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.

Sisters of Charity Community Care

As the most recent initiative in social support, the Sisters of Charity Community Care (SCCC) reaches out to the disadvantaged in Melbourne and the rural areas of Victoria through a number of programs. The Sisters, in developing this project, have endeavoured to be true to our charism to seek out the emerging needs of the poor in our society and to take whatever steps are needed to walk with people in justice, compassion and love. The SCCC program commenced in 1997 with the establishment of Briar Terrace, a small house in Fitzroy, which provides a place for homeless men and women of the area to experience social contact, a listening ear and genuine concern. Two Sisters of Charity work at Briar Terrace along with a number of volunteers.

At the same time, research was being done as to how the Sisters might use their property at Healesville, known as "Comely Bank", which was previously used by the St Vincent de Paul Society for programs for recovering alcoholics. In 1998, Comely Bank was made available for a group of children from Bosnia who were recovering from prosthetic limb surgery following the war. In 1999, the house was restored and now provides a place of respite for carers of people with disabilities, particularly for those who come from disadvantaged situations. Two Sisters, one part-time, minister at Comely Bank.

Rosebank Centre at Strathmore has been functioning as a centre of hospitality since 1995. The Centre offers various programmes including craft, massage, card mornings, a book club, reflection days and herbal days. Volunteers from the Centre also visit the needy in the community. It provides a very pleasant venue for Conference days and is used by schools and other groups for meetings. Rosebank Centre houses the Congregational Office of the Sisters of Charity (Victoria), the SCCC office, the office for Care for Carers and the office for the Sisters of Charity Aboriginal Awareness Project. A Sister of Charity manages the Centre, assisted by a number of committed volunteers.

Care for Carers commenced in 1998 and is the fourth program to operate under the umbrella of SCCC. This program works in conjunction with the Moreland City Council and provides companionship and a listening ear for people involved in full-time caring. It operates in the areas of Brunswick, Moreland, Coburg, Pascoe Vale, Glenroy and Fawkner. A Sister of Charity manages this service, assisted by a group of trained volunteers.

In 2003, a fifth program began at Castlemaine with the opening of a house of hospitality for families visiting women in the local women's prison. Two Sisters of Charity live in the house and are currently developing awareness of the service among the local and wider community. The project has been supported in part by VACRO.

The SCCC was incorporated in June, 2000. It has a Board of Directors including two Sisters of Charity. The Board is responsible to the Congregational Leader and Council who are the members of the Company. This company has the potential to develop and include other programs or form a partnership with other groups.