St Vincent de Paul
Our Lady of Lourdes Conference
East Kilbride

Our Mission
As committed members of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, we seek to identify and
combat all forms of poverty, promote social justice and work actively with those in need,
recognising that by freely giving of ourselves, we become more aware of the power of love
in all our relationships.”

Over the past 12 months, parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes have generously donated £20,618
through the weekly collection boxes at the end of Mass, We are extremely grateful for this
exceptional support and would like to share how these donations have helped those in need
across our parish area. During the year, we made 650 visits and provided £17,000 in direct
financial assistance to help clients meet immediate needs. Referrals come from a range of
sources, and we aim to respond as quickly as possible. Our dedicated SSVP contact number is
07754 064340
We continue to work closely with EK Community Foodbanks and Loaves and Fishes, who provide
food for urgent visits and refer people in need to our conference. Our support is not only financial,
members also visit the sick and elderly, including those in local care homes and Hairmyres
Hospital, offering spiritual and practical support. We also continue to support the East Kilbride
Community Transport minibus for Sunday 11am Mass, enabling 12 parishioners each week to
attend church who may otherwise be unable to do so.
Essential furniture has remained a recurring need over the last 12 months. Through donations from
parishioners and support from the SSVP Diocesan Furniture Project, we have been able to meet
all furniture requests received, bringing welcome help to several families in the parish.
A key part of our parish work is our partnership with St Louise and Our Lady of Lourdes primary
schools. We provide financial support for school uniforms where needed, with the schools
identifying and referring tamilies to us. We have also helped both schools establish Mini Vinnie
groups for Primary 4 pupils and provided financial support for pupils to attend a dedicated Mini
Vinnie day at Carfin.
Other work undertaken this year includes establishing Senior Vinnies at St Andrew’s and St Bride’s
High School; twinning support for SSVP conferences in South Africa and India; transport and
refreshments for the Mass for the Sick; and financial support to subsidise the parish trip to Largs.
We could not provide this valuable work without your generous donations, for which we are truly
grateful. Thank you for helping us continue to support those most in need within our parish
community