Return to INDEXBrief Overview of the Parish
The Roman Catholic Parish of St. Vincent de Paul, Osterley was
established on 10th December 1936. It grew out of a chapel of ease that had
first been established by the Vincentian Fathers and then looked after by the
secular priests of the diocese from Our Lady of Sorrows and St. Brigid's,
Isleworth. In its early days it had few parishioners. The suburban sprawl of
London was only just beginning to make an impact. Through its historical 60
years, the parish has grown enormously. The seed of faith and the message of the
Good News of Jesus Christ has been sown, so that now it is a thriving community
of some 800 families, with approximately 700 individuals regularly attending the
Sunday Masses.
Communicating the Gospel message, Celebrating the Sacraments, and caring pastorally for the people of the parish have always been of primary concern. Catechesis for the Sacraments and for faith development of children and adults takes place throughout the year.
The parish has many different groups which give support and encourage the growth of the community. These include : Parents and Toddlers Group; Youth Club; Prayer Group; Catholic Women's League; Over 60's Exercise Club; Care Group; Altar Servers. See General Parish Information Page. Devotion to St. Vincent de Paul has always been strong within the parish community.
Within the parish boundaries are to be found:
Sadly the parish has no school to call its own, but its children attend the primary schools of The Rosary Infant and Junior Schools, Heston and St. Mary's School, Isleworth. Older children attend Gumley House Convent School, Isleworth, Gunnersbury Catholic School, Brentford and St. Mark's, Hounslow.
The parish community is proud of its ecumenical links with local Christian Churches, especially St. Mary's, Osterley, St. Francis of Assisi, Osterley and St. Luke's, Hounslow East.
Sundays : 6pm (Vigil);
9.30am; 11.30am & 6pm
Weekdays : Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday &
Saturday : 9.30am
Tuesday : 7.30pm
Mass of Healing and Anointing of the Sick : Last Tuesday of the Month
at 7.30pm
Holydays of Obligation (except Christmas) : 7.30pm
(Vigil); 9.30am & 7.30pm
Morning Prayer is celebrated 20 minutes before weekday morning Mass.
Rosary
is celebrated after weekday morning Mass. Stations of the Cross are
celebrated after weekday morning Mass during Lent.
Exposition
of the Blessed Sacrament takes place every Saturday between 10.00am and 12
noon.
Benediction is celebrated on Saturday at 12 noon.
Reconciliation
(Confession) is celebrated on Saturday from 10.00am - 10.30am & 5pm -
5.30pm and on call at the presbytery at reasonable times.
St. Vincent de Paul was born near Pouy (now St-Vincent de Paul), in
Gascony, France, on 24th April 1581. He attended the universities of Dax and
Toulouse. It is said Vincent was seized by pirates while going from Marseille
to Narbonne in 1606; sold into slavery in Tunisia, he escaped and returned to
France some months later. He spent some 20 years as a parish priest and
chaplain to an aristocratic family. He was also chaplain general of the galleys
in France and as such tried to aid the galley slaves. In 1617 he founded the
first Confraternity of Charity, made up of wealthy women working among the sick
and poor in Chatillon-les-Dombes, near Lyon. In 1622 he was appointed superior
of the Parisian convents of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary by the
French Prelate St. Francis de Sales.
With the support of the family
with whom he served as chaplain, Vincent founded the Congregation of the Mission
to preach to the peasants on the family's estates. A community of the
congregation was formally established at the College des Bons-Enfants in Paris
in 1626, where Vincent served as principal. The alternative name Lazarist
Fathers was given to the group when it established its headquarters at the
former priory of St. Lazare, in Paris, in 1632. Vincent not only headed the
order but also founded with others several charitable organizations, notably the
Daughters of Charity, formed under his direction in 1633. The foundling
hospital of Paris owes its origin to this group. The Congregation of the
Mission organized several seminaries for the training of priests as a result of
the work done by Vincent de Paul with young men about to be ordained. He was
also concerned with relief work during the religious wars in France. His
opposition to Jansenism is believed to have been responsible for its
suppression. He died in Paris on 27th September 1660. He was canonized in 1737
and was named patron of works of charity in 1855. Vincent's feast day is 27th
September.
Links to
other interesting Roman Catholic web sites:
Updated
and checked to 29th October 2000
Use these shortcut headings to navigate
Listed by Diocese Only
St. Vincent de Paul Links &
Churches
Catholic Encyclopaedic /
Resources
Catholic Pastoral
Organisations
ROMAN
CATHOLIC PARISHES ON THE NET
England+++++Wales+++++Scotland
listed
alphabetically by town