Catholic Mission Annual Report 2011
Imagine‌
Catholic Mission Annual Report 2011
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“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever…” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
National Director’s Report Thank you for sharing faith and practical care, in a way that does far more than you and I often imagine! A young Indian country girl, Kamala*, emerges from her train into the largest building she has ever seen, the railway station at Chennai (Madras) in India. She is there to find a job, but men are waiting to coerce her into a job where she will sell her body as a prostitute or be enslaved as a domestic servant unable to escape. Instead Sister Clara and the Sisters from Marialaya, a program supported by Catholic Mission, see Kamala first and invite her to live with them in safety. They then give Kamala a place to live for a year, feed her and train her in computers.
03 National Director’s Report 04 Imagine what’s possible when we work together 06 Working together in Communities 08 Working together for Children 10 Working together to train Church Leaders 12 Formation and Education Report 13 Fundraising Report 14 Finance Report
The cost for all this, a safe new life for Kamala? A whole year of care and training? One hundred dollars! That is all. How is that possible? Why is Catholic Mission able to do more with your donation than other charities? Because the Sisters and so many church workers in mission countries are volunteers or just work for their food and shelter. Catholic Mission uses the existing church personnel in India to distribute your donation at no cost. In supporting the Church you are supporting an organisation with hundreds or thousands of parishioners, like you, reaching out to people in need in their local community. In both its mission formation in Australia and its support of mission overseas, Catholic Mission continues the mission of Jesus Christ by:
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are warned that this document may contain images of deceased people.
1. Sharing the Good News of Jesus, and 2. Caring for people in need and working for justice and creation. Word and Deed, Faith and Life, Contemplation and Action… most importantly, Jesus’ command is to Love God and Love your Neighbour. Mission must include accepting the love of God into our own lives and showing that same love to other people, in our local community or throughout the world. In 2011 Catholic Mission in Australia supported the work of the Church in 195 dioceses in 38 countries. More than two million Catholics received opportunities to grow spiritually and outreach to others. Training was provided for 2,987 seminarians in 14 seminaries and 9,462 catechists. Through Catholic Mission, Australians directly supported 371,505 children.
As you read this Annual Report, imagine how much is achieved when passionate people like you, across Australia and the world, work together in Christ’s name for the love of all.
In turn, these true mission stories of faith and action worldwide provide inspiration to Australian Catholics to make faith sharing, practical care and justice essential ingredients of their Catholic Christian lives. In both Australia and around the world this authentic mission provides a credible and attractive Christianity which others will hope to share. Yours in Christ,
Sister Clara sharing faith and practical care with girls at Marialaya in Chennai, India Cover artwork: Saint Timothy parish women’s group rehearses a musical drama together for the Sunday Mass service in Maiduguri, Nigeria
Martin Teulan BA Dip Ed.,MA Th. St. National Director *Name changed to protect identity.
Imagine what’s possible when we work together…
“I would like to give a very heartfelt thank you to our supporters. You are doing just as much as what we are doing. We cannot work without you, and we are so grateful for what you are doing as partners on our behalf.” Sister Maureen Elliott FMM, Bushulo Health Clinic, Ethiopia
Catholic Mission Annual Report 2011
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Children from very poor families have the opportunity to attend school, for the first time ever. Cycles of generational poverty are broken through vocational training and the dedication of faithful missionary teachers. Indigenous people in the most isolated communities receive pastoral and practical support to grow strong in faith. The next generation of Church leaders are raised up to serve people in need, in their own language, in their own community. Hope is restored. Peace is found. Life is saved. It’s a huge worldwide family reaching out in love, doing a lot with a little. That’s what is possible – and we thank you…
Left from top: Children with disabilities receive education in India; Sister Maureen serves families at Bushulo Health Clinic, Ethiopia; Pope Benedict XVI inspires the faithful across the world. Right: Father Tiago Soares da Costa, parish priest, empowers young people at St Theresina’s in Ossu, Timor-Leste, to reach out in faith to their community.
