Each November for over 30 years Vincentians have been remembered at our Annual Thanksgiving Mass at the site of our first conference, St Francis Church in Melbourne. On 8 November more than 300 people gathered for this beautiful Mass where we remembered and honoured our faithful Vincentians for their service and love. In the Procession of Light, some carried a photo of their loved one, many spilled tears, all of us carried gratitude and love in our hearts. As each name was spoken aloud in the hushed church, Gippsland Central Council President, Doug Knez, whispered to celebrant Monsignor Tony Ireland EV, “They are all famous people.” Famous indeed to the Society and to the record 50+ families and conference representatives, who carried a candle to the altar in a procession of honour. This year we remembered our 131 members and volunteers who died between October 2015 and October 2016 and also the 106 generous donors who have made a lasting legacy in their Will as bequestors. Each year the names of our deceased Vincentians are handwritten in the St Vincent de Paul Society Book of the Deceased and read aloud by the President of the host Central Council; this year Kevin O’Callaghan from the Eastern Central Council. As Monsignor Ireland closed the Mass he said that in gathering in love and in our belief, we are all part of the ‘Vinnies’ family, and that belonging is comforting and binding. The Bendigo Regional Conference also held a Mass of Thanksgiving in St Mary’s Church on 9 November, with a beautiful homily by Fr Wahid Riad PP. As the Extraordinary Year of Mercy draws to a close we can be sure we honoured the spiritual act of mercy to pray for our living and our dead. We ask all conferences and special works to let Welfare & Conference Support Officer, Phil Mackey, know when members, past and present, have passed away so they may be included in this lovely tradition of remembrance. E: [email protected]P: 03 9895 5837 WE REMEMBER | WE CELEBRATE | WE BELIEVE A PUBLICATION FOR SOCIETY MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF Societynews
Transcript
Each November for over 30 years Vincentians have been remembered at our Annual Thanksgiving Mass at the site of our first conference, St Francis Church in Melbourne.On 8 November more than 300 people gathered for this beautiful Mass where we remembered and honoured our faithful Vincentians for their service and love. In the Procession of Light, some carried a photo of their loved one, many spilled tears, all of us carried gratitude and love in our hearts.As each name was spoken aloud in the hushed church, Gippsland Central Council President, Doug Knez, whispered to celebrant Monsignor Tony Ireland EV, “They are all famous people.” Famous indeed to the Society and to the record 50+ families and conference representatives, who carried a candle to the altar in a procession of honour. This year we remembered our 131 members and volunteers who died between October 2015 and October 2016 and also the 106 generous donors who have made a lasting legacy in their Will as bequestors.
Each year the names of our deceased Vincentians are handwritten in the St Vincent de Paul Society Book of the Deceased and read aloud by the President of the host Central Council; this year Kevin O’Callaghan from the Eastern Central Council.As Monsignor Ireland closed the Mass he said that in gathering in love and in our belief, we are all part of the ‘Vinnies’ family, and that belonging is comforting and binding.The Bendigo Regional Conference also held a Mass of Thanksgiving in St Mary’s Church on 9 November, with a beautiful homily by Fr Wahid Riad PP.As the Extraordinary Year of Mercy draws to a close we can be sure we honoured the spiritual act of mercy to pray for our living and our dead.We ask all conferences and special works to let Welfare & Conference Support Officer, Phil Mackey, know when members, past and present, have passed away so they may be included in this lovely tradition of remembrance. E: [email protected] P: 03 9895 5837
WE REMEMBER | WE CELEBRATE | WE BELIEVE
A PUBLICATION FOR SOCIETY MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF
Dear Friends,As we move quickly towards the Christmas break, I would like to wish you and your loved ones peace and happiness, with good health and prosperity in the New Year. Here is a summary of our major activities to see out 2016:National Society Congress, 2017: The Society’s National President, Graham West, has engaged National Council in planning for a National Congress to be held in Adelaide from 6-8 October 2017.This event will focus on two themes:• Membership/new models of conferences and service/ spirituality;• Understanding the needs of those we serve.The 2017 Congress Working Group, which includes four Victorian representatives, met in Melbourne on 4 November, preceding the National Council meeting on 5-6 November. A guest at the National Council meeting was Bertrand Ousset, former President of the Society in France (Société de Saint-Vincent-De-Paul, SSVP), and current President of the International Committee for Aid and Development. Bertrand shared with National Council the experiences of SSVP, which undertook a three year rejuvenation program, beginning in 2013. Significant elements of that program directly relate to the themes for the Australian Congress next year. Members will be invited to participate in preparatory work ahead of the Congress and I will share more details in the New Year. I’d like to share one message from Bertrand Ousset: “Rather than ‘the people we serve’, our fellow Vincentians in France refer to ‘those who accompany us’.” I invite you to reflect on the meaning of this.Thanksgiving Mass: The Society’s annual Thanksgiving Mass for deceased members, volunteers, employees and donors was held on 8 November at St Francis Church, Melbourne, with more than 400 people attending. This was a particularly moving and memorable occasion and I would like to thank all those involved.Christmas Reflection: As we reflect on our good works in the lead-up to Christmas, I would like to share this poem, courtesy of the St Columbans Missionary Society:
Christmas Prayer by Howard ThurmanWhen the song of the angels is stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home, When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner, To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among others, To make music in the heart.
