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Ozanam News Relies on We No Longer Accept Articles JOE MACEACHAN Your Contributions Autumn 2016 Clubbing together lJim Lynch and the amazing origins of the Ozanam Club. Ozanam Friends in Malawi lLucy Feeney highlights hope amidst hunger. NewsSociety of St Vincent de Paul, Scotland On the frontline lArchbishop’s challenge to fight poverty where we find it. Having a BLASTin Kraków Young Vincentians fly the flag for Scotland at World Youth Day in Poland Autumn 2016 Clubbing together Vincentians have a blast lJim Lynch and the amazing Ozanam origins of Ozanam Club. at World Youth Day in lLucy Feeney highlights Krakow. See page 14. News hope amidst hunger Faith, Society of St Vincent de Paul, Scotland On the frontline lArchbishop’s challenge to fight poverty where friendship and flags National President Jim Young Vincentians fly the flag for Scotland at World Youth Day in Poland McKendrick reflects upon how the risen Christ inspires COUNCIL OF SCOTLAND us to serve the poor. SR AGNES MCGARVIE National Spiritual Adviser JAMES MCKENDRICK National President Trustee KEITH WHITEHEAD National Treasurer Trustee RICHARD STEINBACH Trustee St Andrews & Edinburgh CHRISTINE GRAY Trustee Glasgow MICHAEL DOWDS Visit our new website www.ssvpscotland.com for Trustee Paisley Vincentian news from Scotland and the world. JOHN JOYCE @SSVPScotland ‘SSVP Scotland’ Trustee Dunkeld GET INVOLVED! We want to bar, full contact details and ELIZABETH HERLIHY know what your conference is remember to provide caption Trustee up to. If you have a story, share details for photos. Please note Aberdeen it. The Ozanam News relies on we no longer accept articles JOE MACEACHAN your contributions. Send your written on paper or submitted Trustee articles and images (jpg or as PDFs. Articles should be Motherwell/VIP png format only, not PDFs) to written as an email or attached VACANT communication@ssvpscotland. to an email as a Word document. Galloway com. Simply put the name of If you need help, contact editor your conference in the subject Matt Meade on 07985 592920. IAN TIERNEY Twinning Projects [email protected] Publishing Policy 1. The objective is to publish a new Ozanam News, which will be issued three times per year, May, September and November. To facilitate this, a Publications Committee has been formed and a member of the National Council has been made responsible for its operation. The Publications Committee will normally meet two months before going to the print. As at present, the actual putting together of the magazine will be the responsibility The Society of St Vincent de Paul of the National Office staff, who will select the printer and liaise and coordinate with all pre- production functions. 2. In accordance with National Council requirements, the intention National office: will be not to feature ‘editorial’ pieces. Any material deemed to detract from the Society’s 2nd floor, broader aims will be approved by the National Council prior to publication. Hopefully 113 West Regent Street these arrangements will help the new Ozanam News develop into a more humorous, Glasgow G2 2RU educational and spiritual publication which will concentrate on bringing the ociety, its Tel: 0141 226 8833 members and associates closer together. With this togetherness in mind, National Council email: [email protected] agenda business could well become a regular feature in the magazine. In the main, letters for publication will normally be from Twinning parties - regarded as reports. Other letters Ozanam News Editor: Matt Meade will be accepted for publication with an added footnote or returned for discussion by the [email protected] respective Council and/or President if thought to be more appropriate. Saint Pope John Paul II meeting Mehmet Ali Ağca, the man who wounded him in an assassination attempt in 1981. Blessed are the merciful As the Year of Mercy draws to a close, SSVP National President Jim McKendrick focuses on reflecting Jesus’ Divine Mercy in our everyday Vincentian vocation. hroughout his Papacy, are forgotten and to relieve as best the situation of the poor Blessed we can their spiritual and corporal Tweighed heavily on Saint are those miseries. Pope John Paul II. A vital element of our Vincentian In a homily on September 27, who are kind vocation is the visiting of people 1987, the Feast of St Vincent de in need in their own homes, the Paul, he spoke about Vincent as a when they visit, contact between our members and merciful man. never imposing those who are in need. He did this from the perspective “ We seek to befriend them, listen of the beatitudes: “Blessed are their own views intently to