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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 8, 1987)
Society Helps Needy r aucj / — me ueurgia ouiieun, uciooer a, (Continued from page 1) found employment and the family decided to remain in the area. They are now looking for a permanent home. “We’re looking at a house that’s being renovated,” Willis says. “We had an apartment picked out that had a peaceful atmosphere, a lot of greenery — a good place for children, but because of my bankruptcy in 1980, we lost it. We need somebody to agree to rent us a house as soon as possi ble.” According to Willis, St. Vincent de Paul is holding $150 to be used for their rent payments. “All we need is a little start,” he adds. “We’re not seeking sym- Scholarship Funded By SVDP Society While the St. Vincent de Paul Society in the archdio cese tries to take care of immediate needs resulting from poverty, it also funds far-reaching projects aim ed at helping the less for tunate. A $5,000 yearly scholarship goes to a Morehouse Medical School student in an effort to help minorities receive needed medical care. “We wanted to make a contribution to the com munity by helping a medical student from the community — someone in terested in family medi cine,” commented Betti Knott. “When that person is finished with their educa tion, they’ll be in a position to add to the community.” Morehouse selects the medical student who meets the Society’s criteria, according to Ms. Knott. Terry Morton-Acker, a 25-year-old second year med student from Atlanta presently holds this scholarship. She is a graduate of Georgia State University with a degree in biology. Mrs. Morton-Acker’s in terest in medicine stems from her father’s struggle with hypertension, chronic renal disease and colon cancer before his death three years ago. She hopes to specialize in internal medicine and wants to work in Atlanta. Her 57-year-old mother also suf fers from hypertension, a common disease among blacks. The $5,000 scholarship covers only part of a medical student’s ex penses. In a role reversal, Terry Morton-Acker’s hus band helps pay for her education. After gradua- Terry Morton-Acker tion and residency, she hopes to find a fellowship for a hypertension and renal disease specializa tion. Regarding the possibility that as a black woman she might be the target for a double dose of prejudice in the selective and highly competitive medical field she says, “It doesn’t bother me. I don’t pose a threat to anyone.” She points out that 50 to 75 percent of, Morehouse’s entering students are female. Mrs. Morton-Acker is the second recipient of the scholarship. In 1985, Henry Ruiz, a native of the Dominican Republic, was the first to receive the award. -Paula Day pathy, but understanding and assistance.” Finding permanent hous ing is a priority for the fami- ly so they can bring Theeroy home from the hospital. “He’s a deter mined spirit,” Genise Willis says. “He’s up to four pounds, eleven ounces. All the tubes are gone. He can be discharged as soon as we get an apartment or house. He knows us. When he hears us talking in the hall he looks around. Until a week ago, I was at the hospital every three hours to breast feed him.” The Grady policy of not releasing infants when families do not have perma- nent housing is for the child’s safety, Sharon Mad dox explained. The Willises could take Theeroy, but the hospital would then have to notify Child Protective Ser vices of their action. The Willises’ situation is typical of the kinds of needs SVDP’s central office meets. Paying utility bills, giving clothing and food, transporting people to the doctor, are all part of a day’s work. “Poverty has not gone away,” states Betti Knott, executive director for the archdiocesan conference. “What we do is an attempt in our own little way to meet the basic needs of people. People in the archdiocese HOPEFUL FAMILY — Teroy Willis and his wife, Genise, with Lynd- si and Desymn can look forward to putting their lives back together now after receiving emergency help from the St. Vincent de Paul Society’s central Atlanta office. have been very generous. The levels of contributions have increased over the past eight years. But so have the needs. There’s never enough money. We do what we can do.” Statistics support Ms. Knott’s observations. Last year’s SVDP collection net ted over $78,000. However, the Society gave out more than $135,000, a difference of $57,000. The central of fice received 4,904 requests for aid; they had to turn away 1,230 families. Ms. Knott is quick to point out the steady pro gress made by the Society. In 1985-86, by comparison, SVDP gave $119,840 in aid and had to turn away 1,613 families. The central office operates three thrift stores, selling clothing and household appliances at reduced prices. “Two social workers spend all their time talking to people who need help,” Ms. Knott explained. The office also makes referrals to the in dividual parish con ferences. Teroy and Genise Willis were not only impressed by the degree of help they received from SVDP, but also by the manner in which it was offered. “We really got more than we asked for,” commented Willis. “Right from the beginning she (Sharon Maddox) had an open ear. She not only looked into what they