Christmas caroling

From 21st Dec to 23rd Dec 2011, some Vincentians did caroling at homes of some of the FINs and also at the void deck of Blk 170, Toa Payoh.

This is the first time the Conference has carried out the activity and Vincentians were received warmly.

Vincentians sang familiar Christmas carols like Silent Night, Mary's Boy Child and some more contemporary favourites like Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Feliz Navidad. We also added some Hokkien and Cantonese songs.

The session at Blk 170 started off coolly but was soon join by more people.

Vincentians also gave out chocolate and other snacks to spread the Christmas cheers.

Interesting talk by Father Daniel McCaffrey

Listen to these talk. It is very relevant to us being Vincentians.

Christmas Celebration for FINs

Christmas is never the same without the act of charity and the share of joy with the poor. While we do countdowns at events and exchange presents at house parties, it is important to remember the less fortunate who might not have such a festive atmosphere.

At 4pm, SSVP members started preparing and decorating the church hall, while others packed rations at the Charity Corner. The hall was well decorated with Christmas lightings, the microphones and tables were being set up and the catered food was positioned just outside the hall.

The FINs started trickling in around 6pm, and so did the rain drops. After they received their rations, they were ushered into the church hall, a good choice, since the drizzle developed into a massive downpour. The hall started getting crowded and the additional tables emphasized "The more the merrier".

While members helped to dish out the delicious meals to the FINs, a mixture of Christmas Carols, English, Mandarin and Hokkien songs were being performed by Mark and Mark. We took the opportunity to present education awards to the children who did well for their exams; a nice treat for the holidays.

There were also Christmas presents for kids.




The FINs played a game of Bingo, where the adults had to exercise their brains and work their hands.

Laughter, feasting and singing ended around 9.30pm and the FINs went home with rations, and many Christmas presents.

The only real blind person at Christmas time is he who has not Christmas in his heart. — Helen Keller

Great dinner

10 Vincentians went to the Prima Tower Revolving Restaurant on 30th Nov 2011 and had a great dinner. The set dinner was offered at 40% discount and consisted of Beijing Duck, sharksfin soup and abalone. Desert consist of special banana fritters and I must say the noodle dish was nice.

And the restaurant revolves too. Too bad it is dinner. Otherwise we would have a pretty nice view of the southern part of Singapore.

You can find out about the restaurant by visiting its website : http://www.pfs.com.sg/restaurants/prima_tower/

SSVP Retreat

On 13th Nov 2011, the National Council conducted a retreat for Vincentians of Singapore. The theme of the retreat is "Awakening and Beyond" and it was conducted by Fr. Stephen from Ipoh. In the talk, Father discussed about awareness, detachment and mortification as stages involved in the awakening process.

After awakening, comes the illuminated state where one displays more virtues and positive attributes as oppose to negative virtues and attributes. Father challenged us to examine our behaviors to see if we have achieved this state.

During the retreat, Vincentians were also allocated quiet time to reflect on the following:-

- Using Romans 13:11-14, let us explore our lives.....Where are we a people of God? Are we moving towards to become people of Light, or are we in darkness?

- As we ponder upon illuninative stage of spirituality, do we see the need to make the change? Name the changes you like to make.

- How can the Society of St Vincent de Paul become an evangelizing group as it ministers to people in need.

Vincentians were also urged to model after Jesus in humility in the washing of feet. Vincentians were encouraged to allow their feet to be washed, like those of the Disciples, so as to become Disciples.

Recruitment Drive

 This weekend, we held a recruitment drive, which has been a while since the last one. We attached an informative brochure to the church bulletin and set up a table to answer questions from the parishioners. This also coincides with our First Sunday collection.

A few parishioners expressed their interest and we look forward to more volunteers to the society. This will allow us to conduct more exciting activities and better engage our FINs!

Vincentians participating in Mass for the Sick

Charity knows no bound.......

On 26th Oct 2011; a day where the Hindus celebrates Deepavali; the Church of the Risen Christ organized a Mass for the Sick for those who are unwell and elderly - a yearly undertaking. Headed by the Ministry for the Sick, several ministries come together to bring the elderly and sick to Church to celebrate Mass.

Vincentians were engaged to ferry those who need transport.

At about 2 pm, heavens opened with showers of blessings - lots and lots of blessings. However when the time comes to ferry the sick, God stopped the rain. And guess what, the shower resumed after the Mass ended.

