Society of St. Vincent De Paul
Conference of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Firhouse
The Parish Conference was established in 1982. The original members were Stephen Dollard,John O´Connor, Kevin McMahon and Barbara McDonagh. Some additional members were brought in from surrounding conferences in Tallaght and Bohernabreena in the early weeks to help get the Conference up and running.
We got great encouragement at the time from the priests of the Parish. Within a year the conference members were mostly volunteers and our helpers could all return to their own areas.
The Conference which is still very active and busy, it has been blessed with the continuing encouragement and help of all the priests who have ministered in Firhouse since the Conference was established. The Carmelite Sisters have also been most helpful in allowing our collections to be held outside their chapel.
The Conference acknowledges the tremendous support we have received from the parishioners over the years in our monthly church door and annual Christmas collections. Without the continued support of the public the work could not continue.
Parish Visitation/Canvass Team
A canvass/visitation of the Parish commenced on the 16th April 2007, starting in the new areas of Hunterswood, Greenfield and Rathlyon.There were 21 volunteers involved in the visitation in the first year.Twenty people went out in teams of two to visit the above three areas and one person coordinated the results.
Hunterswood is a new area developed over the last seven/eight years.To the best of our reckoning there are 789 houses in the canvassed areas.
Each person who met us on the doorstep was given a small token of a bookmark with the blessing from the Book of Numbers 6.They were asked:
- Would they like to receive correspondence from the Parish;
- Would they like to join any of the voluntary groups operating within the Parish;
- Would they like to contribute to the family offering collection either by standing order or weekly envelope.
In 2008 the visitation continued.Commencing on the 31st March, we visited the Carriglea, Carrigwood, Dodder, Glencarrig and Killakee areas, along with the Killinniny Apartments and the houses on the Parish side of the Firhouse Road, a total of 908 households.
The third and last phase of the visitation/canvass will commence this year on Monday 20th April.The three Woodlawn areas, the three Monalea areas, Mount Carmel Park, Sally Park and the individual houses on the Firhouse and Ballycullen Roads will be called on, about 830 houses in all.