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The SVP would like to say a huge thank you to all who picked up an SVP food bank Advent calendar last weekend. It was very encouraging to see that none were left after the 6pm mass on Sunday. If you did miss out on one, and you wish to respond to the appeal, then please note that an advent calendar is on display on our noticeboard in the church porch. Simply take a photo of it and then you’ll have a list of what is needed whenever you go shopping. Remember, too, that we also have a list of the items we generally need on our website. Have a browse of it sometime and you might even find some other useful information.

With the noticeable shortening of the days, and the recent cold snap in the weather, the approach of winter is becoming more tangible. These changes act as a good reminder to all of us to keep an eye on our vulnerable neighbours. Just a simple knock on the door, or tap on the window, can make all the difference to a person living with loneliness. Don’t underestimate the value of these little acts! Just let yourself become an instrument of the Holy Spirit and then your little acts will work magic by giving a sense of hope and love to a person feeling cut off during the winter.

Wednesday is the UN’s World Children’s Day. Please research what this means for you and then raise awareness of the issues among your friendship group. When social justice is lacking, the first victims are usually those already defenceless, such as those suffering from poverty, illness and loneliness. A child in the midst of these issues must be even more vulnerable. The SVP’s mission is to seek out the vulnerable and to bring practical aid to them, with compassion.

The SVP Team is as busy as ever, but with your support, we know we can maintain the pace! And knowing that the work is ultimately guided by the Holy Spirit, and is done in unison with our global Vincentian family, is a real energiser too.

To get an idea of the reach of the global SVP why not visit the global web site. You’ll quickly get an appreciation of the legacy that Blessed Frederic Ozanam left us. As a 20-year-old student in the Sorbonne he must really have had a sense of needing to use his gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit for the betterment of those around him. His legacy is now at work in 155 countries, through 800,000 members. Those are impressive figures!

Last weekend the clocks ‘fell back’ and this heralded the season of darker evenings. It is timely, then, to remind you of one of the core missions of the SVP: to visit the lonely.

Visits can be in the home, care homes, hospitals, prisons, detention centres, or simply greeting a person on the street with a friendly ‘Hello’. Loneliness can be easily masked by the person suffering, so perhaps you could just ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and you’ll be in wonder and awe of the response!