“Just as St. Vincent did not hesitate to approach others with the needs of the poor of seventeenth century Paris, so we are emboldened to approach you with the needs of our poor today. With your help and prayers, we hope to do more. The need is great. What is amazing, though, is that the poor themselves teach us deep faith and trust in God’s abundant and abiding care. At this, they are our masters, we are their students. Our thanks to all of you for helping us continue in our journey.”ALMOST HEAVEN…
News from the St. Vincent de Paul Society
Conference of Southern West Virginia
Lush greenery now blankets the mountains with a soft mantle. This verdant foliage tends to hide the rugged rockiness and steep sides of our Appalachian hills. Spring has almost ended and the warm summer breezes are already here. The land is peaceful and reminds us once again of nature’s cycle of life.
Life here in the mountains is good. The culture is rich with friendly people who share their lives, have time for neighbors and express a deep faith in God. But for some, these peaceful mountains and valleys often hide some bitter realities. Poverty, higher here than in most other places, makes for some a life’s journey that is a rugged, rocky and steep climb. About 40% of our children still live in poverty and jobs remain scarce. More than half our population has left, leaving us with an increasing number of elderly, disabled and unskilled.
The St. Vincent de Paul Society has ventured here to share its life with these people. As a Conference supported by Vincentians outside of the area, the St. Vincent de Paul Conference of Southern West Virginia is working with these folks trying to improve their lives and to learn from their experiences. Your support has been vital to this cooperative effort.
What have we been doing lately? Some things that are obvious and concrete as well as others that are not so obvious…but perhaps more meaningful.
Since last I wrote, an 88-year-old widow has a new porch and steps to her trailer. Referred by the Office on Aging because the “Meals on Wheels” volunteer would no longer climb her steps because of their dilapidated condition. A volunteer group did this job from the Southern Baptists in North Carolina.
The Presbyterians Volunteers are soon to arrive and do a number of home repairs along with the United Church of Christ volunteers who will try to finish up about 8 flood related home repairs. Soon, the Passionist Volunteers will be here and take on a number of these. In helping others, these various church denominations set aside their theological differences and set about carrying out the Gospel mandate.
And do we ever need help in home repairs! Debbie, our caseworker, has nearly 40 home repair requests that she is visiting, verifying and estimating. She is trying to coordinate these requests with volunteer groups. But the reality is that we will never be able to complete the backlog of requests. Some folks are able to do the labor if we provide the supplies. But many are unable and we need to find volunteer labor for them. Solution? We simply need more volunteer workers. Remember, Debbie can find a job to fit your abilities and can arrange housing that is not too rustic. But only you can provide the talent.
Oh, and the furniture! Thanks to many of you, especially Rose Hart our Council President in Wheeling, our warehouse has seen the ebb and flow of furniture and other household items. One week the warehouse is full and messy…the next it is neat and empty. Over 100 families have received needed furniture and other items in the past 6 weeks or so. Some are flood victims…yes, we had another flood (about 70 homes hit) last week. Others are fire victims…a common hazard of trailer living. Yesterday, Debbie and I helped such a family with a new refrigerator, stove, mattresses, sheets, towels, tables, chairs, a couch, pots and pans, and…toys.
As you know, all this organizing and planning takes time. I sometimes get frustrated because simple things seem to not be so simple and what I want to get done doesn’t always get there. I want to send you glowing reports but even here I have to make sure that my reports emphasize the substance of our Vincentian ministry, not just the accidental.
I know that we tend to measure what we do in terms of numbers…numbers of items distributed, number of homes repaired, number of volunteer hours…number of dollars spent. But for Debbie, this does not always paint the picture. Much of her time is spent just talking with people – being with them and sharing their stories. I always try to remember that the refrigerator we give will some day be long gone, but the kindness we showed in sharing with people will last much longer. And, hopefully, they will see that someone does care for them, that the Catholic Church is not such a suspect group, and that the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul is alive…a spirit that proclaims that our whole duty in life is to carry out Christ’s command to love the neighbor…especially the lost, the last and the left-out.
Just as St. Vincent did not hesitate to approach others with the needs of the poor of seventeenth century Paris, so we are emboldened to approach you with the needs of our poor today. With your help and prayers, we hope to do more. The need is great. What is amazing, though, is that the poor themselves teach us deep faith and trust in God’s abundant and abiding care. At this, they are our masters, we are their students. Our thanks to all of you for helping us continue in our journey.
For more information on how you can help, please contact
Debbie Stewart,
P.O. Box 1057, Pineville, WV 24874
304-732-6800
commdir@wvnet.edu.
Please send cash contributions to:
WV Task Force,
Society of St. Vincent de Paul,
927 Franklin Street, Johnstown, PA 15905.
Don’t be strangers now…come and visit with us a while!
Asking God to continue to bless you for your abiding Vincentian spirit, I remain in debt to your kindness…
Arnold Simonse, President
304-732-8959
arnoldsimonse@aol.com
June 8, 2004
