society of st vincent de paul – NZ Catholic Newspaper

Four centuries of Christchurch Vinnies service

Kathleen Casey — Wed, 07 Dec 2016 22:33:51 +0000

In a worthy occasion, the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Christchurch recently celebrated a total of more than 400 years of apostolic work carried out by nine members of local conferences. Each had been an SVDP member for 40 years, some for more than this.echo $variable;

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Pakuranga fisherman and parishioner farewelled

Michael Otto — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 03:48:41 +0000

by MICHAEL OTTO Fishermen are known for their stories, but there were many stories about one particular fisherman told at St Mark’s Church in Pakuranga on August 21. The occasion was the funeral of Mervin De Rozario, 61, whose body was found in the sea between Waiheke and Motuihe Islands on August 16. The previous

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New lease on life for Glenfield SVdP shop service

Rowena Orejana — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 21:09:42 +0000

by ROWENA OREJANA
AUCKLAND — The Society of St Vincent de Paul opened another shop on the North Shore in early June.
St Vincent de Paul volunteers said the shop, in Ellice Rd, Glenfield, is more cheerful,
has a lighter atmosphere and is more central.
“We really wanted something around Glenfield,” said Davina Kennedy, SVdP volunteer.
“We’ve been on the hunt for more than a year.”
Vivienne, a volunteer who asked not to be identified, said they looked for another location
because the lease on their Beachhaven shop was expiring.
“The shop in Beachhaven is actually getting a bit small. The lease is coming to an end. There’s no storage in the back, really,” she said. She added that it was difficult for
volunteers from Devonport, Takapuna and other parts of the North Shore to get to.
“So we looked for something more central. And we found this place. Most of the
other places were too expensive. They wanted huge rents for them. But the landlord here
bent over backwards to help us. He’s been very good.”
Mrs Kennedy said several big businesses around the area contributed paint and other construction supplies to get the shop ready by June 1. People also volunteered to
carry out the construction.
The society’s North Shore conference earlier planned to close down the Beachhaven shop after the lease expired.
But the shop’s regular customers asked that it be kept open. The lease had been renewed.
“We are running them in tandem at the moment,” said Mrs Kennedy.
The society is made up of conferences at the grassroots level. Funds raised from the
shops go to the poor and the needy.
“There are a lot of poor people in the North Shore,” said Vivienne of the Auckland suburb that is generally considered affluent. “People get redundant and lose their jobs. They get sick and can’t work. Terrible things happen to people,” she said.
Mrs Kennedy said they welcome volunteers to help, as well as pre-loved items to sell.
Those include clothing, shoes, bags, interesting collectables, kitchenware, linen, towels and
blankets, toys, games, books, music, glasses and jewellery.
The items must be in good condition, clean and ready to be sold. Patronage is welcome.
She said sometimes people would visit the shops just to talk. “We also offer companionship,”
said Mrs Kennedy.
Vivienne said prayer is good, but people need to do more. “We need to actively do things for the community. We need to look at each person and see God,” she said.

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Nuncio says volunteers especially needed now

Michael Otto — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

WELLINGTON

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Recession increases requests for assistance

Michael Otto — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0000

WELLINGTON Catholic social agencies workloads are soaring as the economy turns sour. Society of St Vincent de Paul centres have had a 40 per cent rise in requests for food, furniture, clothing and counselling in recent months, and referrals from other agencies have increased. National executive director Anne-Marie McCarten said the demand will only increase

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