Joe Kohn | The Michigan Catholic Carolyn Dumont, accompanied by her husband, Jim, hand gifts to Cardinal Adam Maida during a Mass at the Society St. Vincent de Paul's regional meeting May 19. Vincentians gathered at the Felician campus in Livonia to renew their commitment to the poor through prayer and service. Jim Dumont is the regional chairperson of the society.

Livonia — Like all Vincentians, Barb Dixon of Toledo prays that the Holy Spirit be with her when she goes to visit someone who is in need of food or money.

"You sit and talk to the Lord, and you let the Holy Spirit come in you," said Dixon last weekend on the Felician Motherhouse campus in Livonia. "Somehow when you pray and then go visit that person, it kind of all falls into place."

It was prayer and dedication to the Lord's calling to serve the needy that brought 120 members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul here last weekend.

At the society's annual regional meeting — which involved chapters from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky — members prayed for their ministry, and recommitted themselves to heartfelt service of the poorest of the poor.

The meeting was May 19, and was formatted as a retreat. Attendees heard from the Detroit-area chaplain Msgr. Charles Kosanke, and from Detroit Auxiliary Bishop John Quinn, who is the episcopal advisor to the society's national council. The day concluded with a Mass in the Felician Motherhouse Chapel, celebrated by Cardinal Adam Maida.

"Whenever and wherever there is a need, you can count on a Vincentian," said Cardinal Maida in his homily. "Without fanfare or fuss, complaint or expectation, in the voice of the poor you hear the call of Jesus. Thank you for who you are and what you do."

Cardinal Maida, flanked by Deacon Zigment Kucharek (left) and Msgr. Charles Kosanke (right) prays over the gifts during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.   Society of St. Vincent de Paul The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international Catholic lay organization rooted in a spirit of poverty, humility and sharing. It was founded by Blessed Frederick Ozanam, an 18th century layman from France, and based upon the spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul. The society stresses prayer and spiritual growth through face-to-face service to the needy, often involving visits to the homes of those who ask for help. The society has been in the Archdiocese of Detroit for 121 years. Locally, Vincentian volunteers from about 100 parishes each year make thousands of visits to the poor, distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of food, run thrift stores, maintain parish-based food pantries and operate a summer camp, Camp Ozanam in Port Sanilac, for the underprivileged. To learn more about the St. Vincent De Paul Society of Detroit, visit www.svdpdet.org.

Bishop Quinn spoke to the gathering about the Vincentian rule — how each has to approach the poor as an instrument of Christ, loving them as Christ loved the poor. Despite the busyness of life, he said, prayer is a way Vincentians can stay grounded in their mission.

"Before any visits are made to help the needy," Bishop Quinn said in an interview following the conference, "it's important that the Vincentian prays, and that they pray both for guidance of Holy Spirit, and that they will be channels of Christ's love and Christ's peace."

"The disciples were being advised that they should not daydream about the past, nor be concerned about the future — but focus on putting their faith into concrete service, here and now," the cardinal said, "exactly what you do as members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society."

Vincentians at the retreat said the message given to them by their spiritual leaders over the weekend strengthened them spiritually and emphasized their simple role as instruments of the Holy Spirit.

"It's not our ministry," said Joseph Flannigan, the national executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. "It's a great reminder that it's Christ's ministry and we are His channel…. It's liberating in the sense that it's not our work, it's the Lord's work, and if we respond Christ will lead the way."

William Brazier, the executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society's ministry in the Detroit area, said it was an "excellent" weekend.

"The Vincentian ministry is a worldwide organization," Brazier said. "(Founder) Blessed Frederick (Ozanam) envisioned a network of charity, so we came together as a network and shared best practices with each other on how we can best serve the poor."