Saint Louise de Marilac Conference, London

Welcome to the London, Holy Family Parish, Society of St. Vincent de Paul Youth Conference web site page. We were founded in September 2008. In our first two years we have clocked over 1200 hours in community service hours. This is our third active year and we are currently visiting four regular sites monthly. Every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month throughout the school year we are serving the poor, less fortunate or marginalized in some way. With two sites on each Wednesday, our group of 34 youth and 5 young adult leaders and 2 adult coordinators visit McGarrell Nursing home and L’Arche Community Living – Bethany Home on the 2nd Wednesday. On the 4th Wednesday, we are at Horizon Retirement Home and Boys and Girls Club of London.

This year we have started a new program, “Bagged Lunches” for the homeless and working poor in our community. On all P.A. Days during the school year, we help serve over 400 people breakfast and lunch at the St. Joseph Hospitality Centre, a local soup kitchen. Now, the evening before the PA Day, we are making up Bagged Lunches to distribute to the clients who patron the facility. This way if the client cannot get to a dinner program they will have a premade meal for that evening. This last P.A. Day, our group made 100 Bagged Lunches.

We are also planning to make a collection for a community organization that aids and supplies residence for pregnant teens. This organization monitors the Mother and child until the child is 2 years of age to make sure they have a good start in life. The collection will consist of general necessities needed in raising a child and caring for the mother. We will be looking for basic needs of the mother such as shampoo, tooth paste, maternity clothes and so on. Diapers, infant clothing, formula, and whatever else is needed in caring for an infant / toddler will be collected as well. This project will take place this year during the winter months after we find an appropriate site for the collection.
One of our future projects we are looking into is a mission type venture somewhere out of our own area. Our group has not decided on our destination but we hope to have things in place by 2018 or 2019. This project could take us to Guatemala, Haiti, or as close as Northern Ontario. We are in discussion and making arrangements soon for a connection for the future.

The SSVP Youth Conference offers help to the other groups in our parish if needed. We also help out with the adult SSVP Conference group during the Christmas season.

We have a busy schedule throughout the whole school year and there are so many dedicated youth and young adults that come out and participate in each of our events. Without them we would be nothing. There is plenty of space for more youth and young adults. When our numbers increase, we will be looking for more sites where we can help out at.

If you feel /hear the calling to help the less fortunate and others in the London area and would like to join our group, please contact us.

All are welcome to join us in this very humbling ministry. The rewards you will receive are ten fold to what you give. This is an amazing way to share your wonderful gifts that God has given you. Pray about how you can be a better person and how you can make a difference in another person’s life.