Members of the Diocese’s 52 St. Vincent DePaul Society conferences will come together for a day of spiritual renewal and to learn more about the development and implementation of a “Hope In Action” program that will be designed to address the root causes of poverty at a local level.

The daylong meeting, which will have as its theme, Walking from Poverty to Hope, will be held Oct. 11 from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Georgian Court University, Lakewood.

The program will open with Mass, followed by a series of workshops on topics including increasing membership to St. Vincent de Paul conferences and enhancing the society’s fundraising efforts. Workshop presenters include diocesan St. Vincent de Paul Society board members.

The keynote address will begin at 11 a.m. with Sheila Gilbert, president of the National Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul who will speak on systemic change, addressing the root causes of poverty from a national perspective.

Officially commissioned on Sept. 3, 2011, Gilbert is the first woman to hold the office of president of the National Council of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. A member of the society since 1981, the Indianapolis resident has served the organization at the local, regional and national level. Before her election as national president, she served as national secretary for the St. Vincent de Paul Society for six years.

Joe Williams, diocesan St. Vincent de Paul Society president, said that Gilbert’s talk will serve as the precursor for a new collaborative systemic change initiative that the St. Vincent de Paul Society conferences will enter into with other diocesan-based (including Catholic Charities, the Diocese of Trenton, and Mount Carmel Guild) as well as secular outreach and charitable organizations (including the Good Will and Salvation Army) that will explore innovative ways to reduce or eliminate poverty and to advocate for long-term change on the local, state and national levels. 

The Oct. 11 workshop will give suggestions and strategies on how to implement “Hope in Action” across parish, community and national levels to lift people out of poverty and improve the lives of families.

Building on four foundational blocks of empowerment, mentoring, collaboration and advocacy, steps for the process include education, ensuring all members fully understand the vision, the expectation for conferences and the value that systemic change brings to those they serve. Another step involves identifying members who fully embrace the concepts of systemic change and are willing to serve as members, neighborhood and community organizers or political advocates.

The plan also includes the task of beginning to analyze community and parish support programs in place, and to provide education to parishioners to encourage involvement in mentoring, advocacy and community organizing. That endeavor includes building collaboration among the available resources for those in need, as well. Hope In Action also calls for the review and enhancement of the traditional conference home visit process.

For more information about the Diocese of Trenton’s participation in the Hope in Action program, contact Joe Williams at 732-295-9085 or email [email protected]

Georgian Court University is located at 900 Lakewood Ave., Lakewood.