The national Catholic social services conference, Serving Communities with Courage and Compassion, covered a range of topics that impact those working in the sector, and those we serve.
Significantly, Australian parishes make available a range of social service activities providing for those in need. In some ways, they can rach out to sections of the community that professional service agencies cannot. Services provided by parishes usually have a strong personal focus on those being served. The key role of parishes as centres of Catholic social services will be focus of the forthcoming Catholic Social Services conference.
More than 200 participants from across Australia attended the 2018 Catholic social services national conference, Hearing Healing Hope, from Wednesday 21 February to Friday 23 February, at the Catholic Leadership Centre, in East Melbourne.
February 2016 conference: Review, Reimagine, Renew: Mission making a difference in a changing world. Much of the benefit of such gatherings is from the opportunity provided to engage with others there. Speakers were insightful and challenging, and helped us focus on key issues, including family violence, how we behave as organisations, and our alignment with the Pope's lived narrative of mercy.
The challenge to make a real difference to those on the margins of Australian society are immense-intergenerational disadvantage, drug and alcohol challenges, increased inequality all cry out for renewed commitment to building a more just and compassionate country. At the same time, rapid changes in Australian society, in the Church, and in the way Governments work all challenge faith-based organisations in their mission-inspired work.
About 50 colleagues and friends of Catholic Social Services Victoria gathered in the Cardinal Knox Centre in East Melbourne last night for the launch of Review, Reimagine, Renew: Mission making a difference in a changing world. In the book, officially launched by Archbishop Denis Hart, leaders from Catholic social services and the broader church explore what it means to be a Catholic ministry, and what difference that makes to the communities being served.