Community Care

From the earliest days of the Congregation in Ireland, the core charism of Mary Aikenhead, to reach out to the poor and sick, has been the primary thrust of the apostolic work of the Sisters of Charity. This is encapsulated in our taking a Fourth Vow of Service of the Poor, and expresses itself in the meaning of this vow, "to make ourselves extensively useful", that is, to be available to respond to any need of any person in any circumstance where at all possible for us to do so. It was precisely this spirit and motivation that brought the pioneer Sisters to Australia in 1838

Over the past 165 years, the Sisters of Charity have dedicated themselves to the needs of others. They have kept pace with, and often led the field in, modern understandings of social welfare, of psychology and sociology. Nevertheless, the motivating spirit remains the same, continuing to inform community care, both formal and informal. These range from the social work departments of our major hospitals, the many supporting services related to our schools and hospitals, numerous individual and congregational initiatives, and the chance meeting on the street, sisters and their lay colleagues constantly search for new ways to respond to those in need.

The major thrust of welfare activity since 1988 has been the setting up of the Sisters of Charity Outreach in New South Wales, other Outreach Centres in Toowoomba, Queensland and in Devonport, Northern Tasmania, and, most recently, the development of the Sisters of Charity Community Care in Melbourne.