SSVP SELANGOR CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF GOD’S INVITATION TO BE HIS INSTRUMENT OF LOVE AND SERVICE.
The State Council of Selangor celebrates its 50 years of existence this year. The official launch of Golden Jubilee celebration is on 27th September 2013 to coincide with the Feast Day of St Vincent de Paul, the Patron Saint of the Society; and the year-long celebration will end on the same Feast Day date on 27th September 2014.
The theme of the celebration is “Transforming our Faith by Empowering the Poor & Marginalised”. This theme has been incorporated into the celebration logo as shown.
As the commencement of 50th year celebration also coincides with the Church declared “Year Of Faith”, the State Council has drawn up a programme to “catechize” Vincentians in Selangor (and also Catholics), so that they will, in humbleness and yet with spirit, will live out their faith as practicing Catholics. The programme will touch on the two documents of the church i.e. the C.C.C and Vatican II documents that are relevant to Social Justice works, such as Gaudium Et Spes, and the C.C.C extracted 5 Vincentian Virtues of Simplicity, Humility, Meekness, Mortification and Zeal which is emphasized in all our Catholic teachings.
The year long celebration will also involve all Conferences of Selangor, with the Conference closer to each other being asked to organize various activities drawn up. For the official launch of the celebration the Conferences of Holy Redeemer, Our Lady of Lourdes and St Anne in Klang and Port Klang are jointly organizing the Liturgy and Fellowship events starting with an hour of Silent Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament at 5pm and followed by Mass at 6pm at the Holy Redeemer Church, Klang. Vincentians from all over Selangor will then gather for a subscription dinner at a nearby Restaurant in Klang town. The official launch of the State Council web-site is also being planned at the dinner fellowship.
Plans are also underway to plant a Time Capsule at Rumah Ozanam PJ, our first project home run by the Holy Trinity Conference. We will be placing in the capsule our history of 50 years and we plan to open this in 50 years’ time. This event is planned for 4th December 2013 at 4pm; the date being the Anniversary date of the State Council registration with the Registrar of Societies, Malaysia. This will be followed by Mass at 6pm in Assumption Church, Petaling Jaya. The 4 PJ Conferences of Assumption, St Francis Xavier, St Ignatius and Holy Trinity will also jointly sponsor the cost of the Assumption Church-run Soup Kitchen to feed the poor and needy on that day.
The Conference of St Jude Rawang, which operates our own HIV / AIDS home for women and children living with HIV / AIDS and the Conference of Holy Family Kajang, have been tasked with organising the AIDs awareness day besides promoting and continued publicity of its on-going medical and hospice project. Meanwhile the Northern Conference of Holy Eucharist Batang Berjuntai and our 3 Ozanam Service Centers (OSC’s) of Coalfields, Port Klang and Taman Sentosa are tasked with identifying an income generating environmental project to create jobs for the poor and needy. We are preparing for the launch of this project sometime next year.
Besides this, two fund raising projects are also being planned for the jubilee year. The funds raised will go towards funding the operations of the State Council for a sustained one or two year duration. These two fund raising projects are being undertaken by the SSVP / MAGIS youths and by a team of talented collaborators of the Society. The 1st of the fund-raising project is the corporate funded Mount Kinabalu climb. The 2nd fund raising project will also feature a professional Theatre play to promote and create awareness to the public on the life and works of Blessed Frederic Ozanam.
While all these programs are progressively planned for implementation during the jubilee year, more importantly the Golden Jubilee year of the State Council marks a milestone of the Life of the Society in Selangor State. It will help all Vincentians, especially those in Selangor, to remember and recall the struggles and contributions of our Brothers and Sisters who have pioneered the spirit and works of charity and social justice of Blessed Frederic Ozanam and St Vincent de Paul at the various Selangor based conferences and projects. We pray that we will be further renewed and inspired to continue to serve the Society for the greater Glory of God.
Do keep the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Selangor State Council in your prayers.
State Council of Selangor 