Homily for World Day of the Poor 2023

 

Do not turn your face away from one who is poor

- Sunday Homily by Deacon Marian, St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, Newmarket

Today, the Church celebrates World Day of the Poor.  This year’s theme is: Do not turn away your face from anyone who is poor.

St. Vincent de Paul is one of the very well-known saints of the Church. His life, commitment and dedication to God are inspirational and exemplary. He was a truly great servant of God, who devoted himself to the poor and the needy. This young Frenchman, shortly after his ordination to the priesthood, was abducted on a ship, auctioned off as a slave and spent two years in bondage. Through many of his own hard experiences St. Vincent de Paul helped those who were marginalized and underprivileged. He founded a congregation of people who were concerned about the care of those who had been neglected by society, ignored and abandoned, with no one to help or assist them. 

His works and ministry inspired many others during his life and after his passing, and eventually led to the foundation of the modern day Society of St. Vincent de Paul that is renowned for its work among the poor throughout the world.

The parable of the talents, which Jesus uses in today’s gospel is very interesting and challenging, and so appropriate on this World Day of the Poor.

We cannot forget that nothing is really ours alone. Anything we own is God's gift. God's gift is not only our money or possessions or ownership, but also our friendships, relations, skills, talents, spiritual powers and various charisms.

We should be and live, with all we have, in the view of all; like nature around us, like a flower in the sun, like the sun itself. We obviously need to own things, of course the right to private property is valid. St. John Paul II said it very clearly in his encyclical "On Social Concern": The goods of the world are meant for all.

The conclusions from today’s gospel parable are hard, when we consider that in our 21st century many people are still poor, hungry and suffering because of the  inadequate distribution of resources and other injustices. 

Obviously we as individuals cannot do much, but if we think and reflect on the life and service of St. Vincent de Paul, we definitely can start to build a bridge between those in need and ourselves. 

Having heard today’s Gospel let us be filled with the conviction and the desire to use our gifts, talents and treasure. Let us all be exemplary, righteous and worthy in all of our actions, so that we may truly be good role models for one another in our daily lives. 

Let us be mindful of our baptismal promises, our obligations and calling to serve God with faith and commitment, and to proclaim the Good News always by being Christ's real presence to all people in our world. 

And in our own ways let us assist all people in need.  May this  special Day of the Poor become an opportunity for opening our hearts to share some of our talents, gifts, time and resources.

Deacon Marian is a member of SSVP in Newmarket.

SSVP Seeds of Hope Project - November 2023

- from Linda Alexander

Hello my dear fellow Vincentians!    Thank you for your interest in bringing hope and opportunities to the precious children and families we serve through the 3 pillars of Health, Education and Wellness (HEW).

 

I wanted to use this month’s newsletter to shine a light on:  National Education Savings Week,   suggestion on how to help neighbours access ID,  sharing a story about a bank experience,  idea on how to use the Christmas bundles to also share educational hope, sharing a rent infographic and the new 811 resource (Ontario specific). 

 

I realize there is a lot of content in this month’s update, please feel free to call or email with any questions you may have. 

 

1. National Education Savings Week: November 13 to 17.    The Canada Education Savings Program (CESP) is conducting a number of virtual sessions and have created a new CLB resource page. 

 

Please follow this link for more information.  Education Savings Week 2023 is approaching (mailchi.mp)

 

2.  One the barriers to accessing the Canada Learning Bond is lack of identification – whether the ID has been lost in a move or never applied for.   Vincentians can assist in this regard.   I recently met a mom at the library and helped her go through the on line application process to access the Social Insurance Numbers for her children.  She did not have a laptop so applying was too difficult without assistance.  The numbers arrived without 2 weeks,  I helped her make an appointment at the bank,  met her there and her 3 children now have access to $6,000 of educational hope.   The neighbour can also make an appointment at Service Canada to get access to ID.

