Join us at the William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA. This years theme is “Ladies of Charity Bridging Hope, Service and Love”.

Sr. Mary Ann Daly, SC reminded us that our God is a “system”, a community of Father, Son and Spirit which includes all of us and all creation. Unfortunately we live in the context of a “system” that is not really a system embracing all. In a moving way she invoked the model of Mary at Cana who saw a need and spoke to the Son of God about that need.

Barbara Budde reminded attendees that when we “act”, “reflect” and “transform” we see that direct service is not enough but that there must be work for institutional change.

The documents of the Ladies of Charity, when unpacked, “impell” Ladies to  live out of its spirituality.

Podcasts should become available before the end of September.

The Ladies of Charity is 16,000 strong in the U.S. and is the oldest women’s volunteer organization in the U.S. The Ladies of Charity is part of the global organization International Association of Charities (AIC), which is 250,000 strong and operates in 53 different countries.

This organization is committed to serving the poor and follows in the footsteps of its founders, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise de Marillac, and Elzabeth Ann Seton.

The national board of the LCUSA endorsed the Catholic Charities USA Campaign to Reduce Poverty. Catholic Charities USA published a policy paper in 2006 outlining the goals of the campaign.

In many dioceses throughout the country, the Ladies of Charity work through Catholic Charities to serve the nation’s poor. The Ladies of Charity are a part of the Vincentian Family.

Lake Travis Ladies are changing their 2006 schedule in an effort to bring in new members. Their board meetings at Emmaus Catholic Parish are welcoming all Ladies. They will be having three “themed” general meetings. February brought our Taste and See meeting with jazz music playing in the background. Music was provided by the Lake Travis High School Music Department. They invited local charity workers to speak about the good news of clients they work with each week. May 18 th was their Spiritual Connection meeting and wine tasting. A speaker who addressed the spiritual connection of helping others was invited. And their November 26th meeting will be about Communion with our Lord and will include a local food tasting. Again, all are welcome to these meetings. They want everyone to learn how Ladies of Charity - Lake Travis makes a difference in our community. Invitees are encouraged to bring friends and family to share in this experience.

The community opened up their hearts and their closets to provide clothing for those who lost so much due to Hurricane Katrina. After the Crisis Ministries staff carefully sorted through clothing, the Ministries office became the hub for evacuees to find clothing that they sorely needed. At the same time, the Ladies of Charity - Lake Travis (LOC-LT) gave over $5,000 in HEB and gas cards. LOC-LT manned the Crisis Ministries office for a day, distributing clothing and gift cards. Many people in the community opened up their homes for folks to live comfortably until they could find permanent residences. Additionally, Lake Travis crisis Ministries, which is financially supported by LOC-LT, was contacted by the Municipal Utility District and the fire department about families that needed help. The Ladies of Lake Travis thank everyone who helped out the evacuees during the hurricane crisis.

Operation Green Santa 2005 helped 165 families (989 people in total; 552 children and 437 adults), have a happier holiday with delicious food, bright new toys and grocery gift cards to buy the meat of their choice. The LOC-LT donated over $2,000 in gift cards. All cards that were left over were given to the Lake Travis Crisis Ministries for ongoing client needs. The Hudson Bend Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary successfully coordinates this effort each year. The surplus of food was donated to the crisis Ministries. The remaining gently used books and games, as well as new clothing, that were donated, were given to the Thrift Shop to sell.

Eileen Nowak, Executive Director, Diocese of Buffalo Ladies of Charity, and Kathleen Sieracki, President are congratulated by Andy Parker, Master of Ceremonies at the Community Hero Awards Ceremony

Diocese of Buffalo Ladies of Charity was presented the Unsung Hero Award at a ceremony honoring the work of Community Volunteers on April 11, 2006, at the Buffalo Convention Center. The program, sponsored by Univera Healthcare and United Way, celebrated the accomplishments of over 100 area individuals and organizations. Nominated in the category of small non-profit organizations, Ladies of Charity will receive a stipend to develop new ministries to help the needy and break the cycle of poverty within our communities. Thirty members of the Organization attended the ceremony to witness the presentation, and honor Cecelia Borcz and Nancy Ortolano who received individual nominations for their work helping the poor.

Ladies of Charity ~ Buffalo, New York
For more information about the Ladies of Charity, history of the organization,
works of mercy, or how to become a member or donor, call (716) 895-4001

The National Assembly of the Ladies of Charity of the United States of America will be held in San Antonio, Texas from Sept. 10-14, 2008

THEME: “Women Acting Together Against Poverty”

…continue reading to find program details and registration information!

Accommodations for those attending will be at the Holiday Inn-Riverwalk. All the business sessions Sept. 11, 12, 13, as well as the closing banquet on Saturday, Sept. 13, will be at the hotel. There will be additional activities for members before and
after the business sessions.

