About Us
History of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Legon Conference
Executives
The newly elected president, Bro. Gabriel Asempa Antwi and his executives were inaugurated in the presence members of the society and the whole parish community of the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, University of Ghana, Legon. The members of the conference were present at the induction ceremony in their SSVP T-Shirt to show their support to the new executives. The list of the new Presidents and executives is;
| ROLE | NAME |
|---|---|
| President | Bro. Gabriel Asempa Antwi |
| Vice President | Sis. Anita Ghansah |
| Secretary | Sis. Joan Acheampong |
| Assistant Secretary | Sis. Ewuraajoa Amedior |
| Treasurer | Bro. Joel Attey |
| Organising Secretary / Training Officer | Bro. Emilio Owusu Asante |
| Assistant Organising Secretary | Bro. Gabriel Apatewen Ankasiba |
History
In the early part of 1985, a few of us (parishioners) from the Church visited our Priest at the time, the Rev. Fr. Ivan Yangyouru, a Lecturer then of the Sociology Department (now of blessed memory). We were surprised to see several very happy students at what seemed like a party. Jokingly, we asked why we were not invited to the party! Fr. Ivan, in his usual very calm voice said that it was a very normal Sunday afternoon at his house with “small refreshments”.
We were very impressed that he had such an activity going on every Sunday afternoon on his meager Lecturer’s salary, particularly at that time when there was a general shortage of almost everything in the country. Not long after this, we discovered that those were needy/poor students, he was supporting at the University all by himself.
It was then that, a member of the group that visited him, Ama Gaines, mentioned to her friends that she had been involved in the activities of a Church group, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul which helped the poor and needy in various ways. She explained some of the activities the Group did quite often; for example: sharing of warm clothing to the poor and needy in the winter months and, in particular, feeding of the homeless with hot meals on the streets of Detroit, Michigan.
Members of this group unanimously decided to form such a Society on the Legon campus in support of our Rev. Fr Yangyouru, who was doing a great one-man job. We agreed many more people would also be helped through the Society.
Our enquiries about formation of the Society took us to Christ the King Church to be mentored by their Conference. Mrs. Eleanor Arthur and Mrs. Elizabeth Therson-Cofie (of blessed memory) were very supportive and instrumental in our formation. After several months of meetings with both Christ the King and the Sacred Heart Conferences, the Legon Conference was deemed ready to be on its own and was inaugurated in Sept/Oct 1986. Late Rev. Fr. Ivan Yangyouru was our Conference Spiritual Advisor, Rev. Fr. Andrew Campbell, our National Spiritual Advisor, Late Mr. Anthony Norvor was our National President.
Founding Members
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Brothers
Sisters
Presidents of SSVP Legon Conference
Core Activities
Fundraising
Logo Explanation
- The fish is the symbol of Christianity and, in this case, represents the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul
- The eye of the fish is the watchful eye of God seeking to help the poor among us
- The crossing at the tail or the tie-knot represents unity and oneness among members and also the union with the poor
- The circle around the logo signifies the worldwide nature of SSVP
- The words serviens in spe mean ‘to serve in hope’; the hope that comes from Our Lord Jesus Christ
Annual Report: which encompasses all activities including financial statement is presented annually to the Conference and a certified copy submitted to the Spiritual Director. Current Spiritual Director: Rev. Fr. William Abaiku Apprey, Chaplain of STAP, UG Legon.