Photos & News

Recent Events

  • September 29, 2012 - 11th Annual University Service Day
  • May 16, 2012 - VMC Heritage Trip, Germantown, PA
  • April 18, 2012 - Lunch & Learn: The Vincentian Legacy Continues: Blessed Rosalie Rendu, D.C. & Blessed Frederic Ozanam. Presentation by Fr. Robert Maloney, C.M.
  • April 3, 2012 - Easter Basket Project
  • March 13, 2012 - Vincentian Center for Church & Society, Lunch & Learn Series: St. Louise & the Human Rights Tradition.
  • February 10, 2012 - Community Service: Midnight Run
  • December 14, 2012 - Lunch & Learn: Understanding Poverty from the Inside Out. Presentation by Dale Williams. 
  • December 2012 - Community Service: St. John's Bread & Life Soup Kitchen's Sponsor A Family.
  • November 19, 2012 - Community Service: St. John's Bread & Life Soup Kitchen
  • September 30, 2011 - Special Blessing of the VMC and Lunch & Learn: Living the Vincentian Mission. Presentation by Fr. Robert Maloney, C.M.
  • September 24, 2011 - 10th Annual University Service Day
  • September 16, 2011 - Opening Session and Welcome Dinner for VMC Cohort 5

 

 All Events

Saturday, September 29, 2012: VMC 5 members joined the university community in serving in the 11th annual University Service Day. The volunteers served in their respective teams at a number of sites throughout the five boroughs of New York City, serving meals, visiting nursing homes, and volunteering with non-profit organizations. Read the full story and view the picture gallery from this year's Service Day.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012: Past and current members of the Vincentian Mission Certificate (VMC) Program recently participated in a day long heritage trip to Germantown, PA. The trip included visits to four local organizations that serve the poor, disenfranchised and marginalized in Germantown (Face to Face, Inn Dwelling, My Place Germantown and DePaul House). Representatives from each of the local outreach programs shared insights into their programs and their connection to the Vincentian Mission. Additionally, the group toured historic Vincentian heritage sites in Germantown, including the Miraculous Medal Shrine, a Catholic landmark and place of pilgrimage visited by thousands of people every year, and St. Vincent's Church. Before returning to New York, the VMC participants had the unique opportunity to have dinner at The Mate's Inn in Trenton, NJ. The facility is a culinary arts vocational program for incarcerated indivduals, run by the Education Department of the Garden State Correctional Facility, and the inmates enrolled in the program prepared a delicious meal that was enjoyed by the participants of the VMC Heritage Trip.  

 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012: Members of the present cohort of the Vincentian Mission Certificate (VMC) Program and VMC alumni attended a Lunch and Learn lecture by Fr. Robert Maloney, C.M., St. John's University's Vincentian Chair of Social Justice. Fr. Maloney examined the roles of Blessed Rosalie Rendu, D.C. and Blessed Frederic Ozanam, and their connection to service and scholarship at St. John's University today. The attendees were able to gain a deeper understanding of the expansion of the Vincentian family through the work of these two remarkable individuals, as Fr. Maloney identified the various areas through which the legacies of Rosalie Rendu and Frederick Ozanam serve as an inspiration for us today. 

 

Thursday, April 5, 2012:   On Holy Thursday, VMC 5 participants Roberto Alas, Mary Cascio, Mirian Cepeda, Lucrezia Gavin, Diana Lopez, Sunita Makhijani, Patty Voisin, VMC alumni Mark Andrews (VMC 3), Laura Andrews and Giselle Scianablo volunteered at the Ozanam Nursing Home in Queens, NY. The volunteers visited the residents at the nursing home, assisted with the day's programs and activities, and helped any residents that needed assistance with going to the chapel for the Holy Thursday mass that was celebrated later in the afternoon.

 

Tuesday, April 3, 2012:  Members of VMC Cohort 5 participated in Providence House’s annual “Easter Basket Project,” which provides Easter baskets for mothers and children residing at the Providence House in Brooklyn, NY and MOMMAS House in Wantagh, NY. Both not-for-profit organizations assist women who are homeless or were formerly incarcerated with finding permanent housing, securing employment, completing their education, and providing them with daycare and health services. Adriana Dino (VMC 5), Shu Zhen Chen (VMC 5) and Althea Brown (VMC 4) coordinated the efforts to collect items for the Easter basket project - a tradition started by another VMC alumni, Rino Grzinic (VMC 3). In addition to delicious Easter candy, donations of personal care items, linens, books, school supplies and baby items were packed into festive Easter tote bags for approximately 80 mothers, infants and toddlers staying at the two residences. View the picture gallery.

