The St Vincent de Paul Society

The international St. Vincent de Paul Society was founded in 1833 by Blessed Frederic Ozanam in Paris where he and five friends found that they saw Christ in the poor and to show that their Faith inspired them to love and care for others. 

The organisation today is dedicated to tackling poverty and disadvantage by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need. Visiting the sick, lonely, housebound, the addicted, the imprisoned and those suffering from disabilities forms a large proportion of the Society’s work.

Where & when we meet

ST PETER & CORPUS CHRISTI CONFERENCE – We meet on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 7pm in the presbytery.  If you would like any further information or know of someone whom we might be able to help, please contact any of our members whose names and telephone numbers are in the porch at the back of church.

Conference Reports

Conference report April 2017 to March 2018

SVP News

ONGOING CRISES IN SUDAN AND SOUTH SUDAN – CAN YOU HELP?
Sudan is mainly home to Arabic-speaking Muslim communities, while in South Sudan there is no dominant culture. Here, there are more than 200 ethnic groups, each with its own language and traditional beliefs, together with Christians and Muslims.

A 2005 peace agreement later led to the formation of South Sudan in 2011. Then in 2013 a political power struggle in the new nation led to fierce fighting along ethnic lines, exacerbating the mass exodus to the north of the country which had begun three decades earlier. As those who fled South Sudan into Sudan have never been granted refugee status, they are not eligible for help from the UN or other agencies. Perceived as outsiders, they suffer multiple disadvantage and daily discrimination and thousands live in makeshift camps with no fresh water supply, little food and an uncertain future.

Read more

Vision

Our Vision, which is inspired by Christ’s message to love our neighbour as ourselves, is for individuals and families who are in any form of need to have hope together with a sense of dignity, worth, well-being and peace of mind.

Mission

Our Mission is to seek and find those in need, to help them in a spirit of justice and to tackle the causes of poverty where we can. We do this:

  • As members we befriend and offer support, within our means, to any person in need.
  • As a conference by working together we provide a local network of support; by providing a range of projects (i.e. Joe’s Place) which address particular needs for those who are economically disadvantaged and by working together with other Vincentian groups to raise awareness of the level of need and the causes of poverty.

Values

  • The St Vincent de Paul Society acknowledges the presence of Christ everywhere.
  • We aim to show a compassion that is non-judgmental towards those with whom we work.
  • We respect the dignity of all in the knowledge that we are all equal.
  • We aim to be generous with our time, our possessions and ourselves in the service of others.
  • We aim to be alert to the ever changing needs in the communities in which we work and to respond accordingly in order to alleviate poverty in all its forms as well as we can.
  • We recognize our accountability to those we seek to help; whilst acting within the limits of our own knowledge and skills.
  • We respect the confidentiality of those we help, whilst recognizing that the physical and mental wellbeing of any vulnerable party must always be paramount.

The St Vincent de Paul Society strives to achieve these values through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, through prayer, friendship, mutual support and encouragement.