Vincentians work together to serve their neighbors in need

By Alfredo E. Cardenas | Correspondent

“Our Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the acts of charity they have done, especially during the pandemic, have been amazing! Some of them are doing visits of eight people a day,” said Father Charlie Garza, pastor at St. Albert the Great Parish in Austin.
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the number of neighbors seeking assistance from the St. Vincent de Paul Conference at St. Albert the Great Parish. Before the pandemic, 90% of its neighbors worked and only needed help because of an injury, job loss, unexpected death in the family or a medical crisis. Now most of the neighbors calling for assistance are unemployed, have had hours reduced, or have been furloughed from their job.
To meet this growing need, the conference has changed its methods of ministering to neighbors, and they have been able to tend to this increasing distress “through the generosity of our parish family,” said Conference President Mary Anne Longenecker. This year they raised $10,000 through participation in the Friends of the Poor Walk. They also received a grant from Austin Energy, which assists in paying utility bills. The grant frees up funds to meet clients’ other needs, such as rent, medical bills, furniture, glasses and prescriptions.
Rather than make home visits, volunteers now initiate phone calls to neighbors who need help. Typically two volunteers make the call, and they first pray with the neighbor, then listen to their needs, and offer to assist them in any way they can.
“During the early months of the pandemic, we had [a five-fold] increase in the number of calls to our helpline,” Longenecker said. Making visits over the phone, rather than visiting in person, facilitated making more calls to neighbors.
In cooperation with other conferences in the diocese, through a process called “twinning,” St. Albert the Great has been able to expand the help Vincentians extend to their neighbors. Twinning is a direct link between district councils and parish conferences through which Vincentians share resources and experiences. In the St. Vincent de Paul lexicon, “These links reflect the reality that there are no borders to poverty and injustice.”
If a conference has a neighbor that needs more help than it can provide due to budget limitations, they seek assistance from neighboring conferences. A few years ago, St. Albert the Great identified an area in need that was not being served by any conference. They called the St. Elizabeth Conference in Pflugerville, and the two groups divided the underserved area so the neighbors living in that area could receive much-needed assistance. Occasionally, the St. Albert the Great Conference receives help from St. Christopher and Sacred Heart conferences to meet the increasing needs of Spanish-speaking neighbors.
The conference celebrated its 25th anniversary in September and has 28 volunteer members. However, Longenecker points out that “the most important member of our conference is Christ Jesus.” He is at the center and is the foundation of the work the conference does.
“Our focus,” Longenecker said, “has been and will continue to be, to maintain our spiritual connection with one another, the parish, and our neighbors through prayer and the grace of God.”
The St. Vincent de Paul Conference at Bryan-College Station has taken the concept of twinning to a higher level. Five parishes in the area: St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Mary Catholic Center in College Station and St. Joseph, St. Anthony, and Santa Teresa in Bryan have come together to serve their neighbors in need.
Much like at St. Albert the Great and most conferences in the diocese, the greatest need served by the Bryan-College Station Conference is rent and utilities, followed by medications. Still, Bryan-College Station has a distinctive need in that it is a university community that outwardly appears to be prosperous. However, many of the university workers working in food, custodial and landscaping services do not have the same protections as the academic staff. In many cases, their work has been outsourced.
“Many of them are now without work or limited hours, and they truly are suffering the most through the pandemic,” said Conference President Linda Salitros. “The same is true of the waitstaff at hotels, restaurants and bars.” Hotels are virtually empty, and restaurants are hurting, which adds to greater demand for help from the conference.
Also, many neighbors are “locked in poverty,” Salitros said. “Many of the poor … survive by rotating around the various [social service] agencies in the area.”
Consequently, the conference is undertaking a new approach to their ministry, known as “systemic change.” Volunteers undergo training to help neighbors consider a new way of thinking or learn a specific skill set to move them out of poverty. The effort requires more resources to maintain long-term mentoring. Fortunately, because five parishes support the conference, it receives a good amount of funding and taps volunteers from all five parishes. They have a total of 106 volunteers.
The conference also has access to other Vincentian services, such as The Society Thrift Store located at 204 E. 24th St. in Bryan. A furniture ministry also assists with neighbors needing beds, kitchen items, linens, etc. They also operate a Food Pantry at 307 S. Main in Bryan, which is open Thursday afternoons. Neighbors can pickup food from a table in front of the conference office. People call (979) 775-2273 from the parking lot and tell the receptionist how many members are in their family. Groceries are then bagged and placed on the table for pick-up.
A new program the conference has implemented assists neighbors in getting out of a predatory loan and helps refinance the loan at a lower loan. Helping people get out from under predatory loans frees up their income for basic needs.
“I always tell people if you want to do volunteer work, then open the phone book, and you will find lots of opportunities,” Salitros said. “Vincentians have a three-pronged purpose, and the most important is the spiritual aspect of being a Vincentian. Then there is the fellowship with other Vincentians and, finally, the serving of our neighbors.”
 Father Garza’s recommendation to his parishioners at St. Albert the Great may be helpful for parishioners throughout the diocese: “Give prayerful consideration to signing up to help Vincentians be that presence of light, providing hope and reminding those in need that the Good Shepherd is with them.”
As one Vincentian said, this work helped change his perspective.
“Not until I entered the homes of our neighbors did I realize the depth of poverty in my community.  The most cherished moments of my week are spent as a Vincentian Volunteer,” he said.
One neighbor wrote in a thank you note: “I am a disabled woman living alone. Thanks to the help of St. Vincent de Paul, I was able to keep my house and live a life that makes me feel like I am wanted.”