SVDP Helped Me Restructure my 700% PayDay Loan
As a single mom with a family, I loved my job and it paid well. Yet, my finances were in disarray. I was behind on paying my utility bills, car loan and rent. Surely, a PayDay Loan was a quick and easy fix to my financial struggles!
My bills continued to pile up! I saw no end to my financial problems. I reached out to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) for help. On my first visit with volunteer advocates, I saw I had a chance to get back on my feet again !
Yet, my PayDay Loan, with an interest rate 700%, kept me trapped in a cycle of debt! Then, my volunteer advocates introduced me to SVdP Mini-Loan Program (MLP) as a way to help me take control of my finances. While reviewing my bank statements and budget with my volunteer advocates, I became more knowledgeable of unwise financial decisions I had made over time.
During additional meetings, I set up a budget with the help of MLP Coordinator and encouragement of my volunteer advocates. The key point of these meetings was to set up a budget I would stick to. I needed to be truthful to myself and to understand all my finances, both income and expenses. With confidence, I applied for a low interest bank loan available through the Mini-Loan program. Shortly thereafter, I was approved. YEAH!
Now the difficult part started. I had to stay on budget! My SVdP volunteer advocates helped me. Together, we reviewed my budget periodically, addressed other obligations, and established written goals. They gave me a reality check on how loans are obtained. And, most importantly, they kept my feet to the fire to ensure my budget goals were met.
I was comfortable and very proud I was managing my finances. By year end, all my bills were current. My only debt was the MLP loan which was being paid on schedule. I established a “credit builder account” with a credit union to increase my FICO score and help me with future goals. Within sixteen months, I paid off the MLP loan, raised my FICO score from 545 to 670, and had cash in the bank!
I have no doubt my volunteer advocates were sent by God!
Feast of Saint Vincent de Paul - Sept 27
St Vincent de Paul (1580 – September 27, 1660)
St. Vincent de Paul was born at Pouy, France on April 24, 1581. He was ordained a priest on September 23, 1600. Vincent devoted himself entirely to the alleviation of the sufferings of the poor, and to that purpose established the Confraternities of Charity, later known as the Ladies of Charity, in 1617. In 1625 he founded the Congregation of the Mission, his community of priests and brothers. With Louise de Marillac, he co-founded the Daughters of Charity in 1633. Vincent died in Paris on September 27, 1660 and was canonized in 1737. Pope Leo XIII declared him patron saint of all works of charity.
Reflection
The Church is for all God’s children, rich and poor, peasants and scholars, the sophisticated and the simple. But obviously the greatest concern of the Church must be for those who need the most help—those made helpless by sickness, poverty, ignorance, or cruelty. Vincent de Paul is a particularly appropriate patron for all Christians today, when hunger has become starvation, and the high living of the rich stands in more and more glaring contrast to the physical and moral degradation in which many of God’s children are forced to live.
source: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-vincent-de-paul/
THIS WEEKEND: 2020 VIRTUAL Friends of the Poor® Walk/Run
Join Us
In raising money for those in need
This year, St. Vincent de Paul's annual Friends of the Poor® Walk/Run is VIRTUAL, meaning you can walk in your neighborhood, park, ride your horse, bicycle, use your treadmill or just donate! Be creative! Decorate those strollers, cars and bikes! Create your own parade, practicing safe social distancing.
Then, post pictures of your virtual event to Social Media and include the hashtag #NTFOP2020 (North Texas Friends of the Poor 2020) and include @svdpfrisco in your Tweet or FaceBook post.
Your efforts will benefit those living in poverty served by St. Vincent de Paul. To register or donate go to https://www.fopwalk.org/event/2517
No matter how you choose to join us, your efforts will raise awareness and create a kinder, more compassionate world.
2020 VIRTUAL Friends of the Poor® Walk/Run
This year, our annual Friends of the Poor® Walk/Run is VIRTUAL, meaning you can walk in your neighborhood, park, ride your horse, bicycle, use your treadmill or just donate! Be creative! Decorate those strollers, cars and bikes! Create your own parade, practicing safe social distancing.
Then, post pictures of your virtual event to Social Media and include the hashtag #NTFOP2020 (North Texas Friends of the Poor 2020) and include @svdpfrisco in your Tweet or FaceBook Post
Your efforts will benefit those living in poverty served by St. Vincent de Paul. To register or donate go to https://www.svdpfrisco.org/walk2020
No matter how you choose to join us, your efforts will raise awareness and create a kinder, more compassionate world.
Blessed Frederic Ozanam
Blessed Frederic Ozanam was schooled in law, literature and philosophy and taught at the universities in Lyon and Paris. Challenged by a detractor of the faith to demonstrate the good he was doing socially in France, Frederic and six companions founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul on April 23, 1833. On June 23, 1841 Frederic married Amelie Soulacroix, and their only child, Marie, was born in 1845. He succumbed to ill health and died on September 8, 1853. Pope John Paul II beatified Frederic Ozanam in Paris on August 22, 1997.
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Story of the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary
On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: “We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly glory.” The pope proclaimed this dogma only after a broad consultation of bishops, theologians and laity. There were few dissenting voices. What the pope solemnly declared was already a common belief in the Catholic Church.
We find homilies on the Assumption going back to the sixth century. In following centuries, the Eastern Churches held steadily to the doctrine, but some authors in the West were hesitant. However by the 13th century there was universal agreement. The feast was celebrated under various names—Commemoration, Dormition, Passing, Assumption—from at least the fifth or sixth century. Today it is celebrated as a solemnity.
Scripture does not give an account of Mary’s Assumption into heaven. Nevertheless, Revelation 12 speaks of a woman who is caught up in the battle between good and evil. Many see this woman as God’s people. Since Mary best embodies the people of both Old and New Testaments, her Assumption can be seen as an exemplification of the woman’s victory.
Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 15:20, Paul speaks of Christ’s resurrection as the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Since Mary is closely associated with all the mysteries of Jesus’ life, it is not surprising that the Holy Spirit has led the Church to believe in Mary’s share in his glorification. So close was she to Jesus on earth, she must be with him body and soul in heaven.
Source: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/solemnity-of-the-assumption-of-mary/