It is with great pleasure that we invite you to attend the 2018 Rerum Novarum Oration, Widening the Door of Hope: A Response to the Victorian Assisted Dying Legislation on Tuesday 20 November 2018 at 7pm. The orators are Associate Professor Natasha Michael and Dr Stephen Parnis. Download flyer with full details, here.

Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand’s latest research Outside Systems Control My Life: The experience of single mothers on Welfare to Work was released at the recent 2018 Australian Council Of Social Services National Conference. The report finds that the Welfare to Work policy is not only failing to help single mothers find employment, it is increasing their financial insecurity and eroding their attempts to find work and become self-reliant.

Many women coming to court to get intervention orders against a violent partner have no alternative but to bring their children along, according to a new report released by Ms Felicity Broughton, Deputy Chief Magistrate on behalf of RMIT’s Centre for Innovative Justice (CIJ) and McAuley Community Services for Women.

Jesuit Social Services’ The Men’s Project has launched an Australian-first study involving 1,000 men aged 18 to 30, which shows that young men who comply with society’s pressures to be a ‘real man’ report poorer mental health, are twice as likely to consider suicide, more likely to commit acts of sexual harassment and experience and perform acts of violence and bullying.

All are welcome to join friends and colleagues of Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in commemorating and celebrating 'Our Survival Journey' with the installation of beautiful outdoor artwork capturing the struggle, beauty and hope of our Aboriginal sisters and brothers on Sunday 18 November at 464 St Georges Road, Thornbury. The day commences with Mass at 11am, followed by the blessing of art and installation. Download the flyer, here.

Villa Maria Catholic Homes Media Release provides information on Home Care Packages for older people who may feel entering into residential aged care as they get older and more frail is their only option. There is currently a huge waiting list for home care packages and we have found many people just don’t know they exist. VMCH join calls for more Federal Gov funding for packages to give older Australians more choice and control about where they want to live. Click here to download full Media Release

Sacred Heart Mission has a position vacant for Pastoral Care Worker in St Kilda reporting to the Coordinator, Health & Wellbeing Team. For more information, click here for an overview of the position.

Get a second opinion and trust to your instincts. That’s the message from Glen Iris resident Maria Giacomantonio ahead of September’s Dementia Awareness Month. Maria is a full-time carer for her husband of 52 years, Dominic, 82, who is living with Lewy body disease, one of the most common causes of dementia among older people.

ACRATH’s week of advocacy in the Australian Parliament in 2018 saw a team of 14 ACRATH members and colleagues in Canberra to advocate for improved approaches to combatting human trafficking and protecting victims of human trafficking and slavery-like practices, and forced marriage.

Once again we are asking for the Catholic community to come together to advocate for people seeking asylum, this time in the weeks either side of the 104th World Day of Migrant and Refugees. As a practical expression of Pope Francis’ message to welcome, protect, promote and integrate migrants and refugees (recently distributed by the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office in their toolkit to promote Migrant and Refugee week), we are asking again for your support in facilitating action.