Saint Vincent De Paul Society

Mass to Celebrate the Induction of Mr Syd Tutton as State President of the Saint Vincent De Paul Society in Victoria
Celebrated by Archbishop Denis Hart
at St Kevin's Church, Ormond,
on Wednesday, 24th October, 2001, at 7.30pm

Introduction

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we gather to ask the blessing of Almighty God upon the work of Syd Tutton, our new State President. We are grateful for his service up until now as a loyal Vincentian and we pray especially for the light of the Holy Spirit to guide his work among us in fulfilling the generous commitment he has undertaken as State President for Victoria.

Frederic Ozanam saw the Society as deeply involved in prayer and action. As we call to mind our sins, let us ask the Lord that he will direct our actions according to his pattern.

Homily

In this most beautiful and much loved Gospel passage we have the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd who cares for his sheep. To a truly good shepherd the sheep are precious: there is all the difference in the world between his care of the flock and that of the hired man, who is not trained for the task and has no real love for his sheep and lambs. Jesus himself was one of us-he is Lamb of God, as well as Shepherd of God's flock-he knows what is good for us and he will administer it to us with gentleness and compassion. What text could be more appropriate for today's installation of the new Victorian President of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society?

The Society is universally admired for its love of and work for the poor and the needy. The Catholic Church is profoundly proud of all it does in and for our community. Saint Vincent de Paul, who worked in so many different and imaginative ways for the poor of his own country, must rejoice at the work done internationally under his heavenly patronage. Some of the great saints of our tradition are a little hard to see and understand through the mist of time, but Saint Vincent will remain vividly before our eyes as long as the Society which bears his name continues to act as his hands and feet.

Many charitable agencies focus exclusively on social action and material aid. The Society founded by Blessed Frederic Ozanam and his companions was different. Ozanam's vision was of a lay society deeply involved in prayer as well as practical action-a spiritual society and not just a social relief agency. Sound spiritual formation in the faith, a sense of God and of his presence in our poorer brothers and sisters has always been at the heart of the Society's vocation and mission. For Christian people, social work and activism never stand alone: our work for justice and charity depends upon a prayerful contemplation of God, his works, and his promises to his people. And this, I think, is where the strength of the St Vincent de Paul Society lies: it is a group of lay men and women dedicated to God, and so better able to love their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Material aid and charitable giving should always remind the Christian of the real meaning of charity: faith in and friendship with God. As we hear from the prophet Isaiah, God does indeed pour out his gifts to his people like wine and milk, but he also asks for prayer and repentance: 'let the wicked abandon his way and the evil one his thoughts; let him turn back to God.'

Before the sheep can labour well for each other they must first acknowledge their faith in the Good Shepherd; for, as St Paul tells us, without the Holy Spirit we are not truly bound together as one and so our care of each other will be less certain and less reliable. It is because our charity proceeds from God that the world can rely upon it, as so many in the world have come to rely upon the charity of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society.

In the midst of the terrible events affecting our world in recent weeks organisations such as this one are a wonderful reminder to us all of what we can achieve if we are true to our faith and unsparing of ourselves for Christ's flock. Many people feel challenged to help when they see suffering abroad or at home-and the challenge is difficult because often we do not know what will really help most, or perhaps we feel a little shy of getting involved. The Saint Vincent de Paul Society provides clear leadership here: it gives us the image of hundreds and thousands of Catholic lay people doing just what the Gospel asks, conforming themselves to the image of Christ worrying over every last one of the shepherd-less flock and giving himself entirely to that task.

As we come together today to renew our commitment to the teaching of Christ and the example of Saint Vincent and the society that bears his name let us take renewed pride in and hope for our work together. Under the leadership of your new State President, I pray the Saint Vincent de Paul Society will remain faithful to the Gospel and the compassionate heart of Christ, and that it will long continue to play the vital role in our community that it has made its own for so many years.

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne.