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Nelson - St. Paul’s Vinnies

The St. Paul’s Vinnies got underway early in preparation for Christmas again this year through assisting the Richmond St. Vincent de Paul Christmas Hamper Appeal. The Christmas hampers are put together on an annual basis by the conference to go out to people and families in need in the community. According to Jo Coman, Secretary for the Richmond Conference, “Each year the Society makes up and delivers these delicious and festive hampers to those people/families less fortunate in our communit...

Nelson - St. Peter Chanel Vinnies

Friendship has definitely been the key theme for the St. Peter Chanel Vinnies for 2018 as they have worked on reaching out to others in their school community and beyond. In Term One they had the opportunity of having Chelsea Routhan from Big Brothers Big Sisters come to speak to them about the role of this mentoring organisation in the community and were able to present to Chelsea a box of resources that the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors can use in the schools that they visit. The box includ...

Kaiapoi Young Vinnies

Below is a photo of Young Vinnies group consisting of 10 Yr 7 and 8 students from St. Patrick's School, Kaiapoi. They are very keen and willing to help out in the local community.With money raised from a 'Wearing PJs Day' at school they collected a donated gold coin from participants. With this money we took them shopping for the best deals to boost up our SVDP foodbank....

Young Vinnie - Western BOP

Over the last year 133 young people (9-18 years) from around the Western Bay of Plenty have been involved in a journey learning about how we all can make a difference in our own community. The young vinnies have embraced each cause they have chosen with great enthusiasm and dedication. The children are inspiring, intelligent, and compassionate and bring hope to our future. Many of our school groups have grown due to word of mouth of the fun we have. Some of the good deeds the young vinnies have ...

Napier/Hastings Young Vinnies

At St Patricks, Napier, we visited the Edu-Kids childcare centre which is next door to the school. It's a great chance for the bigger kids to see what goes on right next door to them. Some of the Vinnies got to show off their little brothers and sisters. Those about to start school got a chance to meet with older children they may see soon.The Vinnies spent last term making felt and turning them into mobiles to give away. They were much admired.In Waipukarau at St Josephs School we are preparing...

Earthbench Project

Helping the school community through rejuvenating the Sacred Space (a quiet area of the school that students can retreat to) was the outreach project that the St. Paul's Vinnies undertook this year with the assistance of students throughout the school.From stuffing 1.5 litre plastic disposable bottles with non-biodegradable rubbish to coming up with the design for the earthbench and then creating this construction, students were involved at all levels of this project. Inspired by the Vinnies inv...

Reaching out to the Lonely

The Christchurch Young Vinnies are reaching out to the lonely in their community by hosting morning tea in four schools for elderly residents who live in their own homes. A mini bus from Age Concern picks up around 10 people and brings them to the school where the children host them for a morning tea and chat for around 45 minutes. The Young Vinnies plan what they will do for their guests and their guests, most who live alone, really enjoy the chance to get out of their homes and have some compa...

Reaching out to New Settlers

The Young Vinnies in Hawkes Bay are reaching out to new settlers in their community and learning more about other cultures. New settlers, particularly from the Philippines are settling into the Hawke’s Bay area, where many work in the dairy industry. The Young Vinnies are finding out more about their new neighbours by learning about their food and finding out what life was like in their homeland.A talk was arranged with local priest Father Nathanial Brazil who told the Young Vinnies about his ...

‘People Are Gifts’ – A Two-year Disability Awareness Programme

Two years of work about young people with disabilities has resulted in St. Paul’s Vinnies publishing a book. People are gifts features the profiles of eight young people with disabilities such as hearing and vision impairment, cerebral palsy, autism, down syndrome, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and dyslexia. The book is filled with easy to read information for young people and their peers to understand, and lists of organisations and websites that parents, teachers and the community can refer too.&nb...

Auckland Young Vinnies Commissioning Mass

Over 50 Young Vinnie youth leaders from across the Auckland diocese, celebrated their commissioning mass with Bishop Patrick Dunn on Saturday 2nd May, 2015 at St Patrick’s Cathedral. The young leaders, from over 13 Catholic secondary schools, tertiary groups, parishes and communities, were joined by members of the Society, and friends, family and supporters.Bishop Dunn encouraged and blessed the new leaders as they began their journey of service in 2015. Each leader was handed a candle, symbol...

McAuley High, Otahuhu – Easter Can-drive

Young Vinnies from McAuley High School, Otahuhu along with their teacher, John Bower organised an Easter can-drive to help families in their area over the Easter period. SVDP volunteers, Anthony and Keith from the Otahuhu SVDP centre collected all the goods for the Otahuhu food bank....

Learning more about the Young Vinnies, St Patrick’s, Nightcaps, Southland


Five students from a small one class school in Southland are reflecting on joining the Vincentian family and the possibility of setting up the first Young Vinnies group in the 119- year history of St Patrick’s School, Nightcaps.Principal of Trinity Schools in Southland, Anne Canny asked Ann Kennelly, the Young Vinnies Southland Co-ordinator, to come and explain to the seniors the work of the society and the Young Vinnies.The students gave up their lunch time to listen, learn and ask questions ...

Young Vinnies, Silverstream: Reaching out to an Old Boy

The Young Vinnies from St Patricks, Silverstream, Wellington raised $500 to help an old boy of their school who is now a tetraplegic and in Wellington’s spinal unit receiving care.  Mike O’Leary, the co-ordinator for the Old Boy’s Association, receives the gift on behalf of the family....

