Care and concern is a high priority of our parish and is based on voluntary groups which provide assistance in a practical organised way to parishioners and other members of the community who are distressed or in need of care and ongoing support.
Active Ministries in the parish are:
St Vincent de Paul Society
St Vincent de Paul Society is an international Catholic lay organisation helping people in need on a person-to-person basis. The main emphasis is placed upon work with families, visiting them in their homes or when they are in crisis, always striving to keep the family bond alive. The mission of the society is to work with the poor in development, by respecting their dignity, sharing our hope and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny.
For more information on St Vincent de Paul works and initiatives click on the links below:
- Australian national website homepage
- Worldwide society history
- Explanation of the Society logo
- USA national website home page
Care Group
A group of parishioners assists other parishioners in times of crisis. When family and friends are unable to help, they provide emergency help in areas of transport or referral to appropriate government agencies.
Cooking for the Needy
A team of parishioners cooks casseroles for distribution throughout the Sydney City Mission and Parramatta area.
Grief Support Group
This group aims to offer support to those who are grieving by contacting them following a bereavement. A Celebration of Life Liturgy is held at the end of May each year in memory and thanksgiving of those who have died.
Hamper Mass
Each year the St Vincent de Paul Society and the Family Group Movement organise the Annual Hamper Mass. Cards listing family details of needy families are attached to notice boards in the church foyer. No names are used. The cards are by number only, so as to protect the identity of the people. Parishioners are invited to select one or more cards from the list and prepare a Christmas Hamper for that family. The hampers, the number identifying the family, are delivered to the church by the 6.00pm Mass the first weekend in December. All of the hampers are then delivered under Society control, to the families. Each year hundreds of hampers are delivered.
Sunday Mass Transport
A team of parishioners drive elderly parishioners to the 9.00am mass and home again. They are rostered on a once a month basis.
Welcoming Group
A team of active parishioners contact and follow up new parishioners when they register with the parish and try to make them “at home” with our community.