“Your generosity and solidarity enables us to join in the worldwide effort of the Church to bring faith and joy into the lives of our brothers and sisters. Besides the generous support we receive from you, we count on the invisible but powerful help of the prayers of the brothers and sisters in Australia. We pray for you so that God may grant you blessings and graces.” Father Bernard Makadani Zulu, National Director, Catholic Mission – Zambia
“Through co-responsible participation in the Church’s mission, the Christian becomes a builder of the communion, peace and solidarity that Christ has given us… The challenges that this plan encounters call all Christians to walk together and the mission is an integral part of this journey with everyone.” Pope Benedict XVI, Message of His Holiness for the World Mission Sunday 2011
“Thank you! Your gift makes a world of difference to our students, all of whom are from struggling families. For this blessing we offer our sincere gratitude. The students and I always remember our donors in our prayers, even as we pray for the health and safety of all the world’s children. God bless you.” Father John Chiman, parish priest in the Laliyana village, Baghpat district, India
Working together in
Communities
For a family with no food in a drought-torn country, who can help? For a father with no means to support his family in a jungle village, where can he turn? Missionaries meeting grassroots needs in 1,100 dioceses worldwide reach out to communities to provide critical care, health services, employment and pastoral care – in places most of us would never dream to go. Catholic Mission Annual Report 2011
Hear the voice of people in remote Australia
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“Firstly and above all things, we’re a Catholic community… that’s not what we are, it’s who we are,” says Theodora Narndu, an elder of the Wadeye community in the Northern Territory. The largest remote Aboriginal community in Australia, Wadeye (formerly known as Port Keats) can only be accessed by four wheel drive in the dry season, and the rest of the year only by aircraft. Catholic Mission funds the living costs of the local parish priest, Father Leo Wearden MSC. He attends to the pastoral needs of the town and the outlying bush communities. Travelling many hours to visit settlements, his car is his office. Much of his work involves transporting families in need.
“I look on you as real family.” Sister Maureen Elliott FMM, Ethiopia
Fr Wearden is often accompanied by Indigenous Catholic leaders Angela Ninnal and Carmelita Perdjert, who form part of the group of respected elders in their community. Using their own language and culture, they witness to their community so that generations to come truly value themselves as Aboriginal Catholics, strong in culture and identity and strong in faith. Both Angela and Carmelita are students at the Nungalinya Theological College in Darwin. The Anglican, Uniting and Catholic Churches run the college, supported in part by the Diocese of Darwin and Catholic Mission. Both Angela and Carmelita travel from Wadeye to Darwin for four weeks each year to gain their “Certificate III in Liturgy and Ministry”. Nungalinya College caters to 280 Aboriginal students who come from all over Australia. Bishop Eugene Hurley of Darwin says, “Nungalinya is unique… it is an ecumenical college where people are trained to take their place in the communities as leaders of that community, not just as leaders but spiritual leaders.” Inspired by Angela and Carmelita’s example, three women from across three generations – Donna, Amy and Miriam – from the neighbouring community of Nganmarriyanga are now starting their theology studies at Nungalinya.
See what’s growing in Guatemala “We think of ourselves as new green stick in the jungle,” says Father Guillermo De Paz Sagastume of the St Mary’s Pataxte parish in Guatemala. “If you push it into the ground the rain will make the stick take root. In time it will grow into a great shady tree able to shelter everyone in all weathers.” Fr Guillermo’s analogy is fitting. One village church nearby is so new it began in September 2010. It is just one of the new churches in the region of Rio Dulce in the Diocese of Izabal, a 9,000 square kilometre area surrounding Lake Izabal, Guatemala’s largest lake. Half a million Catholics live here, comprising people of Spanish decent, the Indigenous Q’eqchi’ (descendants of the Mayans) and the Garifuna, descendants of African slaves brought to work plantations.
Meet a family you saved in Ethiopia The famine afflicting millions in the Horn of Africa was so vast you could wonder what your donations could possibly do to alleviate this terrible situation. The truth is, in this very minute, you are saving lives.
The Church in Guatemala is a lay church. There are not enough priests for all the parishes so training catechists is essential. A training session attracts as many as 500 participants, many walking hours to get there.
The emergency feeding program operating at the Dadim Primary Health Care Clinic in the faminedeclared area of Ethiopia is funded through the donations Catholic Mission supporters sent on behalf of Franciscan Sister Maureen Elliott’s appeal for help. This is just one of the ways supporters have been helping sisters in Dadim for decades.
Catholic Mission is providing funding for St Mary’s Pataxte to build a church, meeting rooms and dormitory where catechists will stay. The aim is for the parish to be a regional training centre able to accommodate people in overnight training sessions. Until funds are available, Fr Guillermo is content to live in a simple cabin without power or water.
Located in a place named Yabello in the region of Woredo, 250 kilometres south of Awassa, the Dadim clinic is an outreach of the Church’s presence which has been here since 1974. The Spiritan parish priest, Father Boniface, is assisted by Sisters of Charity who run the school. In the present famine the clinic is literally a life buoy. Its feeding programs target babies and infants, nursing mothers, the elderly and widows.
Fr Guillermo can only reach each of the 40 villages every six weeks. When he celebrates Mass people walk up to two hours from neighbouring villages for the opportunity to participate. “Catechists are the backbone of this parish,” Fr Guillermo says. “They are of the community. They help their people to find Christ, especially by the living example of their lives. Often working with very little, they support the people in dealing with small and great problems.”
