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St. Vincent de Paul Society is quietly there to help
archived from: 2009-12-28
by: Patricia Bartos

Outgoing executive director strives to spread the word

Men and women of the St. Vincent de Paul Society have always provided caring, personal service to the poor. They do so in a confidential manner, never publicizing their work.

Fred Just knows how important such an emphasis is to preserving the dignity of those they serve, but he also believes it’s necessary to make the Vincentians better known among priests and people of the diocese.

He will have a chance to do just that when he leaves his post as executive director of the diocesan St. Vincent de Paul Society on Dec. 31, succeeded by Keith Kondrich.

Just will then become the society’s conference coordinator, serving as a liaison, visiting and helping to re-energize the 111 parish groups and 1,300 volunteers. He also plans to help priests become more aware of the work and in general let people know that the Vincentians are here to help.

“I find the Vincentians to be strong people — dedicated, prayerful — who are all about others. I like who they are,” he said of his devotion to the society.

He will also talk of the “multi-faceted agency” that the society encompasses, with its six thrift stores, 100 collection boxes, eight trucks that pick up donations, its food banks and other services.

“What we bring to this effort is that we operate in so many parishes,” Just said. “We can respond to any need within 24 hours, without the need to fill out forms. We get the call and we respond immediately. We can also call a neighboring conference or the council in Pittsburgh. We’re probably the last safety net.”

If the problems are more extensive, the society can refer the person in need to Catholic Charities or other agencies. The society aided 83,000 people last year.

He learned much on the job, he said. “This is the culmination of all the experience and talents I gained over 40 years of work. It was a wonderful way to wind down my career.”

He formerly served as director of community services for Catholic Charities, as executive director of the Mount Nazareth Center in Bellevue and faculty member at Carlow College.

He also worked in planning with the city of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County and has headed the St. Vincent de Paul Society since 2003.

Just has admired the Vincentians since his boyhood at Assumption Parish in Bellevue. His father would come home from helping someone in need and, when young Fred would question him about the event, “he wouldn’t tell me.”

“They believed in the biblical teaching for the left hand not to know what the right hand was doing,” and it symbolized the importance of maintaining the privacy of those in need, he said.

But, in today’s world, “if we’re going to survive, we have to let people know we’re here,” he said.

Part of that effort focuses on the society’s thrift stores, which provide a significant part of its budget. Just has expanded, modernized and renovated them to make them more appealing to shoppers.

“They’re continuing to do well, in spite of the recession,” he said. “We were very pleasantly surprised that donations are continuing at a good level. Usually they drop off during the holidays, but the people of Pittsburgh have responded generously to the knowledge that people are in distress.”

He added that, “The good thing about 2009 was that we continued to be blessed with generous benefactors and some grants. We did not turn anyone away. We were able to meet the needs and I feel blessed to be able to help.”

In his new role as a “semi-retired,” part-time liaison, he will travel to parishes and conferences to help build them up.

Just is a good spokesman for such work because of his spirituality, personal behavior and experienced leadership, said Pat Janoski, former board president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Janoski now heads the society’s Northeast Deanery unit, which will welcome Just as a speaker in January.

She headed the board for six of the seven years Just served as executive director and worked closely with him.

“He always had a kind word and a smile, he always saw something good in everything,” she said.

And, with his years of experience, “he had so many resources that he was able to capitalize on. He was such a wonderful leader, he had great insight into what would be done,” she said.

She pointed to his work in expanding the society’s thrift stores and in relocating its Michael’s Place residence for newly released male prisoners to Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood.

In addition to his liaison work, Just will have more time with his family. He and his wife, Patricia, are members of Sacred Heart in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood, and Patricia works in the guidance office at Oakland Catholic High School. Their daughter, Carolyn, is a sophomore at the University of Pittsburgh.

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