St Vincent Paul was a priest who walked in the footsteps of Jesus. He was a true missionary. In 1729, he was declared as Blessed and in June 1737, he was canonized. He was renowned for his compassion, humility and generosity. He is known as the “Great Apostle of Charity”. He founded many congregations for women, men and priests as well. But SVP was not founded by him. It is a lay organization founded by Fredrick Ozanam in 1833. Fredrick was very much touched and inspired by the works of St Vincent De Paul.
SVP in Udyavar was started in 1982. Our parish has 10 members enrolled in SVP, out of which one is an honorary member. Every parish priest till date have helped this association financially and morally and guided them in every step. Currently they have adopted 6 poor families and are taking care of all their needs. Meanwhile, they are always ready to help anyone when needed, be it an individual or a family.
In our parish, they conduct their meetings every Sunday after the mass and discuss about their on-going deeds and future plans. In a year, at least once, they pay a visit to Ozanam Home in Kallianpur. They provide a selfless service to all the needy people and help in whatever small way they can. They don’t make noise while helping others. Their humble works are praiseworthy.
Presently, Mr Dominc Monteiro is the serving President. And they, along with the parish priest’s guidance and help are really doing a great job. Let the Almighty God bless them in their selfless service to humanity. May they be more generous, more courteous, more helpful, more sacrificial and more humble. May God give them the strength and courage to look after the destitute and the poor.