Daijiworld Media Network – Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jan 22: The St Vincent De Paul Society (SVP), an international service organisation popularly known as SSVP, is celebrating 100 years of its presence in the Mangalore diocese. The centenary valedictory ceremony will be held on Sunday, January 25, at the Father Muller Convention Centre.
The programme will be presided over by the Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, bishop of Mangalore. The international president of SSVP, Juan Manuel Buergo Gomez, will arrive from Spain and participate as the chief guest. The Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, bishop emeritus of the Mangalore diocese, Jude Mangalraj, president of the SSVP National Council, and Joseph Pandian, international ombudsman, will be present as guests of honour.
Members of the Karnataka Legislative Council Ivan D’Souza, director of Father Muller Charitable Institutions Fr Faustine Lucas Lobo, and renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist Joseph Elias Menezes will also grace the occasion as guests of honour. In addition, Santiago Manickam, national secretary of SSVP, Asha Vaz, and youth representative Alister Nazareth will be present on the dais.
The St Vincent De Paul Society, the world’s largest Catholic lay service organisation, was established in Mangaluru at Bendur Church on January 10, 1926. In the same month, the Milagres unit was formed, followed by two more units in May 1926 at Rosario Cathedral and Bejai church.
The core mission of the St Vincent De Paul Society is to visit the poor and the needy and provide them with necessary assistance while strictly maintaining confidentiality and dignity. At present, under the Mangaluru Central Council, there are 111 units, each adopting at least five families in their respective neighbourhood and caring for them as members of their own family. Currently, 623 adopted families comprising 1,765 family members are being supported. With a total strength of 1,618 members across 111 units and two youth units, the SSVP continues its service to the poor quietly and without publicity.
In collaboration with Father Muller Medical College Hospital, Mangaluru, and Thumbay, a major project providing free medical treatment and dialysis care to members of adopted families is being successfully implemented.
To commemorate the centenary, the St Vincent De Paul Society has launched two major initiatives. ‘Shikop’ aims to provide educational support for higher studies to about 405 students from SSVP-adopted families, while ‘Aasro’ offers financial assistance to 100 families for the construction or repair of their houses. During the valedictory function, the SSVP–Trinity Kidney Care Project will also be inaugurated with the support of Joseph E Menezes’s Trinity Medicare Services Trust, Udupi, to assist kidney patients with medicines and dialysis.
The Society was founded in 1833 in Paris, France, by Blessed Frederic Ozanam, then aged 22, along with six companions. Today, it is present in 158 countries worldwide, with over 800,000 members and more than one million volunteers dedicated to serving the poor and marginalised. In India, the Society was established in Mumbai in 1863 and currently has 7,225 units with 65,546 members.
Addressing a press meet held on Thursday January 22, at the Press Club, Mangaluru, the details of the centenary celebrations were shared by Joe Coelho, president, Central Council; Ligoury Fernandes, secretary, Central Council; Clarence Machado, treasurer, Central Council; Philomena Menezes, convener, Centenary Celebration Committee; and Loyd Rego, convener, Media Committee.