Catholics across the Diocese of Parramatta are being invited to share the true spirit of Christmas this year, by supporting Parramatta Catholic Foundation’s Bishop’s Christmas Appeal. Donations will help Catholic Care Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains to provide vulnerable women in crisis with safe shelter, nourishing food, and support to build a better future for their family.
For more than 30 years, Catholic Care’s Houses to Homes has changed the lives of women aged 16 to 25 who are pregnant or have a child and are homeless or at serious risk of homelessness.
Johanna* was 38 weeks pregnant when her abusive and controlling partner kicked her out of their house. With her son Charlie*, she found herself homeless. It was Christmas Day.
By providing safe transitional housing, Houses to Homes has prevented women like Johanna from continuing to live ‘rough’. With her son Charlie and newborn baby, Johanna remembers the first time she finally felt at peace, safe in her own place.
“It was really nice. It was a three-bedroom home with a backyard. We each got a room. It really feels like we’re being taken care of,” she said.
Maree Hanna, Coordinator of Houses to Homes, said the program goes beyond placing a roof over young families’ heads.
“When these women and children first come to us, they’re very broken and timid. They turn up with a couple of bags of belongings and nothing more,” she said.
“I see very positive changes in the girls when they’re feeling loved and supported. A lot of the mums here haven’t had anybody to call and rely on. They’ve never really had anybody they can trust.”
At-risk mothers are given support catered to their specific needs, including basic items like food, toiletries and nappies for their children. They are also connected with a GP, psychologist, psychiatrist, and a dentist, and they receive help with life skills, including cooking nutritious meals for their children and participating in parenting programs. The women are supported in getting a driver’s licence and are linked to opportunities to gain education, training, and employment.
Joahnna completed a traffic control course and looks forward to completing her first aid training, achievements which have given her a big boost in confidence.
“I’m a totally different person. I don’t really recognise the old me,” she said. “I have a lot of hope for my future now, thanks to everything that Catholic Care has provided.”
Fr Fernando Montano, Vicar General and Episcopal Vicar for Social Welfare, said that while Christmas is usually a season of great anticipation and celebration, it’s not always the case for everyone.
“For families like Johanna’s, it can be a time filled with fear and uncertainty,” he said.
“Jesus arrived in the most radical way – born in a stable to homeless parents, laid in a manger, surrounded by animals, yet heralded by angels. It would be hard to miss the message behind this – the Messiah was born as a vulnerable, weak, and helpless child. Yet, wrapped in swaddling clothes, he is the one true king who brings our salvation.
“This Christmas, I invite people to embrace the humility surrounding this Nativity scene. Let this time of preparation for Jesus’ birth encourage us to reach out to help vulnerable women and children in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
“A gift to the Bishop’s Christmas Appeal can bring joy and comfort to mothers and children in urgent need of a safe haven this Christmas.”
You can support Catholic Care’s Houses to Homes to help homeless mothers and children find a safe place to call home.
To make your donation please call 02 8838 3482, or visit parracatholic.org/appeal
*Names and images have been changed for privacy reasons.
This article was originally published in the 2024 Advent & Christmas | Summer edition of the Catholic Outlook Magazine. You can read the digital version here or pick up a copy in your local parish.
