By Caroline Smith
Church community groups often find themselves changing in line with the demographic features and needs of their parish, and this has certainly been the case for those involved with Xavier Care, which for 21 years has been attached to the parish of Armadale.
The group – which takes its name from Armadale’s church of St Francis Xavier – began in 1995 with the goal of providing outreach to parishioners and others in the community who needed help, normally in the form of food or additional support when they were struggling.
Xavier Care coordinator Helen Lesniak told The Record Magazine that that as needs changed within the parish, the services provided also began to change.
“When it started, it mainly involved cooking meals such as casseroles for people when they were in need, or had upheavals happening within their families or lives,” she said.
“Now it’s mainly helping people through a crisis such as bad health. So it’s driving them to appointments, or getting them access to information and services.
“There was one lady who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, and she was also a carer to her husband – our volunteers were very sensitive to supporting this family with its many and complex needs.”
Xavier Care comes under the umbrella of Catholic Outreach, an agency of the Perth Archdiocese that organises volunteering work in local parishes, bringing people together to help one another and in fellowship.
“We try and look at matching up volunteers with someone they already know in the parish, so they’re not just going in cold turkey, and so that both parties feel comfortable,” Ms Lesniak said.
She added that the personal and interactive approach allowed volunteers not only to inform and support those in need, but to connect them up with other services in the parish and beyond that could help them.
“Our volunteers often go out to visit the sick – they are really wonderful with this, going out and helping people find support through their illness, whether it’s spiritual support from Father Kaz (Parish Priest Fr Kazimierz Stuglik), or more practical support from one of us,” Ms Lesniak said.
“The volunteers try to walk the journey with these people in a kind and caring manner.”
At the moment, Xavier Care has about 40 people on its list of volunteers, with around 20 who are active in the community, with group coordinators providing guidance.
“We hold a recruitment drive every two years, so we’ll have one next year,” Ms Lesniak said.
“We bring people together for several instruction sessions, informing them about insurance, boundaries of volunteer work and other issues.”
She added that Xavier Care provided a thanksgiving Mass at the end of the year to honour its volunteers and was this year also planning an additional networking opportunity.
Xavier Care is one of many groups connected to Catholic Outreach – an agency set up in 1990 to develop, implement and promote parish-based pastoral care programs.
More than 30 such groups exist throughout Perth, with their coordinators maintaining a connection with the Catholic Outreach head office in Highgate.
Ms Lesniak said she hoped Xavier Care would continue to support those in the Armadale Parish, continuing to develop and adapt to its changing needs.
“I think we’ve tried to reshape the group a bit since it started, and refresh it,” she said.
“In particular, we want to connect more with people through social events and other opportunities.”
From pages 14 and 15 from Issue 5: ‘Christmas 2016 – Looking forward to the Birth of Christ & Reflecting back on the Year 2016?’ of The Record Magazine