann, who worked so hard to prepare for the event. Thanks, too, to Fr. Jim Cormack, C.M., and the people of St. Catherine Laboure Parish for allowing us to use the church and for all their support.

Thank You

A great big thanks to Br. Dave Berning, C.M. & Dick and Pat Poehling for their generous donation of the Fish Fry proceeds to the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers!

MORE THANK YOUs!

The Gateway Vincentian Volunteers program is grateful to our donors, who help us in so many ways—by making financial contributions as well as donations of time and talent. In this issue, we recognize those who have made monetary contributions since our March newsletter as well as our golf tournament donors.
Your generosity makes this program possible! (We apologize if we have inadvertently omitted the name of any donor.)

  • Amelia and Lawrence Berra
  • Michelle Thompson and H. Woods Bowman
  • Peggy and Jim Brinkmann
  • Donna and Tony Buehrle
  • Jeremy Dixon
  • Audrey and Edwin Kadlec
  • Joyce and Vernon Knobbe
  • Emily and Robert LaBarge
  • Ken and Marian Lemp
  • Robert Maciej
  • Martha and Joseph Monastero
  • Eleanor Nenninger
  • Akiko Nemoto
  • Miwako Nemoto
  • Mary Lou and Bill Schicker
  • William Schicker and the Schicker Automotive Group
  • Rev. Charles Shelby, C.M.
  • Br. Matthew Teal, C.M.
  • Joan and John Vatterott
  • Grace Whalen
  • Steve Wiederkehr
  • Yvonne Willis
  • Br. Richard Zoellner, C.M.

Golf Tournament Sponsors and Donors:

  • Bill and Georgia Bundschuh
  • John and Mary Ann Capellupo
  • CNAC of Missouri
  • Ted and Penny Fiedler
  • Br. Dave Goodman, C.M.
  • Guardian Angel Settlement Association (Rev. Ed Murphy, C.M.)
  • Ralph Hoffmann
  • Louis G. Holtmann
  • Tim Houghton
  • Ted and Vicky Jacoby
  • Ron and Noel Ladd
  • Martha Lane
  • Ken and Marian Lemp
  • McMahon Ford (John Schicker)
  • Midwest Petroleum Co. (Don and Shelly McNutt)
  • Geoff Morrison
  • Penthe Group (Ted and Penny Fiedler)
  • Pretech Corp (Bill Bundschuh)
  • Mary Lou and Bill Schicker
  • Shroeder and Associates (Stephen Schroder)
  • Swan Industries (Helmuth and Mary Rose Kramer)
  • John and Tricia Thiel
  • Thiel Tool and Engineering Co., Inc. (John and Tricia Thiel)
  • Vincentian Priests and Brothers of the Midwest Province (Rev. Ray Van Dorpe, C.M.)
  • Joe and Kathy Vitale

AND A HUGE THANKS TO ALL OUR PLAYERS!

The Second Annual GVV Golf Tournament was a big success! Thanks to all the players, donors, and tee box sponsors.

Thanks to Fr. David Nations, C.M., Ted Fiedler, John Capellupo,
Tricia Thiel, Bill and Mary Lou Schicker, Gary Armstead,
and Harry Wilson for their generosity and hard work.

Thanks to the current GVVs Mark Buehrle, Rachael Edelen, Michael Herold, Kate Jansen, Audrey Krumbach, Nicholas Koenig,Toshio Sato, and to former volunteers Brian Kelly, Stephanie Demarest, Jeremy Dixon, and Steve Wiederkehr for their help and participation! CONGRATULATIONS to the winning team of Pat Higgins, Matt Godfret, Tim Dewald, and Tom Dewald!

Beyond a Year of Service

by Kate Jansen

Before my arrival to the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers program I had very definite ideas about what my time would be like, what volunteering full-time meant, and how community would work. These ideas started to change the moment I walked in the door.

During our orientation the idea of seeing the face of Christ in the poor was a common theme. This concept was immediately intimidating as I didn’t even know what the phrase really meant. I began my year concerned about whether or not I would be able to live up to this Vincentian ideal, this grand goal that we were supposed to accomplish in a mere ten months; but then I met my children.

Looking back, I realize I was given the easiest group of people in whom to see the face of Christ—the kindergartners and first-graders at the St Vincent’s Learning Club. These children were too young for the structured Learning Club program, so twice a week I had them after school and discovered one of the greatest joys of my year. The lofty goal of seeing the face of Christ in the poor suddenly became obtainable in their glowing faces. One of the strongest memories I will take with me is the sound of five little voices saying “Miss Kate, Miss Kate” (of course, pronounced Miss Tate, Miss Tate!) and proud proclamations of “I didn’t even cheat!” upon the completion of each worksheet. The sense of accomplishment I felt as they progressed from learning their numbers to addition and subtraction, from being able to write the alphabet to beginning to read spilled over into other tasks that had been assigned to me.

