Society and the church “owe a great debt of
gratitude” to St Vincent de Paul members “not just for what they do, but
for who they are,” the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin
has said.
“They show what the church is and how communion
with each other must be the mark of those who gather around the altar
of communion,” he said.
Speaking at the weekend conference, he said
that the “Vincent de Paul man and woman” had “the ability to identify
the sign of the times of today and to respond, always remembering that
the poor deserve the best and what we do for them in Jesus’s name aims
to give them voice and hope on their own for the years to come.”
Addressing members of the St Vincent de Paul
Society directly, he said the prestige it enjoys in Ireland “does not
come from the sharpness of your social analysis no matter how important
and competent that may be. Your credibility comes because people trust
you. They trust you not to have vested interest or interest in personal
gain either financial or in reputational.”
Its members “are known to be out there week
after week close to people, with the people . . . giving without asking
anything in return.”
Vulnerability
He asked: “Who would have thought just five years ago that we would have situation where precariousness and vulnerability touch so many sectors of the population here in Ireland; a situation in which men and women who generously gave to the society last year would today have to turn to the society for help?”
He continued: “The charism of the Society of St
Vincent de Paul is to be out there among people not just with material
help but with respect and love and even admiration for those whom they
help.”