Twinning is a sharing of our Society's prayers, contact, and resources with conferences and councils in need. It is a work of the Society, one of fraternal union and sharing among Vincentians within our country and worldwide. It requires financial and material assistance, prayers and correspondence, all of which gives an incredible opportunity to give aid to the less fortunate and also meet and correspond with Vincentians in other areas.
Twinning has been an informal part of the Society since its creation because conferences and councils have always tried to assist one another. It became more firmly established when the 1979 Plenary Session of the International Council General stated that "all monies collected in the name of the Society anywhere, belong in principle, to the poor of the world". Canada started to develop a formal twinning program in the 1980's
There are three types of twinning in Canada:
- External: with an aggregated conference or instituted council of another country;
- Internal: with an aggregated conference or instituted council in Canada;
- Pre-Aggregation Twinning(PAT): with a Conference developing in a mission area of Canada.
SSVP twinning as of January 2007...
- Christ the King
- St John del Bastoni Conference, Talangama, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka
- Holy Cross
- Conferencia de la Inmaculada Concepcion, Cajica, Cundinamarca, Columbia
- UVIC Breakfast Club, Family Centre, UVIC, Victoria, BC
- Our Lady of the Rosary
- St. Anthony's Conference, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
- Sacred Heart
- Conferencia Santa Cruz Banda de Shilcayo, Tarapoto, Peru
- St. Andrew's
- The Colombo North Deanery Council, Mutwal, Colombo 15, Sri Lanka
- St. John's Particular Council, Mt. Pearl, NL
- St. Elizabeth of Hungary
- Ceglhares de San Vicnete de Paul, Chiclayo, Peru
- San Fernado Rey, Antioquia, Columbia
- St. Joseph the Worker
- Holy Spirit Conference, Diocese of Cucuta, Columbia
- St. Joseph's Conference, Palakkad District, Kerala State, India
- St. Patrick's
- Lunch Program, S.J. Willis Alternative School, Victoria, BC
- Save A Family Plan (aid family in India)
- Victoria Particular Council
- Wattala Deanery Council, Wattala, Sri Lanka ($1000 Annually)
Twinning contact information:
| J. Claude Bedard, Twinning Committee Society of Saint Vincent de Paul BC Yukon Regional Council 610B Cormorant Street Comox, BC V9M 3P1 Tel: (250) 339-2313 Cell: (250) 702-0252 E-mail: jcbedard@shaw.ca | Mrs. Kathy Weswick Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Canadian National Twinning Chairperson 4349 West Saanich Road Victoria, BC V8Z 3E8 Tel: (250) 381-9090 Fax: (250) 381-9098 E-mail: twinning-chair@ssvp.ca | Nicole Schryburt Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Editor, Vincentpaul-Canada 1247 Kilborn Place Ottawa, ON K1H 6K9 E-mail: twinning@ssvp.ca |
SSVP Canadian National Twinning webpage