Published Wednesday, 01 December 2010
Bishop of Down and Connor Noel Treanor estimates 110,000 children and a third of pensioners in rural areas live in poverty in Northern Ireland.
He told an audience at a Challenging Poverty event in Belfast city hall of his hope for greater civic responsibility.
"As Christmas approaches, people are worried. Confidence is low. Hope in the future is in short supply.
"There are few postcodes in Northern Ireland today where there is not some family living in fear of the next bill, of not being able to heat the house, of not having enough money for Christmas presents for the children, or of not having food on the table at the end of the month.
"We are blessed in Northern Ireland with extraordinary levels of individual generosity and social concern."
Bishop Treanor emphasised that people do not have to make financial donations and that giving time as a volunteer can mean just as much.
"Let me take this opportunity to appeal for a new mobilisation of voluntary participation to tackle poverty and social exclusion in our society.
"Is there anyone so poor that they cannot give something of their time, talent or resources to help others?
"Important as they are, state-based systems of support will always find it difficult to replicate the dignity, friendship and personal support given by someone who is there to help for no other reason than that they care and that they are willing to give freely of their time to listen."