could do but can ed other agencies — a lot of agencies. It’s not just a job for her; it’s a commitment. There’s a warmth there, a genuine commitment. Our vibrations from them were very positive.” This comment does not surprise people familiar with the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Unlike govern ment social agencies, the Society is primarily a spiritual organization whose members could echo St. Paul’s “the love of Christ compels me.” Members take a personal interest in those they help, motivated by Jesus’ words, “As long as you did this for the least of my brothers, you did it for me.” Society's Past President: St. Vincent de Paul Society "A Growing, Dynamic Force'' BY CHARLIE WIESER OMAHA, Neb. (NC) - The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is a “growing and dynamic force among the Catholic laity of this coun try,” John Simmons, past president of the U.S. coun cil, told some 600 Vincen tians attending their na tional convention in Omaha in mid-September. John Paul Beatifies Three 20th Century Young People BY JOHN THAVIS VATICAN CITY (NC) — Pope John Paul II beatified three young 20th-century lay people — a Frenchman who died in a Nazi concentration camp and two Italian women who died defending their virginity — and said they were models of a fully lived Chris tianity. The beatifications during a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica Oct. 4 capped a weekend of papal activities dedicated to the Oct. 1-30 Synod of Bishops on the laity. On Oct. 3, the pope led a prayer service in St. Peter’s Square attended by tens of thousands of people, including many synod participants. Named “blessed” as martyrs for the faith were: — Marcel Callo, a Frenchman who organized religious activities in German labor camps during World War II. He was transferred to Mauthausen, where, ac cording to a Vatican biography he suffered a “slow martyrdom” until his death at age 23 in 1945. — Pierina Morosini, a factory worker in northern Italy who gave up a religious vocation to support her family. She took private vows of obedience, poverty and chastity. In 1957, at age 26, she was beaten to death by a young man who was trying to rape her. — Antonia Mesina, known as the “martyr of purity’ ’ in her native Sardinia, where she was killed in 1935 at age 15, also by a young man attempting rape. Their lives have a “particular eloquence” for those participating in the synod, the pope said in a sermon. The society’s member ship has nearly doubled since 1981, Simmons said, with more than 61,000 members now serving the nation’s poor. “The scope of the society’s work has grown to the point where it now ex ceeds $75 million in services delivered annually,” he said. “If the value of Vincentian hours is added, the total value of services exceeds $125 million.” A resident of Mundelein, Ill., Simmons ended his six- year term as national presi dent at the convention. He was succeeded by John Coppinger, a 33-year member from Brooklyn, N.Y. “I want the Vincentian family to continue to grow,” Coppinger said. “A reasonable target is 100,000 members by the end of the century.” During his six-year term, Coppinger would like to see the society establish a na tional identity and a new headquarters building. “We need a national site so we can better publicize what we’re doing,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know about us because we help people in a confidential way.” The new president said the society must continue to work hard because of the growing needs of the poor. “The gulf between the poor and the rich is more than a gulf; it has become an ocean,” Coppinger said. One way to increase membership, he said, is to recruit young people. “When I was 24, my pastor stood in the pulpit and said that young people were needed to help the poor through the Society of St. Vincent de Paul,” Copp inger said. “I got involved and found that I had an obligation to help the poor. ’ ’ In a keynote address, Father Joseph Dirvin, author of “Frederic Ozanam: A Life and Let ters,” stressed the impor tance of inviting young peo ple to join the society. Ozanam founded the socie ty in 1833. “Frederic Ozanam be lieved that the principal ends to pursue were the sanctification of Christian youth and the visitation of the poor in their homes,” Father Dirvin said. He said Ozanam told his followers that “our first end must be to strengthen the faith and reanimate charity in Catholic youth.” Father Dirvin told the Vincentians that today’s young people, especially in America, are in “no less danger than the youths of Ozanam’s day.” “Many of today’s youths are woefully lacking in knowledge of their reli gion,” he said. “I can attest to this as a Catholic educa tor. “They are growing up in an unbelieving world, im pious and sensual.” Father Patrick Marshall, spiritual adviser for society members in the Arch diocese in Chicago and a workshop presenter at the convention, said in Chicago “we’re actively pursuing young members by work ing with young adult groups in parishes and by contacting high schools and Newman clubs on college campuses.” “It’s a slow process, but we’re seeing young people exhibiting more interest in the society,” he said. “I believe we’ll be seeing a bigger influx of young peo ple in the near future.”
