By Jamie O’Brien and Joel Hall
Charity is at the base of all that we need in order to become perfect in love, Perth Auxiliary Bishop Don Sproxton has told staff, volunteers and supporters celebrating 30 years of Pregnancy Assistance.
Bishop Sproxton celebrated the anniversary Mass at All Saints Church, Greenwood Parish, on Saturday 31 October, with Glendalough Parish Priest Fr Doug Harris concelebrating.
Archbishop Barry Hickey conceived the initiative in 1995 and established Pregnancy Assistance the following year.
Volunteers and counsellors sustained the centre through its first two decades, staffing its rooms, listening to clients and caring for donations of clothing, toys and baby furniture.
In 2017, with support from the Archdiocese of Perth, the organisation introduced a professional counselling service specifically for women experiencing difficulties following abortion.
Its counsellors also support people grieving miscarriage, stillbirth and other pregnancy losses.
Today the centre at 195 Lord Street, East Perth, offers free, confidential support during pregnancy and after birth, and for people who experience pregnancy loss.
Pregnancy Assistance reports that it supports more than 1,200 women and their families annually, welcoming people regardless of religion, race or personal values.
Pregnancy testing, accommodation advocacy and budgeting assistance form part of that work, alongside practical help with nappies, clothing and essential baby items.
Bishop Sproxton began his homily by speaking of the annual celebration as an occasion for thanksgiving and for prayer for those who work in the ministry and those they serve.
He recalled had read Pregnancy Assistance’s newsletter while preparing for the Mass and its account of the work reminded him of the staff, volunteers and people whose constant prayer supports the ministry.
Through their service, Bishop Sproxton explained, the Church reaches women and men who face an unexpected pregnancy and uncertainty about what to do next.
He identified charity as the word that underpinned the ministry’s response, drawing attention to its place in the first reading and its echo in the Gospel.
“Charity is the motivation for anything that we do in the church, it’s the motivation, and it’s the underpinning of all the virtues in the Catechism,” Bishop Sproxton said.
The Catechism’s teaching, he explained, concerned ministry and the daily life of every Christian. Faith finds expression in “the things that we do and how we do them”, with charity guiding that witness.
“It draws us up into the perfection of the divine love,” he said.
Marking the ministry’s three decades, Bishop Sproxton spoke of the importance of being present when people face a crisis, and of offering a way towards life and peace.
“Christ is the one that we reflect in our lives,” he said.
He described Christ as the inner guide who helps those serving in the ministry recognise needs and respond to them.
The people they encounter and the stories they hear, he said, can prompt prayer for those individuals, with the spirit of Christ guiding their response.
The Holy Spirit, he said, works through the ministry in those who offer support and, he hoped, in the lives of those who approach them. He described that growth as a gift of grace.
“It’s a work of grace.”
Bishop Sproxton thanked those continuing the work and pledged his personal support for the ministry.
“I want to thank you, and continue in our support of Pregnancy Assistance, and also personally to do whatever I can to bring about the flourishing of this ministry, which is so critical.”
He recalled a conversation many years earlier with a woman who spoke to him about the lasting trauma that can follow abortion, the loss of a child or the loss of a pregnancy.
He spoke of the ministry’s capacity to “walk alongside these people” and help them find “the way that Christ will map out for them”. Christ, he said, also guides the people who seek assistance.
He closed by praying for strength, courage, patience and understanding as staff and volunteers respond to the needs of those who come to Pregnancy Assistance.