Amen God bless
STATE PRES IDENTMichael Liddy
Michael Liddy State President
Collectively, Ying Qin and Walter Valles have been volunteering for the Dandenong Tutoring Program for almost a decade. This program provides free educational assistance to young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, helping them to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.Recently, Walter was presented the Outstanding Volunteer Tutor Award (alongside Ying who was shortlisted for this award) at the Centre for Multicultural Youth's My Education Awards, in recognition of their contribution to the Dandenong Tutoring Program. Walter has been instrumental in establishing many projects to inspire and support students, often contributing additional time to developing resources, and going above and beyond to support the students to not only achieve their very best at school, but also to dream and plan for the future.In mid-2015, Ying decided on a career change and applied at Teach For Australia where she was placed at Fairhills High School. During her first year, Ying continued to volunteer at the Dandenong Tutoring Program every Saturday.“Volunteering has had a really big impact on my teaching. First and foremost, it has taught me the value of relationships. It has also let me see what success looks like; I am able to have a fun and engaging session with a group of students, no matter the content,” said Ying.Their efforts demonstrate the true impact of volunteer work. Thank you and congratulations Ying and Walter!
RECOGNISING OUR TUTORING VOLUNTEERS
PRAYERS ARE REQUESTED FOR...Deceased members, volunteers, family and friends
• Maureen Cooney, Ex-manager, Vinnies Werribee
• Dr Mario Croatto, Ex-member, Leongatha Conference
• Phillip Cohen, Ex-member, President & volunteer Leongatha Conference and Vinnies Leongatha
• Frank Domantay, Ex-president, Scoresby Conference & Knox-Sherbrooke Regional Council
• Gerry Fitzgerald, Ex-member and volunteer, Cranbourne Conference and Vinnies Cranbourne
• Tim Gartland, Member, Wonthaggi Conference
• Richard Sheean, Member, Bass Conference
• Frank Simpson, Member & Ex-president Sunshine Conference
Please forward any requests for prayers to Philip Mackey on 03 9895 5837 or email [email protected]
Every year the Society’s Traralgon Conference runs a Christmas program. Led by a core group of six members and assisted by other members, family and friends, we work hard over six weeks to bring Christmas cheer to families in need in the form of food, toys, gift cards and vouchers.In this endeavour we receive support and donations from many groups including Gippsland Motor Cycles, local businesses, St Michael's and St Gabriel's primary schools, Lavalla Catholic College and private individuals.In past years we have had to borrow a portable classroom from St Michael's to house the gifts, but we are now fortunate to have enough space in our Assistance Centre to organise and store donations as they come in. One of the biggest tasks is sorting a truck load of toys into gender and age groups; but it’s a labour of love.Once all donations are in, volunteers pack toys and Christmas fare into hampers. These are then labelled and arranged for delivery in time for Christmas. Last year we assisted 155 families, which included 220 adults and more than 300 children.
Barbara McNulty | Traralgon Conference
SHARING CHRISTMAS CHEER
HAPPY 100TH FLEMINGTON!
