The local leadership of the Society of St Vincent de Paul gathered in Dublin over the weekend to plan the organisation's future around the theme of "A Christian mission for the society and the millennium.".
The gathering of 450 expected the arrival of the President, Mrs McAleese, due to speak at 9.30 a.m. on Sunday. Her motorcade pulled up at around 11 a.m. The delay is believed to have been due to a scheduling mix-up.
Mrs McAleese spoke of her involvement with the society. "As a member of its national youth council in the late 1960s, I made many contacts and friends from Dublin to Derry, all of whom, thankfully, are still close friends to this day."
She said there were challenges facing the organisation as economic prosperity had fuelled social change. Irish society had been transformed "from one of close family structures to the culture of the individual". There was a new poverty experienced in communities left behind by the Celtic Tiger.
The St Vincent de Paul president, Mr Noel Clear, spoke of the need for respect and care for the vulnerable and weak. He said that in the last budget, while 27.8 per cent was allocated for social welfare increases, "public sector pay increases alone exceeded that amount at 31.3 per cent".
He called for greater realism in the planning of the State's social and financial affairs and stressed the vital role played by his organisation's 10,000 members. "The society will spend over £16 million this year alone on its work for the marginalised. But what value can you put on the thousands of hours of voluntary work which society members put in each and every week of the year?"