Saint vincent de paul biography scottsdale az
Parish History
In 1952 Scottsdale was incorporated as a city, and Father Eugene Maguire, native of Ireland,arrived at OLPH after 5 years of service at Queen of Peace Parish, Mesa. At that time the parish had about 194 families, most of them the Mexican families who had come north 30 years earlier to work the land. Father Maguire arrived to find the St. Vincent de Paul Society already established with Joe Connors as the First President. In 1953 he installed Catherine Van Horn as Prefect of the newly established Sodality of Our Lady. With his thick brogue and clipped speech, his eyes. his grin, his generosity and compassion quickly endeared him to the small congregation. Besides his regular duties he faithfully attended to the spiritual needs of the Yaqui Catholic community, going to their little church on 64th Street to offer Mass and bring them to the sacraments. In 1953 the Mexican families obtained his permission to plan a pageant honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe and thus began a yearly Miracle of the Roses event which eventually included the area’s businessmen and government officials.
Ralph Haver: Everyman's Modernist
By Alison King
Founding Editor of ModernPhoenix.net
First published as a limited edition monograph Ralph Haver: Everyman's Modernist in 2011, and continually updated as facts emerge
Ralph Burgess Haver AIA practiced architecture in metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona, from 1942 until the mid 1980s. He's best known today for his modest Haver Homes, which are affordable tract housing developments designed in a casual contemporary modern style. These modest Haver homes are prized by designers and do-it-yourselfers alike as modern spaces to adapt for contemporary living. Haver Homes were often designed to be expansible for a growing family and changing needs, and so expand they have for the last 65 years. Haver Homes are also regarded for their understated promotion of cheerful good living. Making families feel comfortable through good design was one of his life pursuits.
But the story of Ralph Haver's work goes much deeper than his quest for perfection in affordable single-family housing in the postwar era. A man dedicated to faith, civics, professionalism, mentorship, femininity, frugality and good humor characterizes his influence on the period of explosive growth in the Phoenix Metro area at midcentury. Haver was a model citizen who helped to build a community as much as enjoy it by serving in the Rotary Club, Boy Scouts and the American Institute of Architects. He wasn't a talented bystander or fringe figure. He thrived in the thick of the movement that would turn Phoenix into the nation's sixth largest city fifty years later.
The popular resurgence of Ralph Haver's designs in the 21st Century has often been compared to revival of California's Joseph Eichler, simply by similarity in design style. However, instead of being a real estate developer like Eichler, Haver was an architect who knew how to communicate with developers to populate his designs on a large scale. His role in bringing modern design sensibility to the mas
When John van Hengel founded St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix in 1967, he started a global revolution in food distribution.
A food revolution occurred in Phoenix 50 years ago, the impact of which would reverberate across the nation and around the globe. This innovation didn’t feature artisanal ingredients or fusion cuisine, but rather irregular produce, dented cans and other grocery-store castoffs.
John van Hengel, a St. Vincent de Paul soup kitchen volunteer, imagined this less-than-perfect food as a resource for the hungry. He conceived of a centralized place where charitable groups could draw on donated food to feed those in need. In 1967, Van Hengel founded St. Mary’s Food Bank in Phoenix, which drew donations from supermarkets, food manufacturers, farmers, restaurants and homeowners, who provided salvageable food including odd-size produce, goods that were outdated, mislabeled or had damaged packaging, and manufacturing mistakes like french fries that had been cut too thin, that added up to 250,000 pounds of food after a year of operation. The idea went viral, spreading to almost 800 food banks serving 32 countries, currently. While there had long been charities that gathered food donations to create soup kitchens for the needy, food banks allowed food surpluses to be gathered on a much greater scale in a warehouse-size building. Food banks were a simple, one-stop donation clearinghouse for grocers and food manufacturers to send their castoffs, instead of dealing with a multitude of charities. Food banks became the middleman in food distribution, passing along donated goods free of charge to participating non-profit organizations. Van Hengel became known as the “Father of Food Banking.”
His early life gave few indications that he would become a game-changer in food distribution. It took a midlife epiphany and a subsequent vow of poverty before van Hengel formulated the concept that, more than Julia Child or Gordon Ramsay,
St. Vincent de Paul Phoenix announces Shannon Clancy as CEO
PHOENIX (8/22/22) – The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Phoenix Diocesan Council (SVdP) is pleased to announce Shannon Clancy as its new Chief Executive Officer. A Phoenix native, Shannon is the first woman CEO for the Arizona nonprofit in its 76-year history and will assume leadership on Oct. 1.
Shannon steps into the role after nearly 20 years of dedication to SVdP’s mission, which offers hope to those who need services and those who want to serve their community by helping SVdP feed, clothe, house and heal.
Shannon most recently served as associate CEO. Throughout her tenure at SVdP, she has helped lead the nonprofit through tremendous growth with visionary zeal and humble grace. She spearheaded its fundraising and marketing efforts to support expansion of programs and services for the community. Shannon was also instrumental in SVdP’s added community collaboration, particularly through its Virginia G. Piper Medical Clinic partnership with Creighton University.
“One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that our community is filled with kind, compassionate, loving people who want to make a difference,” Shannon says. “I’m honored to be entrusted with furthering such a special mission. It’s my deep wish to invite more people into our work to build a community for all of us, where we each find hope and opportunity to encounter the best of humanity, love and compassion in one another.”
Shannon assumes leadership from Steve Zabilski, who has served as SVdP’s top executive for more than 25 years. Steve is excited to stay at SVdP in a community outreach role for approximately six months and then will transition to a role on the board of directors for the nonprofit in 2023.
“There is no better person — so full of heart, wisdom and an intimate understanding of St. Vincent de Paul — to step in and lead the organi