The assistance provided to one small family speaks for many. Among the nomadic Guji herdsmen who have trekked to the clinic is a woman named Mariam (Mary) and her husband Yosef (Joseph) and their baby Nugese, whose name translates as “My King”.
These issues can range from mediating on behalf of a farmer whose land is being encroached by a neighbouring plantation, to dealing with the hardship of under-employment and poverty. “People need guidance offered with love. Someone may have problems with alcoholism and the need is to correct with love,” says Fr Guillermo. “Lately they are opening more and more to the youth… They are the future.”
Like rural people the world over, Yosef depends entirely on his crops, pastures and animals. When the expected rains failed, Joseph had no choice but to take his family droving, pushing his animals across a red dusty landscape with little to eat.
Left from top: Angela, Carmelita and Theodora bring hope to their people in Wadeye, Northern Territory; Parishioners serve together at Chapin Arriba village church, Guatemala. Above: A family receives vital support at Bushulo Outreach Clinic, Ethiopia.
From Moyale on the border with Kenya, the family trekked 240 kilometres to reach the Dadim Clinic. Mariam and Yosef know they will receive the food and medical care urgently needed. The baby Nugese will recover and grow. This little family will celebrate the gift of life within reach of this clinic.
Working together for
Bring the miracle of education to Madagascar
Children
Australia’s floods brought people together. Strangers became friends as thousands reached out to their neighbour near and far to clean up the mess and devastation. Catholic Mission supporters also became friends to more than 370,000 children across the world, including the river slum of Las Malvinas in Peru, which is flooded for six months every year. Catholic Mission Annual Report 2011
See the difference a nutritious meal makes in Peru
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It took little time at all for lay missionary Gabriela Filonowicz to see the huge needs for the children living on the flood plains of Las Malvinas in Peru. Lack of food was just part of the problem. “I realised that the children of 10 to 13 years of age didn’t know how to read or write,” says Gabriela. “They didn’t attend school because they didn’t have a shirt to wear or school books because they couldn’t afford it, or they had to stay at home caring for their little brothers and sisters because their parents had to go to work.” The children live in homes often with only two or three walls and no roof. In the wet season, the river rises across the flood plains where the city’s rubbish is deposited and the sewers drain out. “The children sleep on the floor. Often there’s no table in the house where they can sit and do their homework,” Gabriela says. “The conditions are so bad that it is not right for a human being to have to suffer them day in day out. It is impossible for the children to learn in such conditions without some form of help.” With the help of the Catholic Church and the local bishop, Gabriela started a communal kitchen in 2009 to provide a children’s nutrition program. Today it cares for 52 children, providing them with a healthy meal each day, plus help with literacy, prayer and education. For most of the children, this is where they first learn to pray to a loving God.
“Soadisiny is a courageous character with a big personality and curious intellect. Her dream is that one day she might become a doctor,” says Sister Suzanne Mahavita FMM, who manages the Catholic Home for Girls in the Diocese of Ambanja, Madagascar. Sr Suzanne says educating girls in Madagascar is a battle against the odds: “Our girls are from poor families where there’s no money for school fees, and boys get educated at the expense of their sisters. Girls usually stay at home, caring for younger siblings and do household chores until they can marry.” Although female illiteracy far exceeds that of males, there is hope. “Our local families do support the ideal of education for girls,” says Sr Suzanne. “Our intention is to bring education to as many of the disadvantaged as we can. We strongly believe it is every child’s right to be literate and numerate.” Run by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, the Home accommodates about 40 poor and orphaned girls and is one of many education programs funded by Catholic Mission. The Home provides girls with formal education, spiritual formation and life skills in a safe and loving environment.
Give children opportunities in India Two brothers both born deaf, a third with cerebral palsy – how does their father and mother give them a good future, especially when the family already has very little to live on?
Nearly 44 per cent of the Malagasy population are children aged 14 years or under. The tragedy is that so little money is spent on primary education. Public expenditure per child per year is around $57 – one 70th of the amount that Australia spends on its primary aged children ($3,981). The majority of children in Madagascar will receive no formal education and will remain illiterate for life.
Devap, aged 13, and his brother Robert, aged 15, are both hearing impaired. Their younger brother Stephen was born with cerebral palsy. Parents Antony and Mary Pragasam struggle to give their sons a productive, self-sustaining future. St Louis Institute for Deaf and Blind, in the Archdiocese of Madras & Mylapore, India, provides specialised education for 308 students, from Christian, Hindu and Muslim backgrounds. The school also offers work skills training to give opportunities for students who would otherwise be left unemployed and begging.
