There will be two stand-alone sessions at the upcoming national Catholic social services conference, Serving Communities with Courage and Compassion (26-28 February, Catholic Leadership Centre, East Melbourne), which will be open to the public - everyone is welcome! The first is Beyond Surviving to Truthfully Thriving: Continuing our Journey of Listening in Truth and Justice, and the second is Mobilising Media for Mission and Advocacy.

Significantly, Australian parishes make available a range of social service activities providing for those in need. In some ways, they can reach 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.