The members of our small SVdP Conference gather one day each December to assemble our One of A Kind Soup. In this project, each member brings a gallon or two of homemade vegetable soup and a dozen or two home baked cookies to our church kitchen.

All of the soup is mixed together in a large pot. Half gallon containers are then filled with this delicious, nutritious soup. The soup, cookies, and other treats are packed in colorful Christmas containers. They are then shared with members and neighbors of our church who are elderly, home bound, nursing home residents, or those who have recently lost a spouse or child, or have fallen on hard times.

As our Conference members visit and share these gifts, the true meaning of Christmas is evident and that this is truly a Mission Moment.

Christ just knocked at our door!

I was on call for the Society of St Vincent de Paul — Fort Wayne “Help Line,” when I received a phone call from one of our SVdP Parishes concerning a single mother with five children who was in need of a bed, a dining table and chairs, and a recliner or regular easy chair.

I called and talked with the lady and later visited her in her home where she had just moved in. There was a couch, a TV set, and one small bed. Other than that, the house was empty of any other furniture. There was a piece of carpet on the wood floor on which some of the children were sleeping with three pillows against the wall.

I asked her if I got some furniture, could she pick it up or pay $40 for it to be delivered…but she said she had no way to pick it up. Nor could she afford to pay to have it delivered.

So, my wife and I went to the St Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, picked out a bed, a mattress and box springs, a table with four chairs, and a recliner. We delivered it to the family and she couldn’t thank us enough!

This becomes a Mission Moment for the works of our Society of St Vincent de Paul — Fort Wayne.

Christ just knocked at our door!

A few years ago, we found out that one of our parishioners wasn’t going to be able to pay for her last semester of nursing school. Her father was unemployed and their family was just trying to make ends meet. We gladly provided the financial aid she needed to complete her degree.

Because of the assistance from the St. Vincent de Paul Society, she was able to graduate nursing school and get a job. Her family is also in a much better financial situation. As a “thank you” to our society, she paid back the money that we had provided to help her fulfill her dream. While it wasn’t required or requested of her, we can now use that money to continue our mission of helping those in need reach their dreams of living a more stable and fulfilling life.

Christ just knocked at our door!