Ozanam News 4th Quarter 2013 Ozanam News | Page 15

Voice of the Poor (continued from page 1) nothing in my middle class lifestyle that would ever give me the opportunity to visit such a humble house if it were not for my work as a Vincentian volunteer. Of course, I entered the situation with my values coloring my expectations. I was very humbled and thankful that I was able to receive the reminder that we visit Jesus when we make our calls. What an unexpected gift worth unwrapping. Ozanam News is the official quarterly publication of the National Council of the United States Society of St. Vincent de Paul Publisher Shelia Gilbert No other service organization has such an intimate encounter with those who, in many cases, have such a different life experience from us. And we are blessed to have the opportunity to be welcomed into their homes. The advocacy we do as a Voice of the Poor Vincentian has many attributes that are the same as those home visits. • Our entire advocacy effort is based on the needs of those we serve. That is the root of any cause we take on. We don’t believe in food stamps or Medicaid because we want more government programs. We believe in these programs because we’ve seen them work. We meet families of single parents who need SNAP benefits to keep food on the table. We see the impact that no health insurance has on a service worker who can’t afford medication and who often spirals into a worse condition. We pray for the day when these programs will end––not because of politics but because the need goes away. Through our advocacy and systemic change efforts, we are working to help people become more self-sufficient. But we need the public sector benefits to help those folks over the hurdles they face when adversity sets in. • Advocacy has the element of the unknown. Who will we encounter when we visit a legislator? What type of person will he or she be? How open will they be to our suggestions and viewpoint? These are the same questions we face when we sit down in the living room of a person in need. In that case, we have been called in by the individual because he or she needs us. The same is true when dealing with elected officials. They need us to tell them our beliefs on issues. And in both cases, our faith encourages us to that service. • Advocacy has an element of “you get what you expect”. If you go into a home visit thinking that this person is a leach on society and is only looking for a way to further scam us into getting assistance––that’s probably what you will find. If you don’t think you can have any impact on a public issue––that’s exactly what you will accomplish. On the other hand, if you prayerfully enter either of those situations knowing that you are doing the work our faith asks of us, you will be much more satisfied that you did what you could to make a difference. After that, it’s in God’s hands. We aren’t Vincentians because we get a lot of glory or because of lavish salaries. We do it because we are faithful to our Catholic heritage. We are Vincentians because service is the spiritual path we have chosen. That is a gift worth unwrapping every day. Executive Editor Dave Barringer Managing Editor Pamela F. Johnson Editorial Board Liz Carter Leigh Anne Cipriano Pamela F. Johnson Roger Playwin Ray Sickinger Mike Syslo Charles Henderson 58 Progress Parkway Maryland Heights, Missouri 63043-3706 Phone: (314) 576-3993 Fax: (314) 576-6755 E-mail: [email protected] www.svdpusa.org Mary Anne Michelet with Ben Barasky, legislative Assistant to U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene (1st District-WA). Ben took the SNAP challenge with Suzan and found shopping was the hardest part. What great hidden treasures there are in holy providence and how marvelously Our Lord is honored by those who follow it. -St. Vincent de Paul 15