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This is my first week as our SVP president. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Paul O’Regan for everything he has done over the past five years and I hope I can continue in his footsteps and grow the SVP on the great foundations he has built. Paul, as the vice president, will be there to guide me if I go off course.

This weekend our SVP shop, GIFTED, will be open at the back of the church, or if the weather is good we may even venture outside. We have a variety of religious items, including statues, candles, greeting cards and rosary beads, to name but a few. If there is something specific you are looking for, or if you have any suggestions, please let us know and we will try our best to find it for you.

This weekend marks some major birthdays for the SVP! Tomorrow is the birthday of St Vincent de Paul, born in France on April 24, 1581. Today, however, is the birthday of Blessed Frederic Ozanam – he was born 232 years later, in Italy, on April 23, 1813.

In 1833, when the Holy Spirit moved Blessed Frederic to address the issues of hunger, poverty, homelessness and illness around the Sorbonne University in Paris, he assembled a group of friends together to help him answer the call. He named this group after St Vincent de Paul, who is the patron saint of charity.

We had our final monthly meeting of the current SVP five-year term on Monday evening and so, from April 26th, our new president, Tracy Tierney, takes over the reins! In accordance with the SVP’s governance principles, Tracy has appointed a new leadership team for the coming term. This team consists of Vice-President Paul O’Regan, Secretary Leanne Menezes and Treasurer Linda Donoghue.

The team of six that embarked in April 2016 has now been transformed in to an amazing team of 17 members. Where will the Holy Spirit lead us to by 2026?! Please accept our thanks for all your support over the last five years and please pray for the whole SVP Team as we embark on the next stage of our journey.

The hope that the SVP Team is able to offer to those we help is beautifully reflected in the hope that we all experience through the message of our Risen Lord on Easter morning.

Without your help, though, the hope being offered by the SVP Team would not be possible. So, at this lovely time of year, we would like to wish you all a very Happy and Holy Easter and say a huge ‘Thank You’ for sustaining us through your encouragement, feedback and support.

One of our new initiatives for 2021 has been the launch of Gifted, our religious items shop/stall. It operates after all the Sunday masses on the first Sunday of each month – 5:30pm Saturday and 10am, 12noon and 6pm on Sunday. So far it has operated in February and March and your support has been just brilliant! We never realised that our congregation missed a religious items shop/stall so much. Please God the SVP, with the help of the Young Persons SVP, will be able to keep this initiative running in to the long term!