The Flemington Conference recently celebrated its 100th birthday at the Essendon and Broadmeadows Regions’ Festival Mass at St Brendan’s Church. State President, Michael Liddy, and State Vice-President (and former Flemington Conference President), Maria Minto Cahill, attended the festival mass.Current Conference President, Gerard English addressed those attending saying: “It may be a cliché to say that we are standing on the shoulders of our foundation members; but were it not for our founders’ commitment in 1916, we would not be celebrating our centenary.”The Flemington Conference was the first founded in the Essendon region and was initiated by Irishman, Thomas Tobin in 1916. In the first 44 years as a conference, Flemington was host to only two presidents, driven by the legacy of Blessed Frederic Ozanam and other Vincentians. Gerard English reflected on the founders and successors at the Festival Mass: “We thank God for our conference founders and the long line of Vincentians who have gone before us in faith in Flemington in the past 100 years.”Fast forward to today, and the conference is still underpinned by practical acts of compassion so characteristic of Blessed Frederic Ozanam’s work. Thank you to all those who attended this special milestone celebration, including Adam Brandt MP, pictured above with Maria Minto Cahil and Gerard English.
Shared with permission, Latrobe Valley Express Morwell www.lvexpress.com.au
Maidstone Conference recently marked the retirement of Mary Mullahy, after more than 40 years of service to the Society.Members of the conference and the wider St Vincent de Paul Society community, along with family members, gathered at St Bernadette’s Nursing Home in Sunshine North. It was particularly fortunate that Mary’s niece, Maureen Lloyd from Brisbane, was able to join. Mary was presented with her Emeritus Vincentian plaque, and responded that she was overcome with the recognition, saying that all
she was doing was following the gospel teaching and that it was never an effort. Thanks to the staff of St Bernadette’s for their hospitality, particularly Sr Lorraine and Shivali.
MARY RETIRES AFTER 40 YEARS OF SERVICE TO MAIDSTONE CONFERENCE
LET US KNOW...We are always happy to hear about your milestones, so please let us know what's happening in your area. Email the details and photos to us on: [email protected]
The St Vincent de Paul Society recently celebrated the 50 year anniversary of its Leongatha Conference.Their work started in 1966, when Fr J Cunningham invited the men of the St Laurence O’Toole Parish in Leongatha to a meeting after Sunday Mass with a view to forming a conference for the Society. About a dozen men attended, including John Bourke, Bob O’Malley, Mario Croatto, Pat O’Bryan, Ned Ryan and Bill Ryan. They wasted no time in mobilising the community to support their efforts and had soon established a sustainable form of income to support locals in need. They started with sourcing clothing and Norah Hogan made room in her house to store the donations. Soon after, Mary and Graham Farrell provided the Society with the use of a bungalow on their property; initiating a long and distinguished association of their family with the Leongatha Conference. In February 1976, as word spread of their good works, Richie Bleeser offered the Conference a small portable building, sited at the rear of the St Laurence O’Toole Church, to house a store open to the public. This marked the beginning of the local St Vincent de Paul Society Centre in Leongatha (now a ‘Vinnies Shop’). The revenue generated from the shop enabled the Society to assist many people who came for support in difficult times.Even with generous storage space beneath the parish hall, the conference outgrew this space within two years. In 1978, a large steel shed was purchased in Michael Place and fitted out as a shop and office, which was officially opened on 5 October 1978. After many years of successful trade, the conference foresaw the need for a larger shop site to service the growing district. In April 1991, they purchased a block of land in Peart Street, which was located in the main shopping zone of town and an ideal location to service the community. The Peart Street building officially opened its doors on 29 May 1996.The St Vincent de Paul Society's Leongatha Conference has received over 900 requests for assistance in the last financial year and continues to serve the community as it has for over five decades. The support of local businesses and generous donors, helps to make this possible. In the 1970s and 1980s, local parishioners kindly made their land, equipment and labour available for growing potatoes and peas for the conference to distribute locally and to Ozanam House in North Melbourne. Today, the conference is supported by a wide network of corporate supporters such as IGA supermarket, Evans Petroleum and Telstra. The work of the conference continues to be largely funded by profits from the Vinnies Shop; a sustainable and much-loved social enterprise, that allows the Society to operate without the pressing need for government funding. After 50 years of service to the community, gratitude for each and every individual who has helped to service the local conference is enduring. Thank you to everyone who has supported the Leongatha Conference and in doing so, changed - or even saved - the lives of locals in need.
