“On Monday, July 8th, the new website for the Society in the United States will go “live” with the URL address www.svdpusa.org . ” For the background changes and next stages…Friends: 

On Monday, July 8th, the new website for the Society in the United States will go “live” with the URL address www.svdpusa.org . This website is the Public side of the U.S. National Society and the audience is intended for people who want to increase their knowledge about the Society in the U.S. and seek some basic information. It has supporting links to other Councils, and Brother and Sister Vincentian Organizations throughout the world for additional support and knowledge. We will now  focus on our internal Vincentian Extranet (www.svdpusa.net) and will provide you with updates about that website in a future communication.

I am most grateful to all who had a hand in creating and refining the site, including our National Communications Committee members, our National Staff, and our website partner, Answers 4. Our team is especially grateful to Gene Smith and Ed Gomez for their supportive leadership in the website development and to all local Councils whose support of the National Council has made this initiative possible.

We developed the website by using the abilities that God gave us and it is our way of living out beliefs of being Christ’s hands on earth. By using the website as a communication tool, we hope that visitors understand the U.S. Society better and increase their knowledge and comfort level with our ministry.  These goals are important but in addition we hope that people who seek and need our support can find a local Vincentian presence where they can receive it…or a prayer where they can get some solace. If we accomplish these goals, then we have succeeded in our e-SVDP Initiative mission.

Our next Phase of the e-SVDP Initiative is to develop the U.S. Society’s Extranet Vincentian site. The URL for this site will be  www.svdpusa.net. The .net site will help our Vincentian community communicate and collaborate between our local Councils, Conferences and other Brother and Sister Vincentian organizations. If we spend less dollars on administration and collaborate more on developing best practices based on experience, we can help more people using the  knowledge that we have built up within our Vincentian Community. This will be our “Vincentian Network of Charity.” I anticipate and envision the .net website will include a collaboration of knowledge housed centrally in a web-based repository. This knowledge could (and probably will) include e-Learning programs, Computer Based Programs (CPT), knowledge on how to start and develop a thrift store, temporary housing project, soup kitchen, a Vincentian-focused Retreat, etc. (the sky is the limit!). It will also support our U.S. Vincentian Community’s spirituality by knowing that another Vincentian is just a keystroke away. I plan to collaborate with our Councils so they can electronically send to the National Council information like this that they have already developed locally.

Now, please review our new website (www.svdpusa.org). We hope you will be pleased with how the website represents the good works that the Society does.  Our team realizes that we must keep this website dynamic with new updates and we plan to change the website home page continuously so that you will come back to it.   Also feel free to forward this email along to people in your organization that may want to look at this website. We want to get the word out about it! Please email any comments to dhenry@svdpusa.org.

Thank you for all you do. May the Lord bless and guide us in our efforts to serve Him in the service of his most needy.