The very first Conference of the LADIES OF CHARITY was established in France in the year 1617, as a result of the great concern and deep anguish expressed by a French woman, Louise de Marillac, who approached her Parish Priest, Vincent de Paul, to report the extremely inhuman conditions of a family living in sickness and dire poverty on a farm in her hometown. Together, Louise de Marillac and Vincent de Paul appealed for assistance from their Parish congregation, so that they could provide the much-needed help to the family.

Help poured in from all sides and they were able to put the family back on their feet. However, the help that arrived was too much, at one time, and they had to devise a plan of action to manage the material help that was pouring in. So, they organized a group of ladies to provide this service to the needy around them, and thus was born the Association of the Ladies of Charity, which is now spread around the world! Moreover, a similar organized group for men was established under the name of the Society of Vincent de Paul, who also do charitable works worldwide. Pope Pius XI who canonized Louise de Marillac, proposed her as the model of the LADIES OF CHARITY.

The organization of the Ladies of Charity of St. Patrick's Church was born on 11th June 1956, under the guidance of the then Parish Priest, Rev. Fr. L. Vampeene and his Assistant Rev. Fr. Jovita de Souza. The Ladies have, over the last 59 years, been a powerful instrument of the Parish's Mission in reaching out to the poor and needy and now also serve in various other capacities according to the needs of the Parish. Since economic conditions today have improved considerably, sickness and poverty have become less of a concern. The Association now assists the Parish in various other areas, one of the main services being the management of the St. Anthony's Shrine on Tuesdays, from 6.00 am till 10.00 pm. The Bread donated at the shrine on Tuesdays, is distributed by the Ladies on Wednesday morning to various deserving orphanages and charitable homes. Besides these, a mid-day meal for the less privileged students at the St. Patrick's Composite College, medicines for the needy, funeral expenses (in part) for the poor, occasionally rations or a free meal for the poor are funded by the organization. Home visits, of those who seek help from the organization, are carried out by the ladies whenever the need arises.

Some of the ladies assist the children of the St. Patrick's Boys' Home with their studies every evening, and also render any other help when required, to the Sisters who manage the home. Birthday parties, once a month, are organized for these children, along with gifts. To help foster fellowship among the parish community, every Sunday a 'Fellowship Breakfast' from 8.00 am to 12 noon is managed by the Ladies.

The Ladies of Charity fosters lay participation in the Church. Those interested in joining the Ladies of Charity may kindly contact the Church Office. The Ladies of Charity have a monthly meeting on the first Thursday of every month at 4.30 p.m.

The Legion of Mary is the largest apostolic organization of lay people in the Catholic Church, with well over 3 million active members in almost every country of the world. It was founded in Dublin, Ireland by Frank Duff on September 7th, 1921. The Legion has been set up for the purpose of rejuvenating the Catholic faith and rededicating one's life to God through prayer and Apostolic work. The Legionaries hope to render themselves worthy of their great Heavenly Queen by their loyalty, their virtues, and their courage.

The basic unit of the Legion is called a Praesidium, which is normally based in a parish. The Praesidium, usually a group of 3-20 members, meets weekly in its parish. The Curia is the next level up, and one Curia supervises several Praesidia. The first Praesidium of the Legion of Mary had its birth in Karnataka on 9th November 1936 at St. Patrick's Church, under the name 'Comforter of the Afflicted'. Sr. Mary Everett was responsible for starting this Praesidium, and it has, since then, had over 4800 meetings. The Praesidium at St. Patrick's Parish is the oldest in Karnataka, and it has celebrated its Platinum Jubilee in the year 2011. Our Parish also has a Tamil Legion and now a Junior Legion.

The English group meets every Monday at 4.15 p.m..
The Tamil group meets every Sunday from 8.30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m.


Along with the Holy Rosary and Tessera1 Prayers at the meeting, the Legion also carries out weekly duties like visiting the sick, visiting hospitals & homes for the aged, visiting orphanages, teaching poor students, doing Church support work etc. The legion also conducts and participates in various functions like Acies2, indoor functions, outdoor functions, pilgrimages, picnics, and reunion functions.

The Legion of Mary fosters lay participation in the Church. Those interested in joining the Legion of Mary may kindly contact the Church Office.

References:
1. Tessera Prayers: the prayers contained in the leaflet of the Legion, which is called a Tessera
2. Acies: a Church function which is held annually about the Feast of the Annunciation for the members to renew their consecration to Mary

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) is a lay Catholic organisation that aspires to live the gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society. It reaches out to the poor, widows and orphans and helps them financially and materially by providing rice, clothes, groceries etc. to support their daily living.

The SVdP fosters lay participation in the Church. Those interested in joining the SVdP may kindly contact the Church Office. The SVdP meets every Tuesday at 6 p.m. To request personal assistance through SVdP, contact the Church Office.