By Eric Martin
Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion campaign has become part of the Church’s Lenten tradition, offering Catholics a unique opportunity to go above and beyond in their almsgiving to bring joy and hope to others.
This year’s theme – “Go further together” – celebrates the Catholic commitment to living in solidarity as a family of brothers and sisters in Christ: encouraging students and everyone who hears the Caritas message to see the commonality of our human experience; and that the most effective way to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity, is by tackling it together.
Deacon Paul Reid, Caritas Australia’s WA Director, gave the homily during Perth’s Project Compassion Launch Mass on Sunday 23 February at St Mary’s Cathedral, celebrated by Cathedral Assistant Priest, Father Garner Vergara.
“In the coming weeks we will hear six stories of people who participate in Caritas Australia supported programs,” Dcn Reid shared.
“We will be inspired by the resilience of our sisters and brothers in these programs as they face the challenges of injustice, living in extreme poverty and impacted by climate change.
“Through our support of Project Compassion, we seek to stand in solidarity with our neighbours as a global community,” he said.
“I’m here to represent Caritas Australia – but I’m also here in my personal capacity as a member of our global community – in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who most need our help as we strive to go further together.”
The Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral was followed by the official school launch held at Sacred Heart College in Sorrento, Tuesday 25 February, attended by students and staff from more than 40 schools in the metropolitan area.
The Mass at Sacred Heart was celebrated by Geraldton Emeritus Bishop Justin Bianchini, Episcopal Vicar for Health Fr Richard Smith, Whitford Parish Priest, Fr Cyprian Shikohoti Redemptoris Mater Seminary Rector, Fr Michael Moore SM and assisted by Deacon Paul Reid.
“Some people like me, have been brought up on Project Compassion and know all about it,” Emeritus Bishop Bianchini said to the students and staff.
“However, for those of you who don’t: during Lent we are called to make sacrifices so that we can share our finances with poor people; an old-fashioned word for it is almsgiving.
“Pope Francis is always talking about the poor and the need to rebalance things by sharing around the world,” he added.
“You know what? The Pope has an Archbishop that does nothing else apart from look after the poor and needy in Rome.
“One of the things that he did when he was having a birthday party, one of his first birthdays in Rome, was to say to this Archbishop: ‘Go out and get some men who’ve been sleeping out on the streets and in their cars, and bring them to Mass and to breakfast with me’.
“However, we can’t all and don’t need to do that: what we need to do, what we are called to do is to share what we have, ‘what’s at our table.’ And in Australia, we often have quite a lot on our table,” Emeritus Bishop Bianchini continued.
“When we help others, what we’re doing is giving them the basics of life: young people like you, education; others employment; others better health. They’re basics, and many people don’t have the basics.”
Following the Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony conducted by Curtin University Elder-in-Residence Prof Simon Forrest and celebratory Mass, students and staff were treated to a traditional Lenten breakfast of pancakes, supplemented by fruit salad, eaten and enjoyed against the magnificent backdrop of the Indian Ocean as seen from Sacred Heart, before heading to a series of workshops centred on different aspects of Caritas Australia’s mission.
Parish kit booklets for Project Compassion 2020 are available from Caritas Australia and include information on each of the six weeks of Lent, with personal testimonies, reflections, prayers and fundraising ideas for the local Catholic community.
Also included is a USB that contains relevant video content for each week and parish representatives are encouraged to visit the website to access additional resources.