Vincentian Spotlight: Mike McNamara

How long have you been a Vincentian? 

11 years

Conference: 

Nativity

Your role in the Society:

Retiring president, and heading up the “Getting Ahead” effort

How did you become a Vincentian?

Through contact with another Vincentian, who asked me to make a visit with him. I was looking for a way to deepen my faith & spirituality, while meeting the poor face to face. I had no idea that this is exactly the mission of SVDP.

Most memorable Home Visit:

We recently visited a 70 year-old man, who’d already received SVDP services way in excess of our guidelines. He was homeless and staying with a friend. Fortunately, he’d just received Section 8 authorization to move into an apartment just below where he was staying.

However, he had no furniture! By the grace of God, on the way back to our office at Nativity I saw a couch sitting in a driveway. A sign on the couch said, “FREE.”  I got some help from George at Holy Trinity and we took the couch to his new apartment. Believe it or not, it was a couch with a pull-out bed!!!

Sometimes we can’t help financially, but we can always bring His Hope, then trust in Divine Providence.

Biggest lesson you’ve learned as a Vincentian?

I’m just an instrument of Divine grace, and couldn’t do this work on my own without supernatural faith, hope and love. This why I believe in the power and need for contemplative prayer. It’s why after every visit, I ask those we serve to pray for us, because we don’t do this work on our own.

What has made you stick with the ministry? 

Simple, it works in my life and in the lives of those we serve.