As I felt more comfortable with the Learning Club kids, the more free I felt to grow and succeed at other sites. I have been able to take the skills I learned with these children and apply them to singing with the youngest kids at Cabrini Academy, holding group sessions for children of incarcerated parents at Woodward School, helping direct the 8th grade school musical at Cabrini, and helping with childcare during Let’s Start meetings. My initial trepidation in working with kids proved unfounded and instead I was given a passion and a gift for this type of work.

Many of the skills I learned and used with the six-year-olds also came in handy living with six other volunteers, not to mention several priests. Community quickly became the second highlight of my year with the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers program and the piece I will hold closest to my heart as I prepare to leave. Even the diversity of my college youth group couldn’t have prepared me for the differences within our volunteer group, but it was these differences that challenged me and helped me to grow stronger as a person and in my faith.

As I prepare to leave the program and begin the rest of my life, I am confident that I leave a better person and more ready to change the world than before I came. When people ask about my year of service, I smile because I know I’m taking far more than I have given. My fellow volunteers taught me the importance of community, whether a group living together, or a strong support network with a common goal. Multiple community night presenters gave me a greater sense of social justice and the resolve to make individual changes and support those making systemic changes to fight injustice. Multiple talks with people, from board members to program directors to work site co-workers, helped me develop a clearer sense of my own future, the values I deem important, and how to live them out. And finally, the Vincentians at St. Lazare instilled in me a dedication to the Vincentian charism and the determination to see it carried out and strengthened past my time in the program.

Gateway Vincentian Volunteers Departing Covenant

Each year, the volunteers begin the year with the writing of their covenant, which describes how they will live in community, in service, and in prayer. At the close of the year, the volunteers create a departing covenant. Each volunteer writes one of the most important things he or she will take into the world. These “I” statements are then written as a “We” statement. Below is the departing covenant of the 2004-2005 Gateway Vincentian Volunteers, composed at their final retreat in May.

As we leave our year of service, we intend that the spirit of the GVV community will live on in us. We pray that by the way we live the Vincentian charism, our community will grow in others. To grow the GVV community, we will:

  • Actively pursue a personal relationship with God, through individual as well as interrelational means, in order to experience His love and learn His will for our lives.
  • Strive to see individuals as they truly are, beyond the labels that we ascribe to them.
    Intentionally seek the face of Christ in the poor, in community, and in the people of God’s diverse, universal church.
  • Seize the opportunity to serve and profess God’s compassion for the poor.
    Always remember that the Incarnation means not just that God became man but that He is present in every person we meet and to pray in light of that revelation.
  • Seek to find the value and innate goodness in each person we meet despite outer differences and resist societal erosion of this ideal.
  • Seek the love of Christ through serving the poor, aware of our own brokenness, and share our story with others.

Gateway Vincentian Volunteer Wins Volunteer of the Year Award

On April 21, 2005, Mike Herold received the Volunteer of the Year Award from his GVV work site, Covenant House Missouri. Mike’s family, the Gateway Vincentian Volunteers, and the GVV program directors attended the Ice Cream Social Awards Presentation. Congratulations, Mike!

GVVAs Hold First Reunion Retreat

On the weekend of June 3-5, former GVV volunteers, now known as the Associates, held their first reunion retreat. Fifteen former volunteers attended, some of whom flew back to St. Louis from Texas, Cleveland, and South Bend to participate.

The theme, “Renewed in the Spirit of St. Vincent,” guided many of the reflections. Presenters included Fr. Ron Hoye, C.M., and Fr. Tom Esselman, C.M. In the evenings, the Associates enjoyed fun and fellowship with the Vincentians and the current volunteers. On Saturday evening, Fr. Ed Murphy, C.M., celebrated mass in the yard at the Arsenal Street House. A barbecue prepared by the Associates followed. After dinner, the Associates, the current GVVs, Fr. Tom and Fr. Jerry Morales, C.M., played a serious game of kickball at Tower Grove Park.

The weekend concluded with a planning meeting for the future of the GVVA. The former volunteers hope to provide more support to the current GVVs throughout the year, institute a GVVA chapter in Chicago, and make the retreat a yearly event.

The Gateway Vincentian Volunteers Program Board of Directors

  • Fr. Ed Murphy, C.M., President
  • Mr. Rich LaPlume, Vice-President
  • Fr. Tom Esselman, C.M., Secretary
  • Mrs. Tricia Thiel, Treasurer
  • Honorable Mike Burton
  • Mr. John Capellupo
  • Mr. Ted Fiedler
  • Sr. Kieran Kneaves, D.C.
  • Ms. Martha Lane
  • Mr. Bill McRoberts
  • Sr. Kathy Overman, D.C.
  • Fr. David Nations, C.M.
  • Dr. Fred Rottnek
  • Mrs. Sue Shine
  • Jim and Geri Ryan, Program Directors

Board meetings are held at 6:00 P.M. on the second Monday every other month.

Are you interested in supporting one Gateway Vincentian Volunteer during his or her year of service? Would your parish or organization like to help?

Please let us know.

Thank you!

314-771-1474  888-771-7220  gatevol@aol.com

 

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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