Eleven year old orphaned girl Soadisiny embodies everything the Girls’ Home aspires to be, says Sr Suzanne. “She is being nourished spiritually, physically and intellectually. She will be a good citizen, a person both caring and principled.” “We pray that she may realise her dream and become a healer of the sick. The need is so great and Soadisiny’s love for her fellow countrymen is just as big.”
“I was struck by the great care and attention to the needs of the children there,” says Kevin Meese, Catholic Mission Diocesan Director in Melbourne who visited St Louis Institute. “Children, who had been dealt such a harsh start to their lives, were given every opportunity to develop and grow.” Brother Innaci of the Montfort Brothers has worked at the school for seven years, and was trained as both a general teacher and a specialist blind teacher. As Boarding Master, Br Innaci is also on call 24 hours every day.
Gabriela says, “Of course we can’t give them everything but at least we can help the children to get a better education… and a chance to improve their future.”
“My husband and I always felt compelled to do more – especially for the children. We would see our own grandchildren growing up healthy and happy here in Australia, and yet knew that out there in the world were children just like them who, without our help, might never know this sort of happiness. I think God called us long ago to always be seeking ways in which to reach out…” Estelita, Catholic Mission supporter
“Br Innaci believes working with the children is part of God’s plan for him,” Kevin says. “There was a real sense that each child had much promise, thanks to quality education, a strong pastoral approach to their care, and an appreciation of the support they receive from Catholic Mission.”
Left from top: Soadisiny, front, dreams of helping people in her country, Madagascar; Opportunities to grow for children at St Louis Institute for Deaf and Blind, India; Gabriela with the children of Las Malvinas, Peru. Above: Nutritious food and education give children the chance for a better future in Peru.
After schooling at the Institute, students attend Loyola College and are re-integrated into mainstream learning. The Institute provides resources to support the college students. For example, computer software provides voice sounds for each key stroke, allowing the blind students to hear what they are typing. The school also has a printing press on site to employ deaf and blind graduates. Boys like Devap, Robert and Stephen now have the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and live with dignity.
Working together to train
See God at work in Vietnam
Horrific natural disasters hitting places like Japan, New Zealand and the Horn of Africa showed the urgent need for all people to know the love of the saving God. Across the world, priests and religious sisters faithfully serve their people amidst national crises and the dramas of daily life – to bring healing and hope in Christ’s name, despite great personal cost.
Joseph, 26, is a seminarian at St Peter Tu Preseminary in Bac Ninh Diocese in Vietnam. Growing up as the youngest of nine in a devout Catholic family gave him an abiding appreciation for education, the sacraments and prayer. However, he was never attracted to priestly life.
Church Leaders
Everything in Joseph’s life was making perfect sense until the day a nun said to him: “I believe you have the priestly vocation.”
“I admired our priest a lot,” Joseph says. “He was an underground priest from our village who served our community faithfully for thirty years, during which time he was prosecuted by the communists and put in prison.”
Catholic Mission Annual Report 2011
Imagine the future for a seminarian in Zambia
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“I come from a humble background. There was no money for education but the desire to be educated,” says Christopher Dabu, 32, a fourth year seminarian at St Dominic’s Major Seminary in Lusaka, Zambia.
At 18, Joseph’s father died and with all his siblings living away he cared for his mother at home. He studied Information Technology at college and after graduating set up his own computer shop. He had a girlfriend and intended to marry.
“The local Catholic school gave me my love of learning and, yes, my love of Christ. This did not sit well with my family who were all non-believers. My father is a polygamist and tied to traditional beliefs.”
The future seemed certain until the day an old friend called – a religious sister whom Joseph thought of as a big sister and mentor. She shocked Joseph by saying she believed he had a vocation for the priesthood.
St Dominic’s is a crucial stage in the formation of the priests of Zambia. In residence are 146 seminarians drawn from Zambia’s eight dioceses. Most seminarians come from very poor backgrounds. Others are discouraged by their families. All face obstacles on their priestly journey, and as Christopher says, these are many.
“Her voice seemed to create in my mind a non-stop whirl, forcing me to rethink all the plans of my life until then. I felt as if I had lost something precious in my life and needed to own it back right away,” says Joseph.
“My faith really is the kind that is hard-won. When I realised my desire to study for the priesthood there was no support from my kin folk,” he says. “But I did have role models in priests and brothers who encouraged me. It was a struggle.”