 

(Some background for Ontario only, when a child is born, the parents can use the online 5-in-1 newborn bundle, to register the birth, apply for the birth certificate, apply for the social insurance number,  apply for the Canada Child Benefit,  and request an Education Savings referral. Register a birth (new baby) | ontario.ca )

 

Offering to accompany a neighbour to the bank (if they want this help,  many do as are too anxious to go to the bank alone) can really help to increase access.   The application process is very straight forward and should take 30 minutes or so.   Especially if the neighbour already banks there.  The banker will open the RESP account and then complete the on line application to apply for the Canada Learning Bond and the Canada Educations Savings Grant.   I have attached a hard copy of the application only so you can see just how simple it is,  there are literally 4 pieces of information they have to type into the system, the parents name,  the child’s name, their date of birth and social insurance number, they hit enter and the application is on its way.  The neighbour will be asked where they want to invest the funds.   They want to preserve the capital as they have no to low risk tolerance, little to no financial market knowledge,  so the banker should be suggesting a Guaranteed Income Certificate (GIC).   This will allow the savings to grow at absolutely no risk.

 

3.  Many conferences offer Christmas support to our neighbours.   Please consider adding the RESP/Canada Learning Bond Family Fact Sheet that is on the SOH toolkit (link below) to also plant the seeds of educational hope. 

 

4.  Please note these 2 resources are Ontario specific.    We are hearing more and more stories of neighbours facing challenges from their landlords.   It is so important that they know their rights as tenants.   We can assist by referring them to the Community Legal Clinics.  I noticed the attached infographic shared in a recent newsletter from CLEO about rent increases that I found straightforward and helpful.  Home - CLEO (Community Legal Education Ontario / Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario)

 

Ontario announced an 811 number -  Health Connect.  An information sheet is attached.  https://health811.ontario.ca/static/guest/home

 

5.   We are determined that no child will be left behind in receiving the Canada Learning Bond !  Every child deserves hope for a brighter educational future.   

 

Please reach out to set up a zoom coaching session for your conference or for an individual coaching session.   The session content runs just under 20 minutes, with time available for questions after the presentation,  as well as support by email or phone after the presentation.  Join the growing number of conferences who are getting informed, making a list of families with children 19 years of age and younger and then reaching out to the families one by one to explain the opportunity and to walk alongside them to access!

 

Please use this link to access the SOH toolkit on the National website.

 

https://ssvp.ca/special-projects/seeds-of-hope/seeds-of-hope-toolkit/

 

https://ssvp.ca/fr/projets-speciaux/semences-despoir/semences-despoir-coffre-outils/

 

Please use this link to access the Ontario Rejuvenation and Recruitment workshop as we continue to work to build member capacity.  https://ssvp.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Rejuvenation-and-Recruitment-Workshop-June-2023-ANF-Notesv2.pdf

 

Please use this link to access the Social Justice workshop – Access to Resources https://ssvp.on.ca/socjus/en/workshops4.php

 

Thank you for your interest and support in bringing this much needed hope to the precious children we serve!

 

If you know of a fellow Vincentian who would be interested in learning more about the project,  please share this note along.    If you no longer wish to be part of the Seeds of Hope communication process,  please also let me know.

 

Take care,  Linda

 

Linda Alexander

Seeds of Hope Project Manager

Orange Shirt Day: How can you participate?

 

Image credit: https://orangeshirtday.org/merchandise/

The Orange Shirt Society has published a book, "Orange Shirt Day" © 2020 Medicine Wheel Education. Chapter 6 is titled, "How to Participate in Orange shirt Day". This contains some excellent suggestions, not just for the day itself, but also some things that can be done anytime, throughout the year. Here are some of the suggestions.

• Wear an orange shirt. This is the most obvious way to participate. You don't have to wear an 'official' shirt. You can make your own, so long as it has clearly written on it, "Every Child Matters." 
• Become familiar with, take to heart, and then share Phyllis Webstad's story about her orange shirt.
• Become an advocate for Orange Shirt Day, publicly supporting Residential School reconciliation, and creating awareness of the individual, family and intergenerational impacts of Indian Residential Schools, and awareness of the concept of "Every child Matters."
• Become educated… and then educate. As you become more educated on this dark chapter of Canadian history you can begin to share that information with others. Seek out educational material on Residential Schools, Survivor stories, and the process of reconciliation.
• Acknowledge the Traditional Territory. Educate yourself on the traditional territory where you live, work and spend your time. To show respect, and as an act of reconciliation, ensure you acknowledge the traditional territory at the beginning of any gathering or assembly in the proper protocol of the territory.
• Be flexible and prepared to unlearn old, stereotypical ways of thinking. Be willing to look at the past, present and future from a new perspective.
• Donate. Among others, you can donate to https://orangeshirtday.org/support/