DMA: Work of Mercy.
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031211
SVDP
Society
Of St Vincent De Paul
|
President |
Edgar Voong |
|
Vice President I |
Paul Riseng |
|
Vice President II |
Leo Jitien |
|
Secretary |
Adriana Tie |
|
Treasurer |
Henry Chua |
More Contact
Simon Au
Sources
http://www.kuchingcatholic.org.my/?page_id=15
Kuching hosts SSVP’s annual
meeting
Published
on: September 02, 2011 at 15:26 PM
KUCHING: The recent 47th Annual Delegates Meeting of
the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SSVP) National Council of Malaysia was held
for the first time outside Peninsular Malaysia. Hosted by the SSVP Archdiocesan
Council of Kuching, the well-coordinated weekend event was staged in the Telang Usan Hotel in Kuching,
Sarawak.
The much-acclaimed Sarawak hospitality and graciousness greeted delegates and
observers at the Kuching International Airport with internal logistics taken
care of by members of the conferences and the Vincentian youth support group.
The event would go down into the annals of the Society’s 22-year old history in
Sarawak — this being the first major event since its establishment by the
National Council of Malaysia in St Joseph’s parish in Kuching. The presence of
Vincentians from overseas gave the occasion a touch of internationality.
The state’s first Conference — the Cathedral-based Conference of St Joseph —
formed in November 1989, has since grown and has initiated the extension of the
Vincentian mission to neighbouring Lundu (Conference of the Holy Spirit), Kota Padawan (Conference of St. Anne), Bau
(Conference of St. Stephen), Serian (Conference of
St. Teresa) and Sibu (Conference of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus). It is learnt that plans are in place for further extensions by the
Archdiocesan Council of Sarawak.
Ecclesiastical Assistant of the Society Fr Mari Arokiam of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, in
congratulating and thanking the SSVP in Sarawak for undertaking the challenge
to host the maiden gathering of delegates of the National Council and observers
in Kuching said in his message, “Annual General Meetings are moments for us to
come together and build our relationships. It is also a time to reflect on and
review the work we have carried out throughout the year.
Through our listening to each other’s struggles and challenges we are also
called to find new ways and means to carry out our work better to meet our
objectives and goals. In the process of our sharing we must also draw plans for
the future formation of our members and their spirituality, the implementation
of projects in our respective Conferences, collaboration with our Councils and
the building up of our Society and its image.”
Citing the call of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI in his recent address to
Caritas Internationalis calling on it to “Work with
the Church”, Fr Mari called on the national assembly
of delegates to “take it to heart and find a direction to work towards this
identity.” He added, “We are called to become the catalyst that would challenge
the spirit of individualism and isolation within us and around us and to build
one church through our love and service for the poor.”
National President Dunstan Dominic Augustine in his short address touched on
his published report. He pointed out that membership in the Society ought to be
seen as a vocation to “witness to the compassionate and liberating love of
God.” Welcoming younger Vincentians into the apostolate, the President said
that the infusion of young blood was necessary to help out and eventually
complement the generation of ageing Vincentians which now constitute 84 per cent
of the membership. He said that national formation programmes
would include empowering Vincentians to address the needs of the ‘new poor’
communities.
The delegates’ meeting in Kuching was honoured by the
presence of three representatives of the International Confederation of the
Society of the Council General in Paris. Council General’s Vice-President
(International Structure) John Lee from Hong Kong, International Territorial
Vice-President for West Asia Joseph Pandian from
India and International Territorial Vice President for Asia and Oceania Thomas
Tan from Singapore, made time to stop over in Malaysia to be in Kuching. They
briefed the assembly on the current management and structural operation of the
Society in the world. Adding to the internationality of the event was the
presence of Lucas Williams the President of the SSVP National Council of the
Republic of Singapore.
With the support of visuals, the assembly was led to understand the mission-centred current working mechanism of the international
structure of the 178-year old charitable organization founded by Frederic Ozanam in 1833. Relevant in today’s context and addressing
the needs of the socially handicapped in 147 countries through its 49,500
Conferences and 750,000 members in the world, the Society of St Vincent de Paul
with its life-giving international structure is able to competently coordinate
the Society’s mission commitment across the globe.
Decentralized regional grouping has made it possible for effective regional
collaboration between the National Councils of countries. Malaysia is grouped
with Brunei, Indonesia, the Republic of the
Philippines and the Republic of Singapore to constitute Group 1 in East Asia.
The effective structural layout of the Society today makes it a Global Catholic
Charity. It embraces firmly its close and strong relations with the hierarchy
and the church while offering itself to collaborative participation in the
social sphere. — By Eddie
Joseph
http://www.heraldmalaysia.com/news/Kuching-hosts-SSVP%E2%80%99s-annual-meeting-9853-2-1.html