News

  September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day. That suicide is the most frequent cause of the death of young Australians, and particularly of young Indigenous Australians, it a disturbing thought. Apart from statistics it is appalling that young people whom we hope would look forward with so much energy and optimism to their future…

Thanks to a very generous donation from the Irish Famine Memorial Committee, a new program to help refugee families will begin later this year in Blacktown. Project Afriq will provide a space of safety and trust in which African and particularly Sudanese women can explore issues of parenting in a new culture. The members of…

Last week we celebrated NAIDOC week and CatholicCare had its celebration at Aboriginal Catholic Services Emerton with cultural activities including music, song and dance. The year 2019 is being celebrated as the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages and so the theme of NAIDOC week this year was Aboriginal languages. This theme directs our attention…

At the request of some staff, CatholicCare is developing a prayer space at Mamre.  We have a beautiful cross which we wanted to place in the room but because it is a heritage building we cannot put anything  on the wall so the plan was to find a way to have the cross standing without…

Thanks to the Knights of Malta, some poor people will stay warm this year. CatholicCare has received 250 winter coats from the Knights of Malta Australia for distribution to the poor in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. Such a generous donation is very welcome when we consider the number of people sleeping rough in…

Catholic Social Services Australia Chair Dr Maria Harries says she is delighted to announce that Dr Ursula Stephens will take up the role as CSSA’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective from July 1.  “The CSSA Board was fortunate to receive a number of high-calibre applications for this significant appointment, which is a testament to the…

Just as the retail sector does not whip up the same shopping frenzy for Easter as it does for Christmas, so many Catholics do get as excited about Easter as they do about Christmas. Why is this? After all Easter is the biggest feast in Christianity so why the difference. Is it because it is…

Wednesday 17 April 2019 is Youth Homelessness Matters Day. 28,000 young people between the ages of 12-24 will be homeless tonight in Australia. All over Australia, every single day, there are young people sleeping in their cars, on friends’ couches or finding shelter with family because they have no where else to go. For more…

Image: Robert George (Centacare Bathurst), Sydney Auxiliary Bishop Terry Brady, Anne-Marie Mioche (Centacare Wilcannia Forbes), Michael Austin (CatholicCare Wollongong), Anne Kirwan (CatholicCare Canberra Goulburn) and Mark Philips (CatholicCare Sydney). Photo by Jacqueline McCormack/CatholicCare Wollongong.   A new peak Catholic social service providers’ group for New South Wales and the ACT aims to enhance collaboration while…

The recent Springwood Community Conversation with Refugees drew more than 180 locals to discuss the important issue. The event was organised as part of a wider initiative launched by the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta which is seeing events such as these hosted by churches throughout the Diocese. In Springwood it was an ecumenical event, including members…