CatholicCare – Providing Hope and Pathways to a Brighter Future

This year marks a decade of extraordinary collaboration between our parish and CatholicCare Victoria (CCV) – a partnership rooted in faith, compassion, and a shared commitment to justice. Over the past ten years, we’ve stood together to support the most vulnerable in our community, especially refugees and people seeking asylum. Today, we celebrate the impact of this partnership and renew our dedication to walking alongside those in need.

CCV is the social service agency of the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne and the Dioceses of Ballarat, Sale, and Sandhurst. Across Victoria, CCV provides vital services including child and family support, school counselling, homelessness services, refugee and asylum seeker assistance, and more.

According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, by the end of 2024, over 123 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide – a staggering rise driven by conflict, persecution, and human rights violations. Refugees, as defined by Amnesty International, flee their countries due to a well-founded fear of persecution. Asylum seekers are those awaiting legal recognition and protection. Unlike migrants, they often face profound disadvantage and limited rights.

Asylum seekers in Australia face severe barriers:

• Limited access to housing, healthcare, and employment
• Restrictions under bridging visas
• No formal government funding

Through our partnership, CatholicCare have mobilised parish generosity, philanthropic support, and CCV’s infrastructure to deliver the proven ‘3 Es’ framework: English • Education • Employment.

On Thursday, 14 August 2025, CatholicCare presented to the parish community a report on their work today and how the parish’s contribution has helped. The presentation highlighted the tangible outcomes of our support and the lives transformed through our shared mission.

 Thanks to our parish’s generosity, over the last six months alone, CCV has:

• Provided $8,000 in rental assistance to prevent homelessness
• Delivered food vouchers, clothing, and pantry staples
• Supported access to training, language classes, and job readiness programs
• Offered trauma-informed counselling and pastoral care

Together, CCV with the support of the parish, have:

• Protected families from homelessness
• Restored dignity and purpose
• Empowered lives through education, housing, and wellbeing

CatholicCare are deeply grateful for our compassion and partnership. Your generosity has made real, lasting change possible.

Here’s to ten years of walking together—and to the hope, healing, and justice we’ll continue to bring in the years ahead.

By Kate Baines