St. Brigid's Cross   Today marks the Feast of St Brigid. Patron Saint of Ireland. Patronal Saint of the Holy Faith Sisters, members of the Vincentian Family. The St. Brigid’s Cross resounds with the timeless folk traditions of Ireland. Throughout Ireland, the cross is associated with the arrival of springtime and with Ireland’s goddess, venerable Saint Brigid of Kildare. The cross is woven by hand of rushes harvested from the river Shannon. Traditionally the cross is found in many houses and shops throughout Ireland, mostly placed over entrance doors. Today they have found new places within contemporary interiors, increasing the ...[Click title to read more]

As Catholic Schools Week has come to a close, here are some updates of the activities held from across the Vincentian Family.       Reflection, meditation and prayer session with Fr. Stephen Monaghan CM in St. Vincent's Castleknock College               Teachers from across the Vincentian Family Schools met to plan the next Schools Formation Day, to be held this coming May on the Feast Day of St. Louise de Marillac.           Posters inspired by the Vincentian Saints.               St. Mary's Holy Faith Glasnevin ...[Click title to read more]

The following is the Homily given by Fr. Paschal Scallon CM on the RTÉ mass for the St. Vincent de Paul Society at the beginning of December:   In the last couple of weeks, the population of the world passed 8 billion. There are 8 billion of us looking to breathe and thrive on this planet. In another part of the universe, where an earth like ours may spin its way through time, our counterparts might marvel at how well they’re doing! But, here, the news that we had passed 8 billion seemed to make us anxious. Is our flourishing ...[Click title to read more]

Vincentian Schools Raise over €18,000 this Christmas   The Vincentian Family are a very proud group this Christmas. As of today, two Vincentian family schools, St. Vincent's Castleknock College and St. Paul's College Raheny, have raised over €18,000 this December in support of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, DePaul, and Vincentian Lay Missionaries. Congratulations and well done to the students and teachers for their hard work and thank you to the kind generosity of all the parents, friends, and families who kindly donated to their collections.   St. Paul's College On Friday 25th November, 30 senior students and 4 ...[Click title to read more]

RTÉ SVP Mass   November 27th marked the annual Sunday mass for the Society of St. Vincent dePaul, broadcast on RTÉ.  The mass was celebrated by SVP national spiritual advisor, Fr. Paschal Scallon CM. The mass saw readers from SVP members and staff from across the island. It was a wonderful opportunity for the Vincentian Family to come together.  Music was provided by the Vincentian Family Schools Choir, comprised of singers from St. Vincent’s Castleknock College, St.Paul’s College Raheny, St. Mary’s Holy Faith Glasnevin, and Caritas College Ballyfermot. A huge well gone to Antonio, Seán and Tommy (St.Paul’s), Ryan O’Donnell ...[Click title to read more]

Vincentian Lay Missionaries Update   Sr Rufine with members of the women’s empowerment group       VLM currently have a volunteer on a placement in Tanzania. Jane, from County Roscommon, is volunteering with the Daughters of Charity in Masanga, Tanzania. She is working with two of their projects – the Women’s Empowerment Project and the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Programme. The women’s project is focused on income generation and raising the confidence and self-esteem of local women.     Jane pictured with teams from the soccer league The FGM is a unique program that aims ...[Click title to read more]

Irish Vincentian Schools This week saw a very exciting first for the Vincentian Family in Ireland - a gathering of the six Vincentian schools from across the island! Student representatives from St. Vincent's Castleknock College, St. Paul's College Raheny, Caritas College Ballyfermot, St. Louise's Comprehensive College Belfast, St. Mary's Holy Faith Glasnevin, and Holy Faith Secondary School Clontarf all attended the formation day in the Margaret Aylward Centre in Glasnevin.   The students participated in workshops looking at their school crests, the Vincentian family and our values, and the miraculous medal. Each school was presented with a framed representation of ...[Click title to read more]

Depaul 20th Anniversary Event On the 14th of October, Depaul Ireland celebrated  20 years in service, helping those who are marginalised and homeless in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Depaul was founded in 2002 by the SVP, Daughters of Charity and Vincentian Fathers. It represents the Vincentian Family in action. All in the Vincentian Family congratulate Depaul on this milestone and the life changing work that they undertake.The Depaul family came together in Dublin, from 37 services across the island, to mark this milestone in the Helix in Dublin.The opportunity was used to reflect on how a compassionate and non-judgmental approach ...[Click title to read more]

A New Mission in Kenya for the Daughters of Charity   Let us pray in thanksgiving as the Daughters of Charity open a new house in Mombasa Kenya with the blessing of the new local Archbishop. We wish Sr. Mary Holland, Sr. Mary Kissingu, Sr. Brenda Wanyonyi and Sr. Josephine Ngui blessings of hospitatlity, tenderness and courage as they take up their new mission. It was wonderful to see Irish sisters, Sr. Catherine Mulligan and Sr. Anita Hubrich, who have been missioned in Kenya for many years enjoying the celebrations. Make sure to watch the video!   ...[Click title to read more]