ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2, 14 January 1909, Page 59

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY

ST. MARY'S 'CONFERENCE, WELLINGTON

(From our own correspondent.)

At the annual meeting ,of the members of the above conference, held on Thursday evening, January 7, in the presbytery, Boulcott street, the following report of work done during the year ended December 31, was. presented together with a balance sheet showing the receipts and expenditure : — The total membership— Active, 22 ; of honor, 3; and honorary, 17; meetings heid, 52; average attendance' 12; number of cases, 125; persons relieved, 122; visits paid to sick and poor people in their homes, 271; employment provided for 8, passages by boat provided for 8, clothing provided for (families) 12, lodgings and meals provided for 4, school books to 2, visits paid to institutions, including Sunday schools, 121; persons sent 'to "institutions, 6 ; children sent to Catholic schools, 14 ; children committted to Catholic institutions, 5; persons brought to the Church to their religious duties, 7; Masses said for deceased persons, 5. Other good works, 6. A ladies' branch, under the name of ' Guild of Mercy,' was started during the year, which undertakes the distribution of clothing, etc., to the sick and - needy. Bookcases were erected in the St Joseph's and St. Mary of the Angels' Churches for the penny pamphlets of the Catholic Truth Society, the sale of which totalled nearly £15 ,for the year. Sunday school classes^ were opened by the Conference in Mitchelltown and Brooklyn, and are well attended weekly and have already borne good fruit. BALANCE SHEET. Receipts. £ s d December 31, 1907. — To balance' 44 13 6 Secret collections 51 9 3 Subscriptions, donations, and bequests 82 8 7 Poor boxes 9 13 7 Books sold 14 14 q £202 18 11 Expenditure. £ s. d". By Relief jji kind 8 12 6 Relief in money — rent, passages, etc 61 18 9 Relief in clothing, bedding, boots, etc 15 12 6 Books (Catholic' Truth Society) and cost of -^ book cases 26 18 11 Special works. — Donation to Particular Council, £5; to Thorndon, £10; Newtown, £10. Conferences 25 0 0 Payment to nurse 38 10* 0 Unclassified expenditure and sundries 8 5 2 Balance in hand, 31/12/08 18 1 1 £202 18 11' A new Conference- will be opened at St. Joseph's, Church, Buckle street, on Sunday, January 17. The Particular Council of St. Vincent de Paul Society have engaged a second nurse to look after the needs of the sick poor in Wellington. At the quarterly conference meeting reference > was made to the work done by the Wellington Catholic Seamen's Conference during the past year. Every Sunday for the past twelve months all the foreign boats in port were visited by the members, who took with them packages of Catholic and secular literature to distribute among the seamen, also printed cards showing the locality of- the Catholic churches in the city, and the hours at which the services are held. The members have in many cases met the Catholic seamen and escorted them to Mass. An arrangement was made with the chief officer of the Australasian Squadron when in the harbor to allow the Catholic seamen to go to a special Mass on a Sunday in a body. The Mass was held at St. Mary of the Angels', when about .80 sailors were present. The members of the Conference are all young men. '