Palmerston North
6 November 2012
On Sunday September 30 the St Patrick’s (Napier) Conference of the Society of St Vincent de Paul celebrated its centenary of service to the people of Napier.
National spiritual director Fr Jeff Drane sm was the chief celebrant for the Mass in St Patrick’s Church, with the help of spiritual adviser Mgr Tim Hannigan and Fr Peter Head sm, the parish priest of the three Napier parishes.
After Mass guests, Vincentians and parishioners were invited to morning tea and then to the Festival Meeting.
Reminding all gathered that Vincentians and associates are here to help people, reports were received from the conference presidents in Napier and Taradale, John Cornwell and Kay Hacche, Pat Sanko, Brian Hennessy and Laurie Nicol from the three Hastings Conferences, area council presidents Brian Collins Napier and Kevin O’Donnell Hastings, the Hawke’s Bay youth coordinator, Brenda Lunnon, and the Napier shops manager, Arthur Schultze.
Fr Jeff spoke on the future of the society before presenting John Cornwell with a framed certificate of the occasion. Guest speaker Kitty McKinley of Challenge 2000 an ‘old girl’ of Napier and Taradale, spoke of the great abilities of the young people of today.
After the meeting guests enjoyed a beautiful lunch at the Napier RSA and were entertained superbly by a group of Young Vinnies from Sacred Heart College, and a local reincarnation of the popular Andrews Sisters, a talented trio ‘Melody Inc’.
The day finished with the cutting of the centenary cake by four long-serving members of the Society.
Image: Brian Parker, more than 25 years with St Vincent de Paul, Margaret Minehan, more than 40 years, Nell Mitchell has been with the society for more than 27 years and John Cornwell for more than 20 years.