Press Release
Mangaluru: The St. Vincent De Paul Society (SVP), an international Catholic lay service organisation popularly known as SSVP, is marking 100 years of its service in the Mangaluru Catholic Diocese. The Centenary Valedictory Ceremony will be held on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at the Father Muller Convention Centre, Mangaluru.
The programme will be presided over by the Most Rev. Dr Peter Paul Saldanha, Bishop of Mangaluru. The International President of SSVP, Juan Manuel Buergo Gomez, arriving from Spain, will participate as the Chief Guest. Most Rev. Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop Emeritus of Mangaluru Diocese; Jude Mangalraj, President of the SSVP National Council; and Mr Joseph Pandian, International Ombudsman, will be present as Guests of Honour.
Members of the Karnataka Legislative Council Ivan D’Souza, Rev. Fr Faustine Lucas Lobo, Director of Father Muller Charitable Institutions, and renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist Joseph Elias Menezes will also grace the occasion as Guests of Honour. Santiago Manickam, National Secretary of SSVP; Asha Vaz; and youth representative Mr Alister Nazareth will be present on the dais.
The St. Vincent De Paul Society, the world’s largest Catholic lay service organisation, was established in Mangaluru at Bendur Church on January 10, 1926. In the same month, the Milagres unit was formed, followed by units at Rosario Cathedral and Bejai Church in May 1926.
The core mission of the Society is to visit the poor and needy and provide assistance while maintaining strict confidentiality and preserving their dignity.
At present, under the Mangaluru Central Council, the Society has 111 units, each adopting at least five families in their respective localities. Currently, 623 families comprising 1,765 members are being supported. With 1,618 members across 111 units and two youth units, the Society continues its service quietly and without publicity.
In collaboration with Father Muller Medical College Hospital, Mangaluru, and Thumbay, a major initiative providing free medical treatment and dialysis care to members of adopted families is being successfully implemented.
To commemorate the centenary, the Society has launched two major projects: ‘Shikop’, which provides educational support for higher studies to about 405 students from adopted families, and ‘Aasro’, offering financial assistance to 100 families for the construction or repair of their homes.
During the valedictory function, the SSVP–Trinity Kidney Care Project will be inaugurated with the support of Joseph E. Menezes’s Trinity Medicare Services Trust, Udupi, to assist kidney patients with medicines and dialysis care.
Founded in 1833 in Paris, France, by Blessed Frederic Ozanam and six companions, the St. Vincent De Paul Society is today present in 158 countries, with over 800,000 members and more than one million volunteers. In India, the Society was established in 1863 in Mumbai and currently has 7,225 units with 65,546 members.
Members present at the press meet included Joe Coelho (President, Central Council), Ligoury Fernandes (Secretary), Clarence Machado (Treasurer), Philomena Menezes (Convener, Centenary Celebration Committee), and Loyd Rego (Convener, Media Committee).