Visit Providence House and MOMMAS House's websites for more information.  

 

Thursday, March 15, 2012: Members of the VMC program, including Clare Byrne (VMC 3), Catharine Giancatarino (VMC 3), Rino Grzinic (VMC 3), Frank Jerome (VMC 5), Dean Robert Mangione (VMC 2), Eric Reinecker (VMC 2), and Louis Saavedra (VMC 2) participated in the annual St. Baldrick’s/Locks of Love event at St. John’s University. Volunteers could participate in one of two ways to help support children with cancer – either shaving their heads as part of a fundraising effort, or donating their hair to help make wigs for childhood cancer patients who have lost their natural hair. Read the full story here. View the Photo Gallery of the current and past VMC members who participated this year. 

 

Tuesday, March 13, 2012: Past and current members of the VMC program attended the Lunch & Learn Series: St. Louise & the Human Rights Tradition, which was hosted by the Vincentian Center for Church & Society. Sr. Margaret John Kelly, D.C. discussed the significant contributions of St. Louise de Marillac in the area of human rights, particularly her efforts to uphold the rights of the abandoned infants, galley slaves, and the poor in 16th century France. View the photo gallery.

 

Friday, March 2, 2012: VMC 5 members Adriana Dino, Patricia Minton, Lucrezia Gavin and Letitia Davis joined VMC alumnae Natalie Bongiorno (VMC 2) preparing and serving lunch to the guests of the St. John’s Bread & Life Soup Kitchen in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. 

 

Friday, February 10, 2012: Inspired by the December presentation by Dale Williams, Executive Director of the Midnight Run Inc., eleven members of the VMC 5 cohort joined VMC alumnae Althea Brown as part of an adventurous Midnight Run into Manhattan. VMC 5 volunteers included Jesse Adamo-Grimes, Roberto Alas, Dominic Baccala, Anne Cordato, Robert Cote, Letitia Davis, Adriana Dino, Frank Jerome, LJ Holmgren, Pat Minton, and Sara Purcell. The group, which also included other members of the St. John’s community, prepared sandwich bags on the Queens campus, then headed to Manhattan to distribute to over hundred homeless individuals, along with coffee, warm clothing and toiletries.

 

Friday, February 3, 2012: Representing VMC 5, Sunita Makhijani and Fr. John Kettelberger, C.M. helped to stock the pantry as they volunteered for this weekly service opportunity at the St. John’s Bread & Life Soup Kitchen in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.  

 

Friday, January 27, 2012: VMC 5 members LJ Holmgren and Sunita Makhijani were in for a surprise  when they volunteered for this service opportunity at the St. John’s Bread & Life Soup Kitchen in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Although a fire alarm and some rain may have interrupted their preparation in the food pantry and kitchen, it was not enough to get in the way of the Bread and Life clients receiving lunch that day! 

 

Thursday, January 26, 2012: VMC 5 members Dorothy Bukay, Robert Cote, LJ Holmgren, Michelle Kyriakides, Jennifer Miranda and Charissa Townsend prepared and served a home cooked Mexican dinner at the Ronald McDonald House in New Hyde Park, NY, a “home away from home” for families of children receiving care at the Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center.   View the photo gallery.
 

 

December 2011 Sponsor a Family Program: Several current and alumni VMC members participated in the Sponsor a Family Program at the St. John’s Bread and Life Soup Kitchen in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Volunteers serve over 2,000 families and bring warm winter gear to over 1,000 individuals through this annual program. See photos and a video clip here

 

Monday, December 19, 2011: Eight members of the VMC 5 cohort participated in a Midnight Run into Manhattan.  Roberto Alas, Rob Cote, Letitia Davis, Frank Jerome, Victoria Laemmel, Diana Lopez, Nunzia Manuli, and Pat Minton prepared on the Queens campus, and distributed food, coffee, clothing and toiletries to homeless individuals throughout Manhattan that evening.  

