For more than 70 years, Catholic Care has been here for people who need us. People from all walks of life.
Those who may need somewhere to sleep, help caring for their newborn baby, or perhaps they are lonely and need someone to talk to.
There are those who need help to protect their family from violence and those who want to stay living independently with a little support, and those looking to stay active and connected with their community.
Our care and support through the church is all about making sure no one is left behind. It always has been, and it always will be.
From our humble beginnings in the 1940s when four Sydney women dreamed that the poor and anyone in distress could receive professional care from the Catholic Church, Catholic Care has grown to become a well-respected organisation that reaches thousands of people in the community each year through the work of more than 200 committed staff and volunteers.
In an ever-changing environment, we have continued to grow as an organisation to ensure we are filling the gaps and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of the community.
2022 signals the start of a new chapter for Catholic Care Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. It’s a time to reach further into the community, digging deeper to help more people by telling more people who we are and what we do. By reaching out with better services and more services, having delved deeper into what our community really needs.
This new chapter starts with our people – our staff and our volunteers and the work we have done over the past year or so in developing the values that guide us in our work and in our decision-making.
Our values and our links to the Catholic Church are the foundation of our organisation.
With honesty and openness, our staff created our values to guide how we work and engage with those we serve in our community.
Fundamental to the way we work, is that we embrace every journey with love and gratitude, for our clients, the community and each other.
And to live up to this value, each and every day we:
- Are available with an open mind and heart
- Advocate with patience and passion
- Build trust with integrity and respect, and
- We persevere with resilience and belief.
With these values now embedded in all that we do, we are looking at this new chapter in our organisation’s history as an opportunity to better listen and hear what our clients need. And better respond. To aim higher in all that we do while staying grounded. To share more about who we are and what we are here for.
This is a truly exciting time for our people, our community, our clients, our parish, and our Diocese. It’s a time for us all to remember why we are here reaching out our hands to those who may be suffering or vulnerable.
No one can be saved alone, but as a community carrying out the work of Christ, we can help to heal lives and enable human flourishing even through the most challenging of times.
As we turn the page on this new chapter, you will see changes. Some new faces, a new logo, a new website. All of these changes aim to ensure we are better reaching those who need us, by making it easier for those who need us to reach out.
What won’t change is our work as the face of Christ, our drive to make a positive difference in the lives of those who need our support, and to help them find joy and purpose in life.
We are here.
Visit catholiccarewsbm.org.au to find out more.
This article was originally published in the 2022 Ordinary Time | Winter 2022 edition of the Catholic Outlook Magazine. You can pick up your copy of the magazine in parishes, schools and offices across the Diocese of Parramatta now or you can read the digital version here.