Tours, special activities

• San Antonio Art Museum,
• El Mercado shopping area
• Mission San Jose,
• Mission Concepcion
• The Alamo

A tour Sunday, Sept. 14, will include travel by deluxe motor coach to
• Schulenburg, Texas, followed by visits to four nearby communities to see
• The famous painted churches of South Texas

The Texas Associations of the Ladies of Charity are working together to plan and host the Assembly sessions.

Directions to the Assembly
Program Details
Download the LCUSA 2008 Registration

Ladies of Charity answer the cry of despair ….

When those left behind on the coast of Louisiana and Alabama cried out for help, the Ladies of Charity reached out to give hope to those lost, to those in need,to the new homeless. To all who cried out . . . the Ladies offered hope.

The Ladies gave financially, they gave items and they gave of themselves.

* Hands-on volunteers worked as case managers, as social workers and as teachers
* Volunteers networked with Catholic Charities and the Daughters of Charity
* Truckloads of items were sent … clothing, food, household items
* Clothing was sent to the coast as well as evacuee areas
* Medical vouchers were sent along with wheelchairs and walkers
* School supplies and books were given
* Financial assistance was sent to those on working on site…
o Daughter of Charities, St. Vincent dePaul Society, Catholic Charities,
o Catholic Relief, Red Cross, Caritas, Little Sisters of the Poor
* Direct support was sent to 11 families in a collaborated effort with Catholic Charities
* Support and hands-on effort with St. Stephens School in New Orleans
* Special needs children of Calcasiew Parish were assisted

If being part of an organization which offers hope to the less fortunate is important to you

then perhaps you should considerbeing part of the Ladies of Charity.

We invite you to contact us and we welcome all inquires.

If you would like to contribute to our efforts,

we, as well as those we share the light of hope with, will be most grateful.

The talks were inspiring and the opportunity to network was amazing.

The Vincentian Family Gathering in San Francisco

The Vincentian Family Gathering was held at the Sheraton Hotel in San Francisco, Calif., from May 3-6. The gathering consisted of Vincentian priests, Daughters of Charity, Sisters of Charity, Ladies of Charity, and the Vincentian Marian Youth group.

There were many dynamic speakers. The key message from this gathering, was that if we collaborate our group effots, we can better serve the poorest of the poor. The keynote address on Friday was given by Vincentian Father Manuel Ginete. He is a member of the Congregation of the Mission. He received his doctoral degree in Religious Studies from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. He said in an increasingly interconnected and globalized world, the Vincentian Family today is being challenged to keep in the forefront the interests of the poor. The Vincentian Family can best do this by deepening our sense of mission and by seeking and helping to expand the circle of solidarity.

The keynote address on Saturday was given by Patricia Palacios de Nava. She is a member and past president of the Association of International Charities (AIC), of which the Ladies of Charity of the United States of American (LCUSA) is a member. Today she is responsible for AIC”S relations with the Vincentian Family and is currently a member of the Think Tank for Systemic Change. Nava said the Vincentian Family is a great force for transformation in the lives of those who are poor. One of the many positive aspects in working together is the larger impact we can have. The work of the Think Tank is to motivate and help members of the Vincentian Family to evaluate their projects and their effectiveness in helping to change the lives of the poor.

Systemic Change is a process that implies a form of systemic thinking. This type of thinking looks at the whole and the parts, and the connection between the parts, studying the whole in order to understand the parts. The spirituality behind Systemic Change process for AIC volunteers must be sustained in a series of values and beliefs, in the Christian Vincentian Carisma and in the AIC’s guidelines. It must be oriented toward a world of greater justice and equity, in which the poorest of the poor occupy the place that belongs to them in society.

The keynote address on Sunday was by the dynamic Vincentian Father Richard Benson. His talk was “Poverty and Personhood: Recognizing and Responding to Christ as a Vincentian.” In his talk he discussed the teachings of the Catholic Church that focus her mission on the preferential option for the poor. As a result, we recovered the spirituality of St. Louise de Marillac and St. Vincent de Paul, our founders, that supports everyone engaged in this challenging mission.

There was a special First Friday Mass for the Vincentian Family at St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco. Archbishop George Niederauer was the celebrant. It was wonderful to see him, and he was happy to see familiar faces from Salt Lake City. He says what he misses most is the people of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, and his many friends in Utah. The people of San Francisco all said they miss Bishop Wester, and we lucky enough to be able to welcome him.

Next year the Vincentian Family Gathering will be held in NewOrleans, Louisiana, where there are many poor who need the collaboration of the Vincentian Family to help restore the lives that were devastated by Hurricanes Katrina.