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V i n c e n t i a nOur Lady of Mt. Carmel Conference December 2017

visit us online at http://olmcstvincentdepaul.weebly.com

Thanksgiving Food Drive Benefiting 267 Tempe FamiliesEvery year, on the Saturday before Thanksgiv-ing, the St. Vincent de Paul Society at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel organizes a food drive benefiting low-income Tempe families. This year, we were able to serve 267 families. Each family received a turkey and food items for a traditional festive meal: green beans, corn, potatoes, bread, cake mix, frosting, etc.

The food drive requires the collaboration of many individuals. The planning of the event begins several months beforeThanksgiving with making arrangements for the huge number of turkeys. Students, parents, and faculty of OLMC School contribute to the drive by collecting specific items to be included in the food boxes. Janet Kovach (pictured below with her granddaughter), who has been chairing the event for several years, has established contact with local grocery chains and negotiated discounts on food items to be pur-chased with conference funds.

On the day of the food drive, November 18, pa-rishioners and Vincentians gathered in McCready Hall at 7:00 am to pack the food boxes. After the 8:00 o’clock mass, Fr. Jerome led a prayer service and blessed the food. In teams of two, parishio-ners then set out to deliver the food boxes and turkeys. This year, 11 Cox Communications em-ployees came with their trucks and delivered to approximately 60 families. We also had help from the Cub Scouts and members of a Catholic Soror-ity chapter at Arizona State University, Mu Epsi-lon Theta (pictured left in their sorority’s t-shirts). At 10:00 am, all families had been served.

Thank you to all who made the food drive a great success. Both the recipients of the food boxes and the many volunteers who helped felt abundantly blessed.

2 Address: St. Vincent de Paul Society, 2121 S. Rural Road, Tempe, AZ 85282

Interview with Sr. Stephanie Collins

Q: Sister Stephanie, we are pleased to welcome you in our parish as the “fifth sister,”as Fr. John called you before your arrival. How long has it been that you joined your four sisters in the Tempe-based community of the Servants of the Plan of God, and what are your responsibilities in our parish?

Sr.: I arrived in Tempe about 8 months ago, a few months later than my sisters because I still needed to finish my Bachelor’s degree in Education from the Catholic University of Colombia. I now teach Spanish at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in 6th through 8th grade.

Q: Did you have any teaching experience before you came to the United States?

Sr.: My first assignment after completing my for-mation training in Lima, Peru, was in Santiago de Chile. After working in a foundation for elderly people for two and a half years, I taught religion and provided pastoral care at a school for at-risk children. It was a school in a drug-infested neigh-borhood, and it was not infrequent to hear gun shots close by. For a few months, before coming to the United States, I also did pastoral work at the Catholic University of Chile.

Q: Were you surprised when you were asked if you wanted to serve a mission in the United States?

Sr.: It may sound strange, but I was already pre-pared. While I was at a retreat, after a day of spir-

itual exercises, I had a very vivid dream. I dreamt that I would be going on a mission in the United States. I told some of my sisters about that dream, but Sr. Carmen, my superior, did not know. Several months later, Sr. Carmen invited me to go on a mission to Arizona. I enthusiastically said yes, knowing that this was God’s will.

Q: What made you decide to join the Sisters of the Plan of God?

Sr.: That is a long story. When I was 15 years old (I am 27 now), I was preparing for confirmation. At that time, a close friend of mine died from cancer. Her untimely death prompted me to ask questions about the purpose of my life. I was living the life of a normal teenager, but I had a yearning in my heart, a sense that something was missing in my life.I had the opportunity to join a project helping poor children, and the knowledge that I was making a difference in their lives filled me with great joy.

At a spiritual retreat, I was moved by a passage from the Letter to the Romans that says that we do not live for ourselves alone, but to be of service to our brothers and sisters, and to the Lord. When I heard about the community of the Servants of the Plan of God, I felt that the Lord was guiding me to religious life in this particular community. I strug-gled with this thought for a while, but I could not silence the voice in me that moved me to surrender my entire life to the Lord. Initially, my parents and my brother (22) were not very supportive, but my family is now happy that I have found my vocation.

Q: Does your work in the parish leave you time for hobbies?

Sr.: I enjoy watching movies and doing art projects, but I mainly enjoy singing and playing the guitar. I have joined the choir that sings during masses at OLMC church.

Q: Will you be helping with our St. Vincent de Paul Thanksgiving food drive?

Sr.: Yes, I am looking forward to helping pack food boxes and deliver them to needy families. It is a privilege to be of service to the poor, and I very much enjoy being a part of the vibrant parish at OLMC. (by Adelheid Thieme)

Facebook: Saint Vincent de Paul - Tempe Phone: 480-966-1974 3

A True ThanksgivingIt was the Monday before Thanksgiving. After delivering food boxes to the fourth family this afternoon, we were about to leave the parking lot when an African-American man in his late fifties approached us. “How are you doing?” I asked. “Praying,” he answered. “So are we,” I said.

He smiled and wanted to know if we were from a charitable organi-zation. Upon learning that we were Vincentians, he said, “Could you give me some money? I have no job and no food.” He opened the palm of his left hand and showed us three coins: two quarters and a dime. He said, “This is all the money I have. I have family coming in over Thanksgiving, but I have nothing to offer to them.”

We looked at the two remaining food boxes and the turkey in the trunk of our car. We had been unable to confirm the fifth home visit, so we did not even know if the fifth family would be home to accept the food. It was already getting dark and it might be difficult to find the address in the dark. If we offered the man the food boxes, he would be able to enjoy Thanksgiving with his family and we would be able to drive home right away. Another team of Vincentians would be able to serve the fifth family the next day.

When we invited the man to take the two food boxes and the turkey, he was overcome with joy. “This is a miracle,” he said with tears in his eyes. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He could hardly believe his good fortune and sat down on the ledge of the car trunk until he had regained his composure. We asked him if we could say a prayer with him and joined hands, thanking the Lord for His goodness and asking His blessings on all of us. (by Adelheid Thieme)_________________________________________________________

Jubilarian AwardsAt our October conference meeting, two long-time Vincentians were honored for their service to the conference. For many years, Becky Hamant (left picture) has been faithfully coming to theoffice once a week to help with the shredding of documents and placing canned food on the pantry shelves. Jennifer Green (right picture) has been active as a home visit team member, and she has served as Co-Vice President since 2012. SVdP Phoenix Diocesan President Steve Atwood (left in left picture) and SVdP OLMC President Julian Natividad (right in left picture) presented the awards to the jubilarians.

4 Email: Writer/Editor of The Vincentian: Adelheid Thieme: editor@svdp-olmc.phxcoxmail.com

Annual Financial Report (October 2016-September 2017)We are grateful for the support of our donors in the fiscal year 2016/17. Due to the generosity of our parishioners, we were able to help many local families with rent, utilities, food, cloth-ing, furniture, and transportation. We also twin with two poor conferences in our diocese and tithe to our central SVdP facility that provides a major portion of food items in our pantry (see charts below).

The need is great, and we appreciate any donation that you can afford to give. Please use the enclosed envelopes or the blue envelopes at the back of the church. We are now also able to accept online donations through the parish website at http://olmctempe.com and through the kiosk at the south-east entrance of the church. May God bless you for your generosity.

Regular 71,173

Members, 7,932

Special Works 2,565

Memorials 4,465

Rent 34,154Food 4,371

Utilities 12,814

Bus tickets 364

Care Cards 187 Furniture 3,441

66%9%

9%

16%

Local Assistance

Special Works

Operations

Twinning/Tithing

Local Assistance to Tempe Families

Annual Donations Total Expenditures