“You are encouraging and supporting the vocations in the local Church.” Fr Bernard Makadani Zulu, Zambia
Life at St Dominic’s has included pastoral activities and outreach that have tested Christopher’s character and commitment to the priesthood. “Preaching the Word of God to non-believers who want to ridicule you is a test of fire I feel that unites me with the first disciples who followed Jesus, even though many condemned them and mocked them for their witnessing. Then there is the reaching out to the sick, caring and offering comfort to the aged, speaking to youth with authenticity and teaching catechism,” he says. How does he imagine his future life as a priest? Christopher says simply, “I am feeling highly motivated and disciplined at this point, happily looking forward to serving the people of God wherever I will be sent.”
Within a short time Joseph had arranged all his business and personal relationships, consulted a priest and attended a vocational discernment retreat. He was later admitted as a candidate for priesthood at St Peter Tu Pre-seminary and has been accepted for entry to the Major Seminary in Hanoi.
Reach out in love to people in Peru Nearly drowning as a young boy, Father Ritman Carihuasauri Chino overcame his greatest fear so he could serve as a “river priest” to indigenous people living along the Amazon in Peru. He was just seven at the time, out on a motorised canoe with his dad before dawn to avoid the daytime heat. The sleepy boy sat on the stern while his dad steered. Over the noise of the motor his father didn’t hear the small splash as a low hanging branch whipped his son from the canoe.
Joseph says, “I am convinced now that the Lord has called me back and I have let him capture me. I know that I need him and my brothers and sisters need my service in his name.”
The boy Ritman fell into the swift black waters; he couldn’t swim. His fingers snatched hold of a limb, but then his heart sank as the whine of the canoe’s motor drifted into the distance. Alone and terrified, he hung there for an hour praying for his father’s return. When the father realised to his horror that his son was gone he frantically turned the boat around and came back searching until he found him. Later in life Fr Ritman realised that to be pastor to the villagers who lived along the river he would have to overcome his dread of water, so as an adult he learned to swim. Now 30, Fr Ritman is the first indigenous priest in the Vicariate of Iquitos, and is grateful to have been sponsored as a seminarian by Catholic Mission. As an assistant priest, Fr Ritman’s first ministry is to the people of 40 river communities, some so isolated it takes a fortnight to reach them. He celebrates the Mass, gives the sacraments, and shares the people’s joys and sorrows. He listens too to their anguish that the glorious Amazon basin is dying. His bed is either a hammock or a blanket on the floor. For these river people Fr Ritman is both pastor and advocate – their “brother”.
Left from top: Indigenous priest Fr Ritman reaches out to 40 remote river communities, Peru; Vietnamese priests are grateful for the support towards their seminary training. Above: A seminarian in Zambia... motivated to serve the people of God wherever he is sent.
Formation and Education Report
“Hear My Voice… Believe”, the theme of World Mission Month, invited individuals and communities Australia-wide to join in celebrating the work of mission with over a billion Catholics around the world.
Catholic Mission Annual Report 2011
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With a focus on the contribution of our Indigenous brothers and sisters to the global Church, these fellow Catholics graciously shared their experiences of the Sacred in their lives and helped many people to encounter God. It was an enriching response to the challenge of Pope John Paul II in Alice Springs in 1986: “The Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received by others.” Special acknowledgement is extended to staff at the Northern Territory and Wollongong Education Offices who provided wonderful assistance in the preparation of World Mission Month resources.
Village Space Touring nationally, Catholic Mission’s Village Space program travelled to many venues including schools in country and rural areas of these dioceses: Ballarat, Melbourne, Sale, Sandhurst, Canberra/Goulburn, Sydney, Broken Bay, Parramatta, Brisbane, Adelaide, Wilcannia/Forbes and Wollongong. The two major theatre-in-education productions in 2011 featured Climate Justice and Indigenous Struggles. Performances were held in 25 primary schools and 77 secondary schools, reaching a combined audience of over 13,000 people. Village Space continues to affect students, teachers and adults with its Gospel-inspired mission and justice message.
Children’s Mission School Partners Designed for teachers and students, this resource equips them to better understand our call to be mission-focussed people. Monthly Children’s Mission School Partner email updates were sent to secondary and primary schools throughout the year. They each focussed on a country or issue, and included ideas for discussion, prayer and advocacy action.
Global Immersion Program Catholic Mission’s “GIG” (Get Involved Globally) Immersion program offers the opportunity to travel deeply into a Majority World to gain insight into life for local people – engaging as equals and learning from each other in a spirit of solidarity. Through these relationships comes an obligation to be advocates for justice and agents for changes that inaugurates the Reign of God in our world. Groups travelled to remote areas of the Pilbara and Kimberley in Western Australia, as well as TimorLeste, Vietnam, Cambodia, Fiji and Kiribati.
