Drennan left for his most recent visit at the beginning of November.

"Sometimes I'm asked why do you return to the same place in India? (The implication being, isn't that a bit boring!?)

I'm here not as a traveller but as a volunteer and friend. So it works well.

Far from boring or repetitive, I get involved with people and their trials quickly because I'm known.

Trust and friendship across cultures and social strata take time to build. But the fruits are great.

My base is a place called Raphael where I have been visiting and volunteering for 28 years.

It's a diverse community: some with leprosy, special needs children and adults, and it has a small TB hospital too," he said.

"From there I venture out and get involved with other projects too. Most people there are Hindu with a few Muslims and Christians.

"It is also the place where, during my first OE, I decided to give the seminary a try upon return to NZ."

Drennan said that even after all these years he loves now being able to arrive in a completely different world, with rhythms so different from his usual daily pattern, yet feel totally at home.

It is, he says, a privilege and a gift.

• Read more on the Palmerston North Diocese's website
• Visit Bishop Bishop Drennan's FaceBook page

Source

• Supplied: Sophia Macris, Bishop Charles' PA
• Diocese of Palmerston North
• Diocese of Palmerston North
• Image: Palmerston North Diocese

But sometimes, a tragic circumstance such as a difficult childhood or the death of a loved one can set us off course. In these situations it takes a special encounter to get back on track and make a full recovery.

The St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) is a Catholic charity which provides that grace filled encounter for many distressed and suffering people each year.

The 8000 members of the SVP provide friendship to thousands of lonely, isolated and marginalised people at home, in hospital, or in residential homes.

On top of this, 500 volunteers in community support projects around the country provide practical assistance to people in need through community shops, debt and advice centres and furniture stores.

Many of these volunteers have themselves come from difficult circumstances and, determined to ‘give something back', they join the SVP as a means of helping others. What often unfolds is a journey of self-discovery and growth. For them, volunteering with the SVP has transformed their lives.

Nick says volunteering with the SVP literally saved his life. Nick has been helping out at the SVP's Sheffield Furniture store for over ten years.

As a young lad, he would pinch bottles of his grandad's homemade wine and was a serious drinker by the age of 9. By the time he reached his twenties he was an alcoholic.

When his doctor gave him three months to live Nick realised he had to do something about his habit. He entered rehabilitation for drug and alcohol addiction and emerged from rehab with nervous anxiety and depression. He found himself having to put his life back together from scratch with very few resources.

He was given an unfurnished council flat, but without any financial resource, he had no means of buying himself a sofa or a bed. Continue reading

Sources

• Catholic Herald article by Anita Boniface, Media and Communications Officer at The St Vincent de Paul Society England and Wales.
• Image: St Vincent de Paul Wellington Area