Tonga & Samoa Update

With Cyclone Gita passing through Tonga and Samoa in February we had to try and meet the immediate needs of both areas as requested through their National Councils. Samoa got off relatively lightly with most of the damage being flooding and some roofs ripped off mostly at the western end of the main island, Upolu. There was also considerable damage to crops, breadfruit and bananas. It will be 6 months before crops will be reproducing. Damage to a drinking water supply on the island of Savaii als...

Ashburton Conference

The Ashburton Conference is responsible for helping the needy across a huge area of about 6000 square kilometres. Much of the work is in Ashburton itself and the conference has a membership of about 28 to do the work there. Some years ago, to lessen the travelling, ‘satellite conferences’ of three or four members were established in the outlying towns of Methven and Rakaia.Through people leaving the area and getting older the time has come to strengthen these two groups. An informa...

St Patricks Palmerston North Assists Asylum Seekers

Rose and Joseph were originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo where French is the official language. Their separate journeys started years earlier after both witnessed terrible violence and abuse by government and armed forces.  Both moved to South Africa where they met and married. Joseph was a victim in an armed robbery when the supermarket he was working for was held up. Plans were made to emigrate to New Zealand which was viewed as a safe haven. In May 2015 they arrived as asylu...

Greymouth Conference

The Conference in collaboration with two Mercy Sisters, Sr Theresa Scott and Sr Anne McLaughlin assist those who live in a low socio-economic suburbs of Greymouth in a meaningful way: For over 20 years Cobden Mercy Outreach has been a home for the homeless on the West Coast, hosting families from Karamea to Haast for periods from a few days to a number of months. Those seeking accommodation are not homeless by choice, they are often casualties of domestic violence or of insufficient government s...

What Ever it Takes Service W.I.T.S. - Napier

Napier Area Council, St Patrick’s and St Mary’s Conferences of St Vincent de Paul Napier help the marginalized people in Napier, through their interaction with W.I.T.S. which is What Ever It Takes Service in conjunction with the Napier City Council and Department of Social Welfare. People who are helped are the  homeless, those who have mental health and addiction issues. W.I.T.S. runs an Outreach centre on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday where about 20 people gather for breakfast, get h...

International Themed Year of Francis Lallier 2018

As 16th President General, I announce that 2018 is the INTERNATIONAL THEMED YEAR OF FRANÇOIS LALLIER. On 8th February 2018, the International General Council will launch the International Competition, for monographs on "The First Conference - Lallier", in order to delve into the biography and works of François Lallier, one of those responsible for the collegial foundation of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, in 1833. Awards will be granted to the academic works that seek to present new or ...

'Charity and Social Media' address by Renato Lima

On Saturday, November 11, the SSVP of Italy organized, in Turin, a video conference entitled “Charity and Social Media” which was attended by 300 people, in the auditorium of the Industrial Union of Torino. The round table was moderated by the SSVP member Alessandro Ginotta. From Brazil, the 16th General President of the SSVP, Renato Lima, participated. You can read Renato’s speech below: Dear Vincentian Friends of Italy,Dear Journalists,Good Afternoon.It is with great joy that I participa...

Pope Francis praises Vincentians on 400th Anniversary

Greeting 10,000 Vincentians, including 500 priests and even more nuns and thousands of laity in St. Peter’s Square on the 400th anniversary of their founding, Pope Francis thanked God for “the impulse of charity that came from the heart of their founder, St. Vincent De Paul, which has lasted through the centuries.” He strongly encouraged them “to continue in movement on the roads of the world” as they have been doing, and to draw their strength from prayer and the adoration of the Lord...

Sri Lanka - Special Project Assistance Appeal

The intention of the National Council of Sri Lanka is to build toilets in each conference starting the second half of 2017 by employing direct labour obtained from the villages themselves under the supervision of a competent engineer or suitable person/s. Fellow Vincentians will also be involved and will oversee the project.See how you can support this appeal by downloading the information flyer below....

The 400th Birthday of the Vincentian Charism

Author: Father Robert Maloney, CM – International Spiritual Advisor of CGI/SSVP St. Vincent always regarded 1617 as the birthday of his Family. Even though his three principal foundations had distinct juridical birth dates – the Confraternities of Charity in 1617, the Congregation of the Mission in 1625, and the Daughters of Charity in 1633 –Vincent consistently looked back at 1617 as the year when everything began. He had two experiences that year which transforme...

400th Anniversary of the Birth of the Vincentian Charism

The entire Vincentian Family prepares to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of the Vincentian Charism that will take place throughout the year 2017.  In a video posted on the occasion of the feast of Pentecost, Father Gregory Gay (Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission) addressed a message to the Vincentians:  "We have closed the Year of Vincentian Collaboration and we are beginning the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the birth of the Vincentian Charism f...

St Vincent de Paul in New Zealand - 150 yrs

For 150 years Conferences and Councils of the Society in New Zealand have acquired, documented and preserved the Society’s most important works through articles, minutes, reports and photographs.Our 150th Anniversary in 2017 celebrates the Society’s achievements and pays tribute to pioneer Vincentians who performed their charitable works despite adverse personal and economic hardships by adherence to the spirit of the Society and love of neighbour. The fire in 1981 at the building in Woodwar...