I would say no.
Others would, perhaps, disagree.
The St Vincent de Paul Society is, as the name would suggest, a Christian organisation with a specifically Catholic bias. Part of our meetings are set aside (at the beginning) for an opening prayer and for spiritual direction (at the end). Our Spiritual Director Fr. William SJ leads us in some reflection regarding our week's work which allows us to think back on our activities and appreciate the positive and negative elements that we have encountered.
It would be stupid and ignorant therefore to suggest that the SVP does not have a religious element to it. Of course it does!
That doesn't however prevent people of other Faiths (and no faith) joining our meetings and participating in our charitable activities. SVP England & Wales states "The SVP only asks that members fully accept the Christian ethos of the Society"
We have had several people recently ask whether they can join the SVP despite not being practising Catholics or Christians. Our position on this is - YES! The work we do transcends the boundaries of religious beliefs and therefore our membership should be equally widespread.
Some people have asked can they just do our homeless runs or other activities and not attend meetings. This we cannot encourage as Christian or not it is important to the SVP that we are a community of people and our weekly meetings brings us together to reflect on our recent activities.
So please: Catholic, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Atheist - get in touch! What is important is that you are committed to seeking justice in the world, participate in our charitable activities and are happy to accept that the Society has a Christian ethos. I challenge you to get involved and promise that if you do I will move out of my own comfort zone to attend your place of worship or attend your religious activities. Email us: svpmucc@gmail.com
Bradley
President
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