There has been a recent effort by staff and some members of the Society of St. Vincent De Paul to place a thrift store in the suburbs rather than in North Central Milwaukee where it is needed and, many of us believe, would serve the mission of the Society of St. Vincent De Poor, to serve in a personal way people in need.

I wrote a letter to the 54 presidents of the conference of St. Vincent De Paul in Milwaukee County but the central office and President of the Executive council would not give me addresses of Presidents or give out the copies of the letter I left for each person at the central office.

I tried appealing to common sense, morals and reasons of central office and leaders with a document stating Ten Reasons for Creating a New Store for Society of St. Vincent De Paul on the North Side of Milwaukee rather than in the suburbs in Greenfield. Those I sent it to, who support the store in suburb, just ignored my reasons and refuse to enter into a creative dialog.

I agree that there should be no conflicts in doing our mission to serve those in need in the Society. But when something is being done that goes against our mission we cannot be silent and must cry out against a move that hurts those we serve. I felt hopeful, when during announcements after Church last Sunday, a long time member of the Society, a Vicentian, asked for signatures on a petition to the City Council of the suburb of Greenfield to deny the permit needed for a thrift store. The voices for the poor are not organized and the ‘powers that be’ will not enter in dialog and creative conflict with us but we must cry out. Otherwise our faith and mission of our Society is just a poor “April 1st Joke”

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