Then [Jesus] said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’
Matthew 9:35-37
125 years ago, the first Tasmanian Conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society was established in the Church of the Apostles Parish in Launceston. Yesterday (Thursday) the sesquicentenary was celebrated in that same parish church with members, volunteers and supporters from across the state – including representatives from Marist Regional College.
Today is the memorial of St Vincent de Paul, the inspirational 17th century founder of the Congregation of the Mission, who dedicated his life to the service of the poor. Frederic Ozanam and his fellow students established the Conference of Charity, later to be renamed as the Society of St Vincent de Paul, in honour of this servant of the poor.
We will always have the poor (cf Matthew 26:11), both the economic poor and the spiritually. As such, many are called to serve. Vinnies worldwide has a membership of 800,000 and almost 1.5 million volunteers. And what is the harvest? The harvest are those in need of compassion and brought to encounter the loving-kindness of God.
Our students, staff, our religious education curriculum and college values highlight our ongoing commitment to those in need. Each year, our SRC and our Social Justice Group raise awareness and/or funds for Project Compassion/Caritas, Catholic Mission, Vinnies, Cancer Council, Fight Cancer Foundation, RUOK, Stay Chatty, Leukemia Foundation Motor Neurone Disease, and constantly responding to Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home.
There have been modern day visionaries the likes of Vincent – for example, St Theresa of Kolkata and Nelson Mandela. But there are those in our own communities whose impact on the homeless, the struggling, the vulnerable is immeasurable. They cook soup, bake cakes, visit the housebound, fundraise, get on committees, lobby councils and governments. They may be motivated by faith, but they’re also motivated by wanting to make a difference, making a contribution to the community, fundamentally caring for those on the edge.
So, yes, there is a rich harvest – so many to reach and serve. Yet, there is that unmissable and clear call to each one of us to step up and to labour to bring about relief, compassion and justice for the poor.
Mr Peter Douglas
Director of Faith and Mission