A film project titled ‘Soup Van Man’, which captures a night on the Vinnies Soup Van through the eyes of the longest serving Soup Van volunteer, Frank Mullins, has been celebrated at two prestigious award ceremonies.It was selected to be shown at the Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival in Gympie in October 2016. It was also awarded a Bronze medal at the coveted Mumbrella BEFest Awards in November in the Best use of a Small Budget category – which is a nice hat tilt the fact that as a not-for-profit (the only one recognised at the awards), we are challenged to tell compelling stories with infinitely smaller budgets and less resources than big brands. Finding meaningful stories and turning them into artefacts such as Frank’s film allows us to distil and communicate the true scale of our organisation’s social impact. That’s why you’ll be seeing some more stories over the next twelve months, which reflect the work of #VinniesHeroes. Well done to Frank and all our Vannies!
This is a past, but poignant, reflection on the meaning of Christmas through the eyes of Ken Dole; a Soup Van Volunteer, who has been sharing his time with people on the streets of Melbourne for many years. At Christmas time, our soup vans offer a three course meal on a chosen street corner. They come in their hundreds, with the spirit of Christmas filling up a community of the down, the out, the outsiders, the hungry and the lonely. Father Christmas comes along, and this year he’s an Aussie-Sri Lankan. He’s got his bauble dangling over brown eyes, arms out, Santa suit stretched over a pillow tucked in front. Everyone received a gift that year, a mug and bowl, some socks or toiletries, and a bag of sweets.The evening was as good as finished when in our midst there walked Jesus. None of us recognised him at first. He was quiet, dirty, smelly, barefoot and unshaven; the epitome of the Hollywood image. Like the biblical story, we found one last meal out of our loaves and fishes and he ate this with great dignity.
Before he went on his way though, he pointed over the street and said someone needed our help. Then he disappeared, doing what we call “a Smith street runner”.Across the street I found a woman lying in the gutter. I helped her onto the footpath and sat down with her to calm, and try and help. Her world had been tipped on its end within the space of a few days. She was homeless and sleeping rough, her brother in New Zealand had died, and her 12 year old daughter had been raped.The real Christmas was now on Smith Street. Watching the back of a dirty man heading south, like Jesus in the mist, hoping someone, anyone, would drag a fellow human out of the gutter and change her future.
There’s nothing like a holiday to rest and recharge, particularly for people doing it tough. That’s why in January 1980, the Queenscliff Conference opened a holiday house in Point Lonsdale to provide free holidays to people in need throughout Victoria. Some 36 years later, with many memories made under its roof, the house recently had a facelift. On 19 November, the Queenscliff, Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads Conferences welcomed over 30 members for a special open day and blessing of the house.The Society’s CEO, Sue Cattermole, and Western Central Council President, Wendy Buchanan, were in attendance, with others from visiting conferences, to see the refurbishment.The local Parish Priest, Fr Michael Richardson, conducted a beautiful blessing that included a reading and Psalm by Mary Grundy and Patricia Cousin, who have looked after the house for many years. Conference President, Mike Hardy, paid tribute to their continual commitment, service and welcoming attitude to those who spend their time at the holiday house. The three-bedroom holiday house is a special Vincentian treasure, which has been in continual use from early 1980 and has had well over 1,000 families stay. The house is a five minute walk to the beach on a large block with plenty of trees and space for kids to play. Details on how a conference can make a booking for the holiday house on behalf of people in need may be found on the Hands@work under 'Our Works/Holiday Homes'.
Brendan Podbury | M&D Officer - Western
P O I N T L O N S D A L E H O L I D AY H O U S E
CHRISTMAS ON SMITH STREET
I wanted to be on my way with the rest of the Vannies. I wanted to clean up and enjoy the banter and a drink back at the kitchen, to celebrate a terrific festive night.But I could not leave someone on the street; vulnerable, miserable, alone and homeless. The back of Jesus in the distance taunted me, asking for my help. I hung my head in selfish despair. Under the hanging plastic holly of the supermarket, in front of the blaring lights of the bottle-o, I smelled alcohol that was helping this woman make it through. I got my car and asked my daughter to help me make a special delivery. We got the woman to her friend’s flat, where tears flowed, and an old lost acquaintance from my earlier days on the soup van and who I thought was long dead, was found. We embraced, wishing each other a ‘merry Christmas’. The woman clung to her friend and I knew Jesus would be able see she had gone from the gutter. She was safe. “Have a very happy and blessed Christmas,” I told them as we departed. As my daughter and I drove away, I hoped that this Christmas Jesus would look out for other people who might fall into the gutter. I imagined how Mary and Joe might have felt, homeless, turned away at each door, until someone extended a hand. How that hand, had made it possible for them to bring a miracle into the world. A miracle like our dirty Jesus, our Santa, and our community of outsiders, looking out for each other in all seasons, not just this Christmas.
