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We had our February monthly meeting on Monday evening and, as usual, we had a packed agenda that reflected the wide range of workstreams we have in place. Even though it was a cold February night, we have a very strong turn-out in the hall and others joined in online over Zoom.

There is a tremendous energy within the team, and a real longing to do what we can for all those in need. This energy, of course, is powered by the Holy Spirit and, in a very tangible way, it is also powered by yourselves – our fellow parishioners.

The New Year is now moving along and things are getting back to normal for the SVP Team.

• The SVP Gifted shop will be open next weekend, the first Sunday of February, so please have a look at our stock. If there is some religious item that you would like that we have not got, then just mention it. We make regular orders and can try and have it for March.
• Our Bereavement Support Group is back on the first Wednesday of each month in the hall, after the 10am mass. Please mention this to anyone you think might be just needing a chat – a cup of tea with some friendly faces might make all the difference!
• Our young people’s B-Attitudes Team held their first meeting of the year on Friday evening and are now busy planning their events calendar for 2023 – you’ll be hearing more!

If any of these activities interest you, or indeed if you’d just like to know about the SVP Team and what we do, then just get in touch!

I wonder if Blessed Frederic Ozanam realised what a global organisation the SVP would become when he founded it in 1833? Today, the SVP has conferences, i.e. local groups, in many countries and the SVP headquarters encourages each conference to twin with at least one conference in another country.

This has some great upsides in that ideas and lessons learnt can be shared, prayers can be offered for each other, friendships can be nurtured and resources can be distributed to where they are most needed. One downside, however, is the language barrier. We are twinned with a conference in Romania but are really struggling to communicate effectively – even with the help of Google Translate! Can you, or do you know anyone who can, speak or read Romanian? We would truly welcome your help as we strive to better know our Romanian Twin!! We look forward to some help with this request.

With the New Year now in motion, the SVP and B-Attitudes teams are already ‘back to normal.’ Our busiest workstreams at the moment are the food bank, bereavement support, home visits and care home visits. Since we re-formed the SVP in the parish in 2016, we have really only being visiting one care home in our parish, Brackenbridge House. There are others, but we simply do not have enough members to cover them.

Now that we are reaching the end of 2022, it just remains for the SVP Team, and our young persons SVP B-Attitudes Team, to wish all of you a very Holy and Peaceful Christmas and the best of everything for 2023.

The SVP Team was re-established in the parish in 2016, the Year of Mercy, in response to the appeal from Pope Francis for every parish on the planet to perform an act of mercy. Since then, we have only been able to keep going by the power of the Holy Spirit and the tangible support from yourselves. Please accept our heartfelt thanks and please continue to pray for, and support, us as we head in to what looks like choppy waters ahead.