Coming Home Together Network
What is Coming Home Together Network?
A network for catholic organisations who are committed to reconciliation and Aboriginal engagement and partnerships. The group meets four times a year to share what work they are involved in and to establish collaborations. It is a place of co-learning, partnership and discovery made up of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people who are working together to build community and church that respectfully walks alongside Aboriginal people. The network acts as a gathering for conversation on our shared reconciliation journey towards truth, justice and healing.
A little bit about the members of the network
Catholic Earthcare
Catholic Earthcare Australia was launched in 2002 in response to Pope John Paul II call for ecological conversion. It’s work since then has been in the areas of education and advocacy. Their work with the Aboriginal people has been to view them as principle dialogue partners in developing a Wadjella understanding about the people that have protected and nurtured this country for many years. They have run Creation and Reconciliation Pilgrimages onto country where pilgrims have learnt about the local culture and relationship with the landscape. The Aboriginal voice is key to changing the hearts and minds of Australians to better care for this land.
https://catholicearthcare.org.au (02) 8907 9500
Centacare Employment and Training
Centacare Employment and Training is a not-for-profit training organisation that offers programs, courses and support services to disadvantaged members of the community who are looking to learn new skills or obtain qualifications necessary to go on to further study, training or employment. Their services are available to any member of the community without prejudice or discrimination. Specifically, they create awareness, promote, support and engage Aboriginal people, organisations and community with Centacare Employment and Training. Other Aboriginal programs include the Kadadjiny Bidi program which is run from Armadale specifically for Aboriginal jobseekers.
https://www.centrecare.com.au 93256644
Catholic Missions
Catholic Mission is the Australian agency of the international Pontifical Mission Societies. Compelled by the message, life and love of Jesus Christ, they form Australians for mission and raise funds for mission in Australia and around the world. This enables heroic missionaries to reach out to help children and communities in need and provide vital training for seminarians and other young Church leaders.
www.catholicmission.org.au 1800 257 296
Catholic Religious Australia
Catholic Religious Australia is the peak body for leaders of Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life resident in Australia. Established by the authority of the Holy See in Rome, CRA promotes, supports and represents religious life in the Australian Church and in the wider community. By combined effort, it works to achieve more fully the purpose of each institute or congregation, while respecting the autonomy, nature and spirit of each. It deals with issues which are common to all and works to establish coordination and cooperation with Episcopal conferences and with individual bishops.
www.catholicreligiousaustralia.org.au (02) 9557 2695
Catholic Youth Ministry:
Catholic Youth Ministry is the official agency supporting and promoting youth ministry in the Archdiocese of Perth. Their aim is to assist young adults to build a deep and lasting relationship with Jesus and to help them find their place in the Church and the world. They walk with young people on their faith journey and inspire them to build communities, engage with the Church and be a witness to their faith in their everyday life
Daydawn
Daydawn advocacy centre is an initiative on behalf of Indigenous people, especially Noongar people of the South West, whose rights and legitimate aspirations are often difficult to attain. Daydawn advocate, lobby and negotiate with government and non-government agencies on behalf of the Indigenous people, offer mutual help programs for the relief of sickness, distress and suffering within the Indigenous community, provide legal, medical, financial, educational and social services and create a network with Indigenous and non-Indigenous to promote reconciliation and inclusion within society.
http://daydawn.org.au 9218 8035
Edmund Rice Centre Mirrabooka
The Edmund Rice Centre WA has a proud history and an on-going commitment to assisting people from refugee and migrant backgrounds, as well as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. They provide essential settlement services including generalist casework and referrals and community education activities in the northern suburbs of Perth. The Centre services have expanded more widely throughout the metropolitan area with a particular emphasis on young people and youth leadership as a way of ensuring a positive future for all.
http://www.ercwa.org.au/ 94400625
Emmanuel Centre
The Emmanuel Centre is a self-help centre for people with disabilities, comprising several organisations, groups and support networks. They aim to provide a caring, supportive environment for those living with disabilities. Through our large volunteer base, we offer information, support, counselling, advocacy, library lending and resources, work experience and training. Programs and activities at The Emmanuel Centre focus on the belief that we are all made in the image and likeness of God.
9328 8113 http://emmanuelcentre.com.au
Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand
Good Shepherd is a network of people and organisations working to enhance the dignity and worth of each person. St Clare’s School has a pro-active approach to reconciliation by providing a safe place for teenage girls in need of a supportive educational environment due to mainstream schooling not meeting their needs. Good Shepherd promotes leadership training in the Aboriginal community by offering the ‘Good Shepherd Sisters Reconciliation Scholarship’ for women seeking to further their education. They engage with Aboriginal women in the community to advocate on housing and other issues. They socialise and celebrate special occasions with those who are isolated or away from Country and offer resourcing parents for children to engage in sacramental programs.
https://www.goodshep.org.au
Identity WA
Identitywa is one of WA’s leading agencies supporting people with disability and their families. They provide support to children and adults throughout the Perth metropolitan area. While their services are proudly based on Catholic values, our vision encompasses a diverse community in which people of all cultures and faiths live together with a sense of purpose, a sense of belonging and a sense of wellbeing.
https://www.identitywa.com.au 9474 3303
Medjugorje Centre
The Medjugorje Centre is a registered charity which was founded in 2010 to assist students with special needs at Moorditj Noongar Community College in Middle Swan which caters for about 100 Aboriginal students. They provide many programs such as ‘The Breakfast Club’ which provides healthy, low GI meals for students that arrive at school without having breakfast at home, and the ‘KindiLink Playgroup’ programme which Introduces parents and their three-year-old children to the school environment to familiarise them with the teachers and immerse them in the learning environment to prepare them for year one at Moorditj.
