Ten religious and four lay staff work in the Diocesan Chaplaincy Support team run by Catholic Care with support from the Parramatta Catholic Foundation.
The chaplains provide comfort and hope to children and their families through faith and prayer at Blacktown, Cumberland, Hawkesbury, Mt Druitt, Nepean and Westmead hospitals, and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
They also work in the following correctional facilities, offering support through conversations, liturgies, and the Eucharist:
- Parklea, one of New South Wales’ largest prisons, housing remand, minimum- and maximum-security male offenders.
- John Morony, a medium-security facility for male offenders.
- All-female maximum security facility Dillwynia, which includes Emu Plains Correctional Centre.
“A chaplain will normally visit 10 to 20 people a day,” said Bernard Ellis, Chaplaincy Co-ordinator, Catholic Care Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
“Add to this a Mass celebrated once a week in the hospitals, which usually has 10 to 15 people present. In the prisons, chaplains will offer prayer services/Bible studies, which can attract up to 40 inmates at a time. These occur two to three times a week, depending on the size of the facility.”
Through ongoing training, professional support and self-care, they minister with resilience and a formidable spirit.
“We can all be Good Samaritans by supporting our chaplains as disciples of Jesus Christ,” said Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv.
“Just as the Good Samaritan came to the aid of the man left half-dead by the side of the road and gave him comfort and a place to recover, Catholic Care chaplains help people in their time of need.”
Joseph Wehbe, a Chaplain at The Children’s Hospital, Westmead. Image: Supplied
Meet our disciples of Jesus Christ
Among the chaplains working in the Diocese of Parramatta are Joseph Wehbe and Richard Korkor. But few people know the courageous and heartwarming story behind their compassion.
Joseph and his sister were born with hypotonia, a condition that causes low muscle tone, and later developed scoliosis, a sideways curving and twisting of the spine. Much of their childhood was spent in The Children’s Hospital at Westmead undergoing treatments and surgeries.
Joseph has memories of loneliness, isolation, and a desire for company in the wards. So, working as a chaplain in the children’s hospital is a great fit.
“I believe that it’s definitely a grace from God because He’s allowed me to carry that and to be able to connect with families, to be able to be more vulnerable and compassionate to listen,” said Joseph, who holds a masters degree in chaplaincy studies. “Despite this, nothing can prepare you for the trauma that you encounter in hospitals.”
Joseph supports children, their families and hospital staff during short-term, long-term and end-of-life care, helping people deal with grief, loss and change.
“Being present is one of the most important things, just being there, being available” — Joseph
Richard’s career trajectory included a 15-year stint in investment banking and funds management. It was later, while studying theology and concurrently running his own company, that “a few beautiful mentors, spiritual directors, that had accompanied me, suggested ‘Have you thought of chaplaincy?’”
After completing the Clinical Pastoral Education Program at St. Vincent’s Hospital, he now works as a chaplain at Parklea Correctional Centre.
Chaplain at Parklea Correctional Centre Richard Korkor, with Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta, giving communion to inmates. Image: Supplied
“You’re exposed to all of this stuff, stabbings, punch-ups, but also all that healing, all the joy that happens with this work,” said Richard.
“The fact that they want to receive and be in your presence is God calling them,” he said.
“As I say in the liturgy, ‘The Lord has invited you to his table, to share in the body of Christ.’ In some ways my Catholic faith is allowing me, actually giving me permission, to see ‘the Christ’ in all people and that everyone is worthy to be fed.”
Be a Pilgrim of Hope for people who may break in the face of suffering.
Your gift towards Catholic Care’s Chaplaincy Support service could be a lifeline of support for our brothers and sisters, both in prison and hospital, experiencing pain and suffering.
To support God’s ambassadors, as they bring comfort, faith and hope where it is needed most, go to parracatholic.org/appeal
This article was originally published in the 2025 Lent & Easter | Autumn edition of the Catholic Outlook Magazine. You can read the digital version here or pick up a copy in your local parish.