Advocacy In 2011 Catholic Mission strengthened its advocacy focus on two areas: Children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Collaboration with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) resulted in a submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in relation to natural resource extraction and development projects affecting them. Our relationship with Aboriginal Catholic Ministries led to discerning liturgy, spirituality and workshop programs that may be developed and promoted nationally. NAIDOC week was supported through distribution of NATSICC liturgy materials. For children’s advocacy, Children’s Rights content was woven with the Gospel concept of “made in the image of God” into the Village Space program, Children’s Mission School Partners and our school resources. Internationally Catholic Mission in Australia continues to ask funding recipients to report on the measures they are taking to ensure child protection.
CSYMA Catholic Mission’s partner, Catholic Schools Youth Ministry Australia, continued to develop its outreach with over 30 schools participating in the program. CSYMA will continue to develop in its own direction from 2012 onwards, with Catholic Mission providing future support to nurture an ongoing relationship. We wish the CSYMA team every success in their ministry.
Local initiatives and activities in Dioceses Mission masses, lecture series, workshops, prayer seminars – much of the outreach in Mission Formation and Education is delivered by Diocesan Directors and staff across the country in collaboration with local dioceses, schools and parishes. Implementing relevant activities that support the local church is an immense task. Working together, we aim to help individuals and communities across Australia to engage more deeply in the work of global mission, continuing the mission of Jesus Christ in the world.
“Absolutely incredible, beyond inspiring… very, very powerful. What an amazing resource! Actors were talented, in touch with the audience, and a credit. Everyone should see it.” Janet Rehn, St Brigid’s Primary School, Evanston SA – about Village Space
Left from top: Village Space engages students nationwide; Visiting a Dominican orphanage on a GIG trip to Timor-Leste; Bringing the message of justice to life.
Fundraising Report
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift the other up…” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
Through generous gifts and prayers, Catholic Mission’s faithful supporters again showed a spirit of partnership by helping missionary leaders, children and communities around the world. Many chose to “Do something beautiful for God” through the 2011 Catholic Mission Church Appeal, assisting lay missionary Gabriela Filonowicz and Father Raymundo to reach out to communities affected by hardship, disease and extreme poverty in Iquitos, Peru. The outcomes: much needed nutrition and education for children living in an urban “slum”, and critical care for HIV/AIDS patients. Our Seminarian Supporters provided crucial funds for St Dominic’s Major Seminary, the only seminary in Zambia, training 146 seminarians dedicated to serving the community and spreading the Catholic faith in the country. In October, donations to the World Mission Month “Hear My Voice… Believe” campaign contributed to the work of our Indigenous brothers and sisters in Guatemala and here in Australia. Catholic Mission supporters enabled Angela Ninnal and Carmelita Perdjert from the remote Indigenous community of Wadeye in the Northern Territory to study at Nungalinya College in Darwin. These studies empower them to serve as spiritual and community leaders.
In the spirit of giving, donations to our 2011 Christmas appeal helped provide opportunities for the Chepang children in Nepal, where the literacy rate is only 36%. Education and vocational training now help to break the generational cycle of poverty. Following the success in 2010 of our first international fundraising conference, Australia was also invited to collaborate with offices in England and Ireland about their fundraising programs, making even more effective use of resources. Across Australia, people gave Catholic Mission their support through a variety of exciting initiatives. Kirribilli House in Sydney hosted an incredible event to support our work with Indigenous Australians. Local media helped generate great publicity for a garden party fundraiser in Toowoomba. At Mary MacKillop Centre in Melbourne, Archbishop Charles Bo encouraged people to continue their support as an act of faith. Intimate corporate luncheons in Brisbane were possible thanks to the Mantra hotel group and George Hartnett Funerals. To launch World Mission Month, St Michael’s Parish Berwick in Sale Diocese held a special Sunday Mass. In Wollongong Diocese parishes and schools joined in celebration at Magdalene Catholic High School Narellan with special guest Henry Simms, a Koori leader who is a member of the Australian Rugby Union’s Lloyd McDermott Development Team. Catholic Mission’s Corporate Charity Golf Day, held in Maitland Diocese, celebrated its tenth year with a cross-section of the business community. We are grateful for the sponsors and prize donors, many of whom have supported the event since its inception. What else? The new Catholic Mission website was launched. An encouraging number of supporters expressed interest in leaving a lasting legacy to Catholic Mission’s work through the Fellowship of St Thérèse of Lisieux. Despite overall support being slightly down on last year, our major gifts program increased revenue as did our direct marketing appeals which grew income by approximately 10%. Investing to grow monthly giving resulted in our Friends in Faith, Children’s Mission Partners and Leaders for Life programs all increasing in the total income raised. As we move into 2012, the focus is on better integrating all our fundraising activities, providing more communication to supporters about the impact their gifts make, and engaging new support through improved partnerships with parishes and Catholic schools in Australia. The dedication and generosity of supporters like you always inspires us. Your gifts, no matter how big or small, share the love of Christ with those in need. Thank you for partnering with us to empower our heroic Catholic missionaries working under difficult circumstances to reach out to our poorest neighbours.
