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The SVP team would like to say ‘Thank You’ to everyone who was able to attend the Bingo evening last Saturday evening. The fact that it was a sell-out gives the team the energy and the confidence to continue to do what we are doing! Please, never underestimate the importance of your supprt to us.

Addressing all the different appeals for need can be daunting sometimes, especially when our inclination, powered by the Holy Spirit, is always to say ‘Yes’. So far, we have been able to deliver on each ‘Yes’ and we know that this has only been possible because of the fabulous parish we have. As Fr Paulo mentioned at the Bingo evening, if you would like to get more involved in the SVP then just reach out to any of us, either by phone, by email or when you see us around and about!

One of the pillars of the SVP is to reach out to the lonely. Many people are very fortunate to be able to visit their mums this weekend, but perhaps even more people are unable to, due to distance or maybe because their mum is no longer with us. So, while some celebrate Mothering Sunday, others feel a terrible sense of loneliness. We try and address this by our home and care home visits and by being available on the phone. We could do with more help, though. We seem to find that the more need we address, the more need we identify.

The SVP in the Westminster Diocese is holding its annual festival on Saturday, March 25, at St Aloysius Church in Euston, starting at 10:30 a.m. Everyone is invited, SVP members as well as non-members. You can book your free ticket online or by contacting the SVP headquarters.

Why not check your calendar and see if this date works for you? It could be the best Saturday you’ve had in a while! You will hear from the various conferences throughout the diocese and you might learn of all the different types of work being carried it. It might, then, even inspire you to join our conference. We have a growing workload and we can do even more if we have more volunteers. Please do think about this seriously.

The noticeable lengthening of the evening is a sure sign that the year is rolling along. The SVP Team is now working on all its fronts and our regular series of events are well in motion.

• On Friday evening, we held our latest monthly meeting of the B-Attitudes as an outdoor event, by seeking out the homeless in our community and offering them some warm clothing.
• Our next Bereavement Support Group meeting is in the hall on the first Wednesday of March, this coming Wednesday at 10:30am.
• Our next SVP Team meeting is on the first Monday of March.
• Squeezed in between these two events is our Gifted shop, on the weekend of the first Sunday of the month, March 4 and 5.

So: It is all go!! We are doing other things too, so have a look at our website and see if there is something there that you would like to help with. Maybe it could become your Lenten commitment?

One of the blessings of being able to help those in need is that you meet wonderful people, both on the giving side and on the receiving side. Another blessing is that you then have the opportunity of making a real difference, by joining the dots and linking the donations to those in need of them.

One area we struggle with, though, is the practicality of joining the dots – e.g., arranging transport to pick up a donation of a bed or a table and delivering that to the person in need. If you are able to help, can you please make contact with us? Ideally, we would have a bank of transporters so that the burden can be shared. Please consider this request and respond as you can. You will find it very rewarding.