Ken DoleSoup Van Volunteer
ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY VICTORIA INC.Locked Bag 4800, Box Hill Vic 3128P 03 9895 5800 | F 03 9895 5850E [email protected] | W vinnies.org.au
It's Christmas time...As the countdown to Christmas begins, we’ll be actively promoting Vinnies Shops as the place to do all your Christmas shopping.Our primary focus will be our Vinnies Gift Cards and this year they’ll feature a new ‘Christmas inspired’ look.Our goal will be to drive awareness and sales of our gift cards and to encourage their sale we will offer 20% OFF the purchase price.The Vinnies Gift Cards are available until Christmas Eve.Through instore point of sale material, social media and digital advertising we’ll promote our gift cards as A Gift Worthy of Giving; with all proceeds going to help people in need.At the same time, we’ll develop a series of visuals for Facebook, that promote Vinnies Shops as a great place to find unique and individual Christmas gifts for everyone on your Christmas list!Our objective is for Vinnies to be seen as an alternative to mainstream retail this Christmas.If you’re looking for some Christmas gifts, why not consider one of our gift cards. They’re available both instore and online and with a further 20% OFF the purchase price, make the perfect gift!
VINNIES SHOPS UPDATE
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FEAST DAY CELEBRATION
On 27 September 2016, the Feast of St Vincent de Paul, Archbishop Denis Hart celebrated Mass at Gerald Ward House. The Archbishop’s homily showed his appreciation for and understanding of the breadth of the Society’s work. Employees and members also enjoyed the Archbishop’s company at an informal lunch.
Visit vinnies.org.au/spiritofgiving for more information on:• Gift Appeal resources• Cut-off dates for pick-ups• Days for present pick-ups
A Mini Vinnies was recently launched at St Jude’s Primary School, Langwarrin, driven by a group of 15 enthusiastic Grade 5 students. The Mini Vinnies support teacher, Judi Essing, and the Society’s Mornington Regional Council President, Michael Quinn, have been instrumental in guiding the group. They have big plans for the area, and hope to build a network of other Mini Vinnies and College Conference groups at schools nearby. The Mini Vinnies have already hit the ground running, establishing a number of excellent initiatives. In conjunction with the local parish they have organised to pack paper and cardboard from the school into boxes for collection by a recycling company, which donates proceeds of around $1,200 per month to the St Vincent de Paul Society. This is a great example of an innovative approach to stewardship that could be modelled in other schools.The Mini Vinnies group also held a ‘Clash of Cans’ competition to coincide with the Vinnies Winter Appeal. As a result, over 970 cans of food were collected as well as 100 blankets for families in the area. The students also organised for every family to donate a toiletry pack for their Social Justice Day, resulting in 200 packs being provided to the local conference and Soup Van.
In addition to these practical actions, the students have learned about different social justice issues and reflected on what’s important to them. The ‘See, Think, Do’ model is the core of the Mini Vinnies program. If you are interested in learning more about Mini Vinnies or would like to support a group near you, please email [email protected]
LANGWARRIN MINI VINNIES
CALENDAR DATESVinnies Christmas Appeal 5 November 2016 to 31 January 2017 Christmas Office Closure - GWH 26 December 2016 - 2 January 2017 Reopening Tuesday 3 January 2017 2017 Ozanam Lecture Sunday 26 February 2017, 2pm Vinnies Winter Appeal 1 May to 31 August 2017 2017 Vinnies CEO Sleepout Thursday 22 June 2017A Call to Serve - 2017 Chapter Saturday 16 September 2017Annual General Meeting Saturday 21 October 2017 Thanksgiving Mass Tuesday 14 November 2017