Left from top: “Do something beautiful for God”; “Hear My Voice… Believe”; Visit Catholic Mission’s new website www.catholicmission.org.au
Financial Report Working together in Communities Bolivia Ethiopia India New Caledonia Papua New Guinea Singapore Kiribati Uganda Zambia Total Disbursements
Catholic Mission Annual Report 2011
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2011 Overseas distribution by region Working together in Communities
1
4
2 3
Working together for Children 4
1
3
2
Working together to train Church Leaders
1
4
Working together for Children Antigua Barbados Bolivia Burundi Cambodia Democratic Republic of the Congo Ecuador Egypt Ethiopia Ghana Haiti India Kenya Kiribati Madagascar Malawi Myanmar (Burma) Namibia Papua New Guinea Peru The Philippines Rwanda Sierra Leone South Africa Sudan Trinidad & Tobago Uganda Vietnam Zambia Total Disbursements
3
Note: Special Fund disbursed during FY11 Accumulated Special Purpose Funds to be distributed in FY12
Total Distributable Funds for Overseas
1 Africa 2 Americas 3 Asia 4 Oceania
AUD
207,363 644,167 794,740 68,773 1,418,438 131,189 89,245 284,802 321,593 3,960,308 3,647 7,294 29,825 102,117 49,495 169,847 43,454 40,638 42,201 94,302 83,361 1,056,024 260,907 7,294 197,982 113,579 135,461 59,265 95,344 55,435 40,117 52,100 27,030 98,991 36,470 13,546 128,584 95,552 69,815 3,209,679
Working together to train Church Leaders Democratic Republic of Congo 64,490 Papua New Guinea 126,894 Timor-Leste 88,894 Vietnam 450,486 Zambia 52,100 Total Disbursements 782,864 Total Overseas Disbursement
Funds raised by Works in 2011
Armidale Broome Cairns Darwin Geraldton Port Pirie Rockhampton Sale Toowoomba Townsville Wilcannia-Forbes PALMS Total
Working together in Communities Working together for Children Working together to train Church Leaders Special Purpose Appeals Other~ Total
2010 AUD
AUD
Year ended 30 November 2011 2011 Overseas distribution from 2010 Income
2011 Home Mission Fund distribution from 2010 Income
7,952,864 2 388,412 12,766 8,354,029
NB: $75,220 was distributed to Eritrea via Sudan from previously returned distribution. Comparative figures for the total distributions only have been included in this report. Variation due to rounding.
12,000 911,154 35,000 405,000 150,000 70,000 50,000 5,000 7,000 150,000 60,000 45,000 1,900,154
2011 Special Purpose Appeal Fund distribution from 2010 and 2011 Income Funds to Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Burma, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Timor-Leste, Uganda and Zambia. Total Disbursements
AUD
388,412 388,412
2011 Total Global distribution by Catholic Mission (Pontifical Mission Societies) from 2010 funds
AUD
Working together in Communities Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania Total Disbursements
45,489,963 3,873,928 24,592,449 139,421 2,586,787 76,682,547
Working together for Children Africa Americas Asia Europe Oceania Total Disbursements
12,275,384 997,932 7,620,116 83,361 340,216 21,317,009
Working together to train Church Leaders Africa 21,078,890 Americas 435,954 Asia 6,763,701 Europe 138,708 Oceania 401,147 Total Disbursements 28,818,400 (Conversion from USD to AUD: 1 AUD = 0.959685 USD as achieved from 2010 funds)
9,705,802 5,831,688 1,987,234 743,697 ~ 18,268,421
2011 AUD
8,718,636 6,135,449 1,799,191 505,100 ~ 17,158,376
Gross Income by Diocese for 2011 Adelaide Armidale Ballarat Bathurst Brisbane Broken Bay Broome Bunbury Cairns Canberra and Goulburn Darwin Geraldton Hobart Lismore Maitland-Newcastle Melbourne Parramatta Perth Port Pirie Rockhampton Sale Sandhurst Sydney Toowoomba Townsville Wagga Wagga Wilcannia-Forbes Wollongong Maronite Ukraine Other~ Total
2010 AUD
328,970 98,866 149,181 97,253 1,669,269 657,288 11,559 108,735 230,505 335,684 51,719 42,962 75,548 250,257 480,588 4,996,401 573,056 1,400,508 78,985 200,418 81,348 105,559 3,644,927 117,010 150,994 161,526 14,990 619,590 9,100 1,525,626 18,268,421
Catholic Mission would like to acknowledge the following faithful supporters who, though they have passed away, through the gift of their bequest continue to inspire our work and ensure that we may “reach out, and give life” for years to come: Family Name
~ Since 2010, other income has been allocated to the three works.