9255 1068 http://www.medjugorjecentre.org.au
MercyCare
MercyCare is a leading Catholic provider of aged care, family, community, health and disability services. MercyCare’s ongoing commitment to a reconciliation journey with Aboriginal people is expressed in its organisation-wide Aboriginal Pathway, active Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and 2017-20 Strategic Plan. In 2018 the organisation introduced its second RAP. The reconciliation journey is a vital component of MercyCare’s ability to successfully deliver on its mission to bring compassion and justice to life, break cycles of significant disadvantage and its commitment to the common good. This holds true for MercyCare not only as a Catholic organisation but also as a civil society, not-for-profit community service organisation.
https://www.mercycare.com.au 9442 3444
Pregnancy Assistance
Pregnancy Assistance provides compassionate care and emotional, practical and informative support to women in need throughout their pregnancy and post birth, by providing a safe space in which all pregnant women have access to the care and support they need. They also offer counselling for men and women impacted by pregnancy loss (miscarriage, stillbirth and abortion). Their services are extended to all people irrespective of race, creed, demographic or personal values
http://www.pregnancyassist.com.au 9328 2929
Presentation Sisters:
The Presentation Society of Australia and Papua New Guinea is a federation of six autonomous Presentation Congregations in Australia and a group of Melanesian Presentation Sisters in Papua New Guinea who have a keen interest in social justice, including Indigenous Justice, Women and Children and Sustainable Development. They have sponsored Aboriginal students in the past to attend Catholic gatherings and are interested in sponsoring students in the future in some way. They also recognise and acknowledge Aboriginal cultural heritage at all meetings.
http://presentationsociety.org.au/congregations/western-australia 9384 5433
Shop Front
The Shopfront is a drop-in and referral centre. They provide light lunches Monday to Friday, evening soup and sandwiches on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and clothes washing services. Thanks to their parish & school supporters they also help with food hampers. In conjunction with St Vincent DePaul, Shop Front help with short term/emergency accommodation and clothing vouchers. Shopfront is an adult service only and no person under the age of 18 is permitted on the property. All Shopfront services are available to Aboriginal people as all people are equal by their divine right as a person. All visitors to The Shopfront are treated with dignity and respect and in return expect the visitor to show respect to fellow visitors.
http://shopfrontwa.org.au 9371 9109
St Patrick’s Community Centre
St Patrick’s community Centre is a not for profit organisation that provides immediate and holistic care for the homeless, those at risk of being homeless and the disadvantaged in Fremantle and the wider south west metropolitan area of Perth. Services include, emergency relief, housing (crisis and transitional accommodation), meals, a day centre, and essential health provision. They also deliver specialist programs such as education and training, art and music, youth at risk, and rough sleepers. They aim to promote social inclusion, self-worth and help people to return to independent living and a safe environment. The centre serve many Aboriginal clients in short term accommodation, health clinics and lunch services.
http://stpats.com.au 9430 4159
St Vincent de Paul Society:
Vinnies WA is a catholic charity that offers vital support and guidance to people in need. They assist individuals seeking emergency relief assistance, with most requests being for food, furniture, clothing as well as help with bills and rent. In addition, they also have specialized support services, including retail and distribution centre operations, a recovery-focused mental health service, services to prevent or alleviate homelessness, programs for youth, financial counselling and refugee and migrant services. Vinnies aspires to support all people less fortunate with love and respect and seeks to shape a more just and compassionate society. All their services and programs are all inclusive and support all West Australians.
https://www.vinnies.org.au 6323 7500
Other organisations and religious and community services apart of this network include:
University of Notre Dame – www.nd.edu.au/fremantle – 9433 0555
Pallotines – www.pallottine.org.au – 0408 506 036
Parish Renewal
Marist Brothers – www.maristbrothers.org.au
Liturgy office – http://liturgy.perthcatholic.org.au – 08 9207 3350
Catholic Archdiocese – www.perthcatholic.org.au/Home.htm – 08 6104 3600
Caritas – www.caritas.org.au – 9422 7925
St John of God – https://www.sjog.org.au
Servite Sisters – 9275 2400
Dominicans
Centre for Faith Enrichment – https://cfe.org.au – 9241522
Justice Ecology and Development Office – http://www.jedo.perthcatholic.org.au – 9241 5256
Catholic Homes – https://www.catholichomes.com – 1300 244 111
Good Samaritans – goodsamaritan.com.au – 9463 0500
Catholic Education – www.ceo.wa.edu.au/Pages/default.aspx – 08 6380 5200
Reconciliation WA – http://www.recwa.org.au – 9389 4090
Richmond Wellbeing – https://www.rw.org.au – 1800 742 466