They came from different
states. They spanned a wide range of ages. Their backgrounds were
varied. But all who gathered for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's
2014 national assembly in Atlanta shared one common mission: to learn
how to better serve those who most need their help. More than 750
Vincentians -- the largest turnout in more than 13 years -- attended the
annual assembly coming from as far away as Puerto Rico. The Sept. 24-27
conference featured workshops, committee meetings and national and
local keynote speakers. Bill Bolling, executive director of the Atlanta
Community Food Bank, gave the keynote speech during lunch Sept. 27.
Since Bolling founded the food bank in 1979, the organization has grown
to distribute more than 35 million pounds of food and grocery products
each year through a network of 600 local and regional partner nonprofit
organizations that feed the hungry across the state. Bolling spoke of
the importance of the table, pointing out that even in the Bible, many
of the stories of Jesus take place around a table. Feeding those in need
is about more than just food, he said. "The table was the place to be
with people. For me, more important than doing for people was to be with
people," he said. "The idea of starting a food bank was to have more of
those tables -- more of those places where we would meet to be with
each other. To listen -- to really find out more deeply what those
issues were."
The release of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s note, Mater Populi Fidelis , on November 4, 2025, seems to have sparked some immediate and widespread confusion, driven largely by sensationalist headlines from secular sources. In response to requests, particularly surrounding a potential Fifth Marian Dogma of Spiritual Maternity , the DDF addressed the usage of titles like Co-redemptrix and Mediatrix. Unfortunately, this has led to a large contingent online and in the media claiming that the Church has "tossed out" centuries of doctrine, with some outside the Church even proclaiming a "victory" over Catholic teaching (This may be the saddest part of it all, that we as Christians, are "competing" with each other). It is essential to understand that this doctrinal note is fundamentally about titles and clarity, not doctrine and change according to the Vatican News. The true teachings regarding Mary's unique role in salvation remain inviolabl...