During Mass, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick was administered.

I am a Vincentian

This song is written to reflect who a Vincentian is. It is a little upbeat to reflect that Vincentians should be happy people - Kingdom people.

Title: I am a Vincentian

Music and lyrics by: Mark Leong

Peformed by: Mark Leong

Society of St Vincent De Paul Feast Day (National Level)

On 27th September 2011, we celebrated the Feast Day of St. Vincent De Paul. We started off by a mass celebration at the Church of Risen Christ at 6pm. Vincentians all over Singapore, from over 30 Conferences, streamed in to participate in this annual event. We are honored to have Archbishop Nicholas Chia to celebrate the Mass for us.

The Archbishop reminded us of the importance of our duty as Vincentians to help the poor and spread God's word to them. Towards the end of the mass, we had the formal installation of our new National Council President, Paul Foo. After that, long service awards were given to Vincentians who have been serving for the longest time. From Church of Risen Christ, Raymond Leong, Linda Kiong, Edward Soh and Harry Chew each received the 25 years award.

After the mass, the Vincentians marched across the road to Swatow (汕头） restaurant for our dinner.

The restaurant was fully filled with about 45 tables

The 25 years long-service award recipients Raymond, Linda and Edward. (Harry Chew is missing)

 Church of Risen Christ provided a band consisting of Mark Leong (Vocals, Guitar), Mark Tan (Vocals), Nick (Vocals, Guitar), Ronald (Drums), and May May (Guitar). They provided beautiful English, Mandarin and Hokkien music throughout the dinner.

Our Band performaing "我问天"

We also invited an Emcee, Justin (from one of the churches), who provided a splendid entertainment. His tear-filled humor never failed to grip the hearts of the crowd, with jokes about different cultures, languages and persona. There were two rounds of lucky draw; each conference provided a set of prizes.

Our conference took two tables, three if the band is included. Anyway, we enjoyed the company, the food, the music and the jokes. It was already 10pm when the crowd started dispersing.

Written by: Vincent Wei

Society of St Vincent De Paul Feast Day (Church of Risen Christ)

The feast day of Saint Vincent de Paul has been recognized for two centuries. The feast day of Saint Vincent de Paul is actually on September 27, which is the date of the death of Vincent de Paul. Our Church celebrates it two weeks before with our FINs to commemorate his many contributions during his lifetime.
 













The day started at 4pm. At the charity corner, the caterers were preparing the food, while the servers were preparing the tables in the church hall. Vincentians were also helping to set up the tables and chairs, and plan the events on stage. 

The dinner started at 7.30pm. The hall was completely filled up and the dishes were being served to the FINs.Our own band put up some songs for the FINs.

 We were also privileged to have the participation of a  Filipino group that performed songs and dances. There were loud applause after the performances and the FINs were also busy chatting with each other.

 The dinner ended at 9.30pm. Some FINs stayed back to help the Vincentians clear up the place. I think everyone enjoyed the variety of food and events that night.

Written by: Vincent Wei

 

Quarterly Mass

As a community of Vincentians, we come together and celebrate Mass quarterly (4 times a year). The Mass is central to and the driving force of our Christian life and vocation.

Everyone is welcome to the Mass - Vincentians, helpers, benefactors or anyone.

After Mass, we gather together for some fellowship. In the Singapore culture, that normally means food.

Duty at the Tour of Exhibition of Late John Paul II

On 27th and 28th August, there was a Tour of Exhibition of Late John Paul II (1920 - 2005) held in St. John's room in our church.  The different church groups were being tasked to act as ushers and guard the exhibits in these two days. Six of our members were on duty on 28th August from 3pm to 5pm.

The exhibition consisted of relics, banners, posters and a video show. The exhibition described the early life of Pope John Paul II and the many good works he did amidst his travels. The video show was about 1 hour in length and was running continuously.  On 20 November 1986, he visited Singapore and held a mass at the National Stadium. Attendees in this exhibition were given a small booklet and commemorative card at the end of the tour.

Pope John Paul II was beatified on 1 May 2011, a major step towards sainthood. 

"He stood up against Communism and the Cold War. He was a symbol of compassion and hope for millions of people...he inspired Catholics & non-Catholics" - Lee Hsien Loong, PM of Singapore

 

Written by Vincent Wei