Diocese
In Memory
2011 AUD
592,996 134,899 119,758 94,118 1,482,107 679,857 7,959 101,099 402,928 475,163 53,517 38,692 63,418 627,455 438,127 4,708,024 702,746 1,557,247 90,201 193,893 69,449 111,444 2,071,747 122,656 138,034 156,798 15,802 611,859 338 3,937 1,292,108 17,158,376
Adamson Amsing Battaglin Burns Camilleri Farrell Faulks Fenwick Fisher Goffman Hansberry Hansen/Kean
Hawe Hennessy Johnson Jones Macri Mahoney Mangan McAleese McMahon Miller Murphy O’Sullivan
Orpwood Salteri Slawson Smith Vallence Vandeleur Watson Webb Wieszala Woolaston
For information about leaving a lasting legacy through your Will and to become a member of the Fellowship of St Thérèse of Lisieux, please contact Catholic Mission’s Donor Relations Manager for a confidential discussion on Freecall 1800 257 296.
~ Other includes investment distributions, interest, cost recovery initiatives, partnerships and any other non-operational income.
Breakdown of 2011 Income Funds Distributable for Overseas Funds Distributable for Home Mission Fund Movement in Carry Over Funds Community Education Reinvest in (Withdrawal from) Reserves Abnormal Expenses Special Projects Net Operating Expenses Total Percentage of net operating expenses over total income
2010 AUD
2011 AUD
8,354,029 1,900,154 347,300 2,586,119 1,522,694 0 171,820 3,386,305 18,268,421
8,601,062 1,860,593 62,455 2,209,056 662,118 0 198,349 3,564,743 17,158,376
18.54%
20.78%
“Giving doesn’t have to end with the end to our lives here on earth – in fact, in many ways, it’s just the beginning of what our giving can really do. That’s why I chose to include Catholic Mission in my Will – to honour my husband, to honour our life together, and most of all, to honour God…” Estelita, member of Catholic Mission’s Fellowship of St Thérèse of Lisieux
Dates to remember in 2012: Pentecost Sunday Launch of Year of Grace 27 May International Day of the World’s Indigenous People 9 August Proclaim 2012 Conference New Evangelisation 9-11 August World Mission Day Celebrated in every Catholic diocese around the world 21 October Children’s Mission Day 24 October Human Rights Day 10 December Above: Kasongo (centre) and children in Zambia can imagine a future without HIV/AIDS thanks to your support.
Your Local Diocesan Director: Adelaide Mr James Evans 08 8210 8199
Bunbury c/- Mr Francis Leong 08 9422 7933
Lismore c/- Mr David McGovern 07 3336 9239
Port Pirie Fr Arno Vermeeren 08 8645 8023
Townsville Sr Therese Marie Fleming sgs 07 4726 3253
Armidale Fr Ross O’Brien 02 6771 3517
Cairns Ms Anna Jimenez 07 4046 5636
Maitland-Newcastle Mr Barry Urwin 02 4979 1142
Rockhampton Fr John Grace c/- 07 3336 9239
Ukrainian Eparchy Archpriest Michael Kalka 03 9853 6701
Ballarat Ms Sue Searls 0408 654 223
Canberra and Goulburn Deacon Joe Blackwell 02 6163 4321
Maronite Eparchy Deacon Yuhanna Azize 1800 257 296
Sale Mrs Susan Grout 03 5174 0587
Bathurst Mr Michael Deasy 02 4284 0970
Chaldean Eparchy 1800 257 296
Melbourne Mr Kevin Meese 03 9639 1344
Sandhurst Mr Adrian Gallagher 03 5443 8321
Wagga Wagga Mrs Catherine Armstrong 02 6937 0013
Melkite Eparchy 1800 257 296
Sydney Mr James van Schie 02 9919 7800
Brisbane Mr David McGovern 07 3336 9239 Broken Bay Mr James van Schie 02 9919 7800 Broome 1800 257 296
Darwin Ms Anne Harding 08 8942 6005 Geraldton Ms Tricia Rogers 08 9964 2716
Parramatta Mr James van Schie 02 9919 7800
Hobart Ms Mary Donovan 03 6234 4244
Perth Mr Francis Leong 08 9