This year the St. Vincent de Paul Society celebrates 175 years of serving those in need throughout the U.S. In the Diocese of Austin, the organization has been active since 1963 and continues to grow its mission. One of the newest conferences is St. Eugene in McGregor.
Father Albert Ruiz has been familiar with the work of St. Vincent de Paul for a long time, having volunteered with the Austin conferences since he was a seminarian. While he is relatively new to St. Eugene Parish, having been pastor there since July, he readily recognizes that “they do very good work,” despite the challenges they face from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The conference got its start in January 2018, at the suggestion of Father Boniface Onjefu, the pastor at the time. Father Onjefu was getting more requests for help than what he could handle and had experience with the conference at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in West. He approached the parish council with the idea of organizing a conference at St. Eugene. They started with five members and now have 20. The St. Eugene’s group is growing and becoming a vital part of the parish community.
The relationship between a St. Vincent de Paul conference and their parish is cooperative but independent, organizers said.
“We have a wonderful relationship with our parish and pastor,” said Edith Gibney, the treasurer of St. Eugene McGregor conference. “The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is designed to be independent of the parish and pastor, but, of course, we have an integral relationship and work well with our parish.”
The parish helps fund the conference by holding a Black Bag collection at all the Masses on the first Sunday each month. Typically, a Vincentian, a volunteer with the conference, explains the services St. Vincent de Paul offers and encourages parishioners to refer clients in need to them. Funds received via the Black Bag collection are designated solely to serve the needy in the community, Gibney said. The conference takes care of operational expenses through individual donations and occasional fundraisers.
Client referrals usually come by word-of-mouth. Frequently, the parish office refers people seeking assistance to the conference. The Ministerial Alliance in McGregor, including many local Protestant churches, also directs clients, which the Vincentians call “neighbors” to the group. Area schools also refer people in need to the conference. They also have a “HelpLine” (254) 749-0982 available Mondays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The group’s by-laws dictate they may only serve clients who live within the parish’s boundaries, and they refer those who do not belong to the parish to a conference that can help them. When a client reaches out for help, a team of two members make a home visit and assess the situation. The team then presents its assessment and recommendation to the conference members who confidentially discuss the case’s details and vote by consensus whether to assist.
The by-laws limit help to once a year for each neighbor. In cases where a neighbor has met this limit, the Vincentians do not entirely waive them off without assisting them. They provide them with the “Heart of Texas Resource Guide,” which is a publication of organizations that offer assistance to those in need. Also, the local Vincentians partner with other St. Vincent de Paul Conferences or with the McGregor Ministerial Alliance to get neighbors the help they need.
The conference also follows up with neighbors to make sure they are doing well. “That is a critical component of our ministry,” Gibney said, “we don’t just give them money and then forget them.” The local food bank and a closet with non-perishable items are helpful as is the food pantry located in the parish hall.
Most often neighbors need help with past due rent. Help with utility bills, such as electric, gas and water, is often requested as well. Other applications may be for medical equipment, hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, etc. Surprisingly, requests for assistance over the last months have not been as high as the conference expected, although they are starting to see the effects of unemployment.
“A possible explanation is that families were able to ride the shut-down because of the generous assistance from the government,” Gibney said. “Now that that government funding has slowed down, we feel requests will escalate again.”
Before COVID-19, conference members made home visits to meet clients, offer help and pray with them.The Vincentians curtailed the frequency of home visits in accordance with social distancing requirements; they have been interviewing clients over the phone or meeting in a public place where they can properly distance.
Many neighbors are immigrants but documented citizens. Many Vincentians are bilingual and can serve their Spanish-speaking neighbors.
“Our ministry is not all about money, but more about spiritual growth not only for our clients but for us –– the members of St. Vincent de Paul,” Gibney said. “We strive to offer them a full range of services, both physical and spiritual.”