their needs and offer the merciful, for they shall obtain and respecting what assistance and advice we mercy (Matthew 5:7),” he said. can. “Today we are gathered in this each person’s’ Blessed are those who are kind square, in front of the Basilica uniqueness in when they visit, never imposing that stands over the tomb of the their own views, respecting each apostle Peter, to remember a man God’s plan. person’s uniqueness in God’s who, in an extraordinary way, plan, their dignity and their right practiced this beatitude in his own to make their own decisions. life and ministry.” Jesus Christ was the centre of As Vincent stated: “Let’s devote The founders of our society fully attention for Vincent de Paul, but ourselves with renewed love to recognised these same virtues. since the whole mystery of Christ serve persons who are poor, and In May 1838, Frederic Ozanam could not be fully understood, even to seek out those who are the wrote to his friend Francois Vincent focused on that which poorest and most abandoned. Let’s Lallier: “At our meetings we are most impressed him. This was acknowledge before God that they now reading the life of St Vincent the Word of God who became are our lords and masters and that de Paul, so as to better imbue man, Jesus’ humanity and Jesus we are unworthy of rendering ourselves with his examples the missionary who draws near them our little services.” and traditions...he is the model to the poor and infirm. These are So as we approach the end of the one must strive to imitate as the individuals that ‘good’ society Year of Mercy and look forward he himself imitated the model has marginalised. And yet, in the to next year’s celebration of of Jesus Christ. He is a life to gospel of Saint Matthew, it is the 400th Anniversary of the be carried on, a heart in which precisely these people with whom Vincentian Charism, may our one’s heart is enkindled...he is a Jesus identifies. In imitation of thoughts remain centred on Divine model on earth and a protector in Christ and Vincent, our vocation Mercy and the imitation of Christ heaven.” calls us to seek and find those who that St Vincent de Paul represents. OZANAM NEWS I 3 James Lynch at his home in Uddingston. Clubbing together The Lynch family and the fascinating story of the foundation of the Ozanam Club... OZANAM NEWS I 4 In 1989, James Lynch and his wife Cathy founded the first Ozanam Club for adults and young people with learning disabilities. They had one room, a ten pound donation and some toys from their loft. Today, Ozanam Clubs are thriving as a place to meet new friends, have fun, and which offer respite for carers. James, 73, spoke to Matt Meade about the success of the club from those humble beginnings. A treasured photo of James and son Andrew being blessed by Pope John Paul II. hy did you start de Paul, hired a hall and took the Ozanam up some games we had lying We had only started a Club? around the house. There few weeks and people began WThere was nothing for the was a bit of hardship at the disabled here in Viewpark. beginning, but it was fun. coming to the Ozanam Club I have two children with from everywhere. Down Syndrome - Andrew How did it develop? and Jayne. So we thought we My idea was to have ten “ would start something that from the community and ten changed and the majority would benefit them in the from Kirklands Hospital. who come to the club have future. I think it gave some of the their carers with them. hospital staff a rest. I’m How did your work as sure some would say: ‘Send What support did the an assistant nurse at them to the Ozanam Club so Society of St Vincent de Kirklands Hospital, we can have a quiet night’ Paul provide? Lanarkshire, help inspire (laughs). Even the social At first the SSVP weren’t this decision? work department wanted to really for it, but now they When I first saw the Down’s get involved after a couple think it’s great! It was two Syndrome children there, of years to see how they full of ginger bottles and that years before the they invited it would have broken your could help out. We had only I could have them. When I me up to the Motherwell heart - just sat in a row and started a couple of weeks and got there a few rough voices diocese to join the diocesan no-one did anything with people were coming from from the workforce shouted council as a special works them. A lot of people were everywhere. The hall was at me: ‘Leave them bottles conference. That’s when we forgotten in there and I felt far too small and we had to - they’re ours!’ I never went started getting donations that in the St Vincent de Paul move to a bigger place.
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