SAN ANTONIO • The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of the Archdiocese of San Antonio broke ground on June 26 for its new residential home for homeless women and women with children. It will be, in the words of Deacon Pat Rodgers, archdiocesan director of communications, “a place that will restore hope and dignity and life” to those who come there. Amid weeks of rainfall, the morning of the groundbreaking was notably marked by its absence, as well as by the presence of what St. Vincent de Paul Board Chairman Ruben Diaz referred to as “a local community resident who has come here to welcome us” — a little stray dog who took comfort in positioning itself in the vicinity of the dais throughout the ceremonies.
     The new home, located at 2102 Buena Vista, will offer 25 private rooms, shower facilities, dining room, kitchen, chapel, gazebo, children’s recreational area, counseling and other client services and will focus solely on assisting homeless women, including those with children.

    The ceremonies opened with a prayer by Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Flanagan, who offered thanks for the past 136 years of Vincentianism in the archdiocese and asked a blessing on the leadership of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and those gathered on this “truly holy ground.” This was followed by the Society’s national theme song, “Unto These,” sung by Tony Martinez and accompanied by Eddie Cavazos, who co-wrote the song with his wife Laura and son Josh, all of San Antonio.

    Present and recognized as partners in the event were Bob and Carmen Drury of Drury Southwest; Bishop Flanagan; Eric Cooper of the San Antonio Food Bank; Steve Saldaña, president/CEO of Catholic Charities; and Father Martin J. Leopold, moderator of the curia. Other partners included Judge Peter Sakai, Greg Simmons of KSAT 12-TV and Father Walter D’Heedene, pastor of Sacred Heart Church.

    Special recognition was also given to keynote speaker Archbishop José H. Gomez; Ruben Díaz, board chairman of the Society; former city councilwoman Patti Radle; Dawn Larios representing Mayor Phil Hardberger; State Representative Joe Menendez; Thomas Haake, who helped establish the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room; Nell Sharrock, who formulated the first strategic plan for the Society; Homer Cadena, whose administration began the search for a permanent site for the Society; and José Patterson, executive director of the Society.

    Former councilwoman Radle was the first to address the gathering. She related that children are now the fastest growing population of the homeless, with the average age of a homeless person nationally being nine years old. “You are certainly responding to a tremendous calling here on this property, here in our city,” she said. “And I thank you for that.” She added that, while “the youth may look up to the Spurs, we need to teach our children to look up to people like St. Vincent,” imitating his works, in order to raise up future saints in our community.

    Speaking on behalf of Mayor Hardberger, Larios commented on the importance of a facility of this nature and its “bringing all of us together to help our brothers and sisters in need.”

    Díaz spoke of the many months and long hours of work contributed by many persons and organizations, culminating in the groundbreaking. He noted the project’s undertaking was set in motion by a phone conversation with Carmen Drury, who had long dreamed of doing something to help children. “From that initial conversation,” he said, “came the reality of this homeless shelter for women and children.”

    Thanking by name a number of the previously recognized persons for their contributions over the years which led to the current groundbreaking, he noted, “We just plant the seed. Another generation takes the seed and carries it on.” He concluded by thanking the Drurys for “the dedication, the hard work, the love” they had brought to the project, noting that “even after you and I are gone,” their love and dedication would continue on in the services that the new home would provide. “And I hope that I’m looking right now at someone in the audience here — or someone that you know — that will carry on after I leave,” he said of his role as chairman of the board of directors.

    Archbishop Gomez spoke of his excitement at the groundbreaking for “this wonderful project.” He added, “I think it is important for us to keep in mind, as we have been reminded this morning, that what we are doing is God’s work.” He noted how it exemplified what Pope Benedict XVI wrote of in his first encyclical, God is Love, which reminds us that God’s love is the heart of the Christian faith.

    “What we are doing today,” he said, “is following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave his life as a redemption for each one of us and will show us the way to practice charity in our daily life.” He pointed out the beautiful example of the life and teachings of St. Vincent de Paul, for whom the Society is named, and of recently canonized St. Rafael Guízar y Valencia, a bishop during the Mexican revolution of the 1920s who devoted his life to the poor and the oppressed and was known as the bishop of the poor.

    He recalled that one of his first visits upon returning to San Antonio, a little over two years ago, was to the St. Vincent de Paul Dining Room. “It is always in my heart and in my mind,” he said. He noted that since the dining room’s opening in 1985 they have served 4.4 million meals to the homeless and those in need. “Today’s groundbreaking ceremony,” he said, “is a source of joy and grace for our whole city. This residential home for homeless women and women with children will be a place of safety and comfort for the most vulnerable among us.”

    The archbishop expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the Drurys for their spiritual and financial support of the project. “They are both a great example of faith and civic responsibility,” he said, “as they continue to give back to God the gifts he has given them.”

    He thanked former councilwoman Radle “for the real difference she has made in helping the lives of the homeless in our city,” and encouraged all elected officials to continue to be leaders in the effort of serving the poor in our community. And he congratulated all the Vincentian volunteers, the board of directors, Patterson and Díaz for their courage, vision and faith in “undertaking this necessary and challenging project.” He also expressed thanks to Bishop Flanagan, for serving as “a model of faith and love throughout his many years of involvement in the Society.”

    “Let us be a city known for its love for the least of our brothers and sisters,” he said in conclusion, “especially the children who will come here one day to find shelter, safety and be free from fear and fill this house with laughter.”

    A check in the amount of $50,000 was then presented by the Drurys to the Society to help initiate a capital campaign and the building of the residential home, followed by a blessing of the ground by Archbishop Gomez and ceremonial groundbreaking performed in multiple shifts of participants.

More information regarding this residential home for homeless women will run in the August 3 edition of Today’s Catholic