  

Wednesday, December 14, 2011: Current and former members of the VMC program attended the Lunch & Learn Series: Understanding Homelessness, A Personal Journey,  hosted by the Office of the University Mission. The guest speaker, Dale Williams, Executive Director for Midnight Run Inc., talked about his experiences as a formerly homeless individual in New York City from 1987 till 1990. In 1991, Mr. Williams became involved in Midnight Run, and has been helping manage the organization since then. He is also currently the liason for St. John's University. The talk was followed by a Q&A session with members of the audience who asked questions about homelessness, Mr. Williams' experiences, and opportunities to assist with the organization's efforts. For more information about Midnight Run Inc., visit their website. To learn more about homelessness, view these basic facts about homelessness in New York City.  

 

Wednesday, December 7, 2011: VMC 5 members Shu Zhen Chen, Rob Cote, LJ Holmgren, Victoria Laemmel, Jennifer Miranda-Velazquez, Nick Saturno, and Patty Voisin joined VMC Alumnae Althea Brown (VMC 4) in the first Midnight Run offered to the current VMC cohort.  Volunteers prepared sandwiches on the Queens campus, and distributed food, clothing and toiletries to homeless individuals throughout Manhattan that chilly, rainy evening. 

  

Monday, December 5, 2011: VMC 5 members Mary Cascio, Mirian Cepeda, Shu Zhen Chen, Adriana Dino, Nunzia Manuli, and Pat Minton prepared, served and shared a home cooked dinner with the guests staying at St. Nick’s Men’s Shelter for the homeless.

 

Tuesday, November 22, 2011: VMC 5 participants Roberto Alas, Frank Jerome, Victoria Laemmel, Sunita Makhijani, and Jennifer Miranda-Velazquez prepared and served a home cooked dinner to the guests staying at St. Nick’s Men’s Shelter for the homeless.  

 

Saturday, November 19, 2011: VMC 5 member Patty Voisin joined VMC alumni Linda Miller (VMC 3), Louis Saavedra (VMC 2), Kate Giancatarino (VMC 3) and several others in preparing, packaging and distributing Thanksgiving meals and supplies for clients of the St. John’s Bread and Life Soup Kitchen.    

 

Tuesday, November 1, 2011: VMC 5 members Paolo Tagatac, Krista Walker and Charissa Townsend joined VMC alumni Kathy Meehan (VMC 1), Frank LeVeness (VMC 1) and Stephen Rzonca (VMC 2) in accompanying 26 Ozanam Scholar undergraduate students on a Vincentian Heritage Trip to Germantown, Pennsylvania.  Read the full story. 

 

Friday, October 21, 2011: VMC 5 members Roberto Alas, Dorothy Bukay, Adriana Dino, Shu Zhen Chen, Frank Jerome, Sunita Makhijani and Pat Minton volunteered at the St. John’s Bread & Life Soup Kitchen in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, assisting in the food pantry and sorting toys to be distributed to area children. 

 

Thursday, October 13, 2011: In an effort to raise awareness about breast cancer on Campus, Campus Ministry in conjunction with Students for Global Justice coordinated the annual "Mens High Heel-a-Thon" fundraiser.  Women's heels were donated by students and university employees for this walk-a-thon, and the male participants had to complete laps around the Great Lawn wearing the high heels. VMC 5 member, Paolo Tagatac, participated in this year's walk-a-thon and emerged as the victor in the contest by completing the most laps. View the photo gallery. 

 

Friday, September 30, 2011:  Following a week of events and programs celebrating the 18th annual St. John’s University Founder’s Week, the Vincentian Mission Certification (VMC) Lunch and Learn Series featured the program, The Spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul, on Friday, September 30, 2011. The program was presented by Rev. Robert P. Maloney, C.M., St. John’s University Vincentian Chair for Social Justice, and was attended by current VMC members and VMC Alumni. View the picture gallery. Read the full story. 

 

Saturday, September 24, 2011:  VMC 5 members and VMC alumni participated in the 10th annual University Service Day by serving those in need at a number of sites throughout New York City, including local soup kitchens, nursing homes, schools and non-profit organizations. Read the full story.

 

Friday, September 16, 2011: T he fifth cohort of the Vincentian Mission Certificate (VMC) Program commenced their sixteen-month journey with the VMC Opening Session and Welcome Dinner, on September 16, 2011.  Lucy Pesce, Executive Director for Mission, assisted Fr. Kettelberger in helping the cohort u nderstand the expectations and resources available to them as they journey together through the VMC program.  The highlight of the evening followed the orientation session, when several VMC Alumni from the previous four cohorts joined the newest members for a  celebration dinner.   Read the full story.