|
|
Click banner to return to homepage
| |
June 2014
St.Vincent De Paul Society (S.V.P.) |
|||
Who Are "The Vincent's"The Society of St.Vincent de Paul is an international Christian charity dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical help to those in need. The Society was founded in 1833 by a group of Catholic students, led by Frederick Osanam, who wanted to put their faith into action by helping the poor. They gained the inspiration for this from St.Vincent de Paul, a priest who gave up his relatively wealthy position to help the marginalised and forgotten poor of 17th century France. The prganisation grew and spread across Europe and in 1844 the first group (or "Conference") was set up in England. There has been a conference of the St. Vincent DePaul Society at St. Edwards since 1914, and in 1973 we became the first parish in the deanery to admit women members. The members are volunteers who work with people in need on a person-to-person basis. They aim to help the needy by respecting their dignity, sharing hope and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny; not by unthinking handouts but by a face-to-face understanding of the individual situation. They seek to co-operate in shaping a more just and compassionate community. In this way the Society hopes to deepen the faith of its members and to fulfill their faith in a practical way. In Our ParishMembers of the SVP ensure that the housebound, elderly and sick members of our community receive regular visits and are kept informed and involved in the life of the parish. This is particularly important since our parish includes several nursing and residential homes. They also organize the popular Christmas Party for the elderly, infirm, and those who live alone, providing food, entertainment and door to door transport. During the summer they organize a coach trip to visit the seaside or other tourist attraction in the area. Members attend as many funerals as they can in order to support the families St. Edward's conference hold a monthy collection to raise funds to continue their work and money raised from these collections collections has been used to fund the following expenditure:
Every year, the SVP raise funds to enable a pilgrim from the parish to join the pilgrimage to Lourdes. The SVP is always on hand to help and advise any parishioner in times of difficulty, providing a discreet and sympathetic ear. Membership in the parish is currently depleted and any parishioner wishing to join these unsung heroes and heroines in the work they do in the parish will be made very welcome. The group meet on Mondays in the Church porch. SVP TWINNAGE The display on the notice board in the Church Porch will give you some idea of the way your donations can change the lives of people in the Third World.. St Edwards Conference is twinned with the Conference in India and it is your money which has enabled them to purchase the animals which will do so much to improve their lives. Thank you for your continuing generosity and please look at the small display in the Porch. YOUTH SPVAn exciting new project is the launch of a parish Youth SVP group where a group of Year 6 pupils will put faith into action by helping others. More details to follow, so watch this space!
SVP VISITS One of the roles of the SVP is to visit people in their own homes. If you would like a visit or you know of anyone who would like a visit please let us know by ringing Kath on 0161 620 9692 or Geoff on 0161 678 6901. We would like to stress that all visits and information are kept in the strictest confidence. We are concerned that we may not know if relatives/friends would like a visit from the SPV or indeed, would like to receive Holy Communion at home. We have a letter box at the back of church for you to leave details e.g. relatives going into care or anyone you know who may like a visit. SVP WANTED Donations of foreign coins/notes, pre-decimal coins. Please see notice in porch and leave in container. Thank you
|
Saint Vincent de Paul The Church teaches us that mercy belongs to God. Let
us implore Him to bestow on us the spirit of mercy and compassion, so
that we are filled with it and may never lose it. Only consider how much
we ourselves are in need of mercy. Extend your mercy towards others, so that there can be
no one in need whom you meet without helping. For what hope is there for
us if God should withdraw His Mercy from us? The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is
humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does
he know how to defend himself from it. |
||
