The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) is an international Catholic voluntary organisation prowling direct practical help to those in need. It has 10,000 members in England and Wales who carry out befriending visits mainly at parish level, with 800,000 members world wide.
Our Lady of Peace Parish has had a conference since 1948 and is actively engaged in visiting the elderly, the lonely, the sick, the housebound and those in hospital or Care homes. We generally have about 20 friends that we maintain contact with, as not all those listed in the Parish Bulletin require visits.
Apart from visits we can also help with lifts to church and hospital as well as shopping, and sometimes give financial support where Social Services have not been able to assist.
We also, with the CWL arrange a Mass for the sick twice a year, followed by a tea Party where old friends can meet and exchange news. In addition we visit at Christmas and Birthdays with cards, flowers and chocolates. In a few cases we have helped to secure household and other needs.
We currently have 7 members who are spending about 50 Hours a month on these activities. Many of us are not getting any younger and we are keen to ensure future continuity. We are therefore hoping to recruit at least 4 new members – Men and Women to join.
The role would be ideal for any caring individual who has the time to give and we would particularly welcome people who have taken early retirement and have one or two hours a week to give.
We currently meet monthly for about 1 hour to review our programmes and allocate resources. New members require references and CRB/DBS clearance and we can help with these.
If you can help please contact Dominic on 01753 646247 or Bemie on 01628 603315 or any one of our members.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul usually meets on the 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month in the Sacristy at Our Lady of Peace.
Our Lady of Peace 