National Briefs
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Chair of the Institute of Global Homelessness Dame Louise Casey shake hands after signing the agreement to halve rough sleeping in NSW by 2025. PHOTO: Giovanni Portelli
Helping those who sleep rough
CATHOLIC organisations are at the forefront of a partnership with government and business to eliminate homelessness across NSW. The End Street Sleeping Collaboration was conceived four years ago when Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP brought together Catholic social and health services to plan to end homelessness in Sydney. Four years later its work has motivated the NSW Government to sign an agreement with the Institute of Global Homelessness, along with partners including Catholic and other faith-based charities, to halve the number of people sleeping rough by 2025. Census data in 2016 shows 2600 people sleeping on NSW streets.
The Catholic Weekly
Promoting safety for children
A DOWNLOADABLE resource has been produced to advise parishes on how to promote safe communities for children and young people to help them reach their full potential. The Archdiocese of Sydney has joined forces with the Dioceses of Broken Bay and Parramatta to produce the booklet, Children and Young People’s Participation in Catholic Communities: A Guide to Supporting and Engaging, Listening and Communicating with Children and Young People. It emphasises Catholic communities must commit to a zero tolerance approach to attitude and activity that makes young people feel unsafe.
The Catholic Weekly
Pat Knight from Ephpheta playing bingo with the craft group during the Sydney lockdown. PHOTO: Ephpheta Centre
Inspiration of the saints
ST TERESA of Calcutta, Sts Monica and Augustine, St Maximillian Kolbe… the stories of these inspirational saints have been translated into Australian Sign Language (Auslan) in a video series produced in Sydney. The Ephpheta Centre, the Archdiocese of Sydney’s Catholic Centre for Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, launched the YouTube series last month. Members of the community tell the five-minute life story of a saint in Auslan and follow with a short prayer to the featured saint.
The Catholic Weekly
En route to being a teacher
INSPIRING First Nations people to become teachers is a major ambition of Carmel Debel. She is completing her final year of a teaching degree as part of the ‘Away from Base’ program at Australian Catholic University. The program supports First Nations students from regional and remote areas to study for a Bachelor of Education (Primary). Carmel, a Tjungundji woman, said, “Flying to Sydney to attend the university’s intensive residential was terrifying. At first, I cried about catching a plane, bus and a train. My brother took a day of leave to hold my hand, literally while I wept with dread. These days, I have matured so much and can now do this confidently, including ordering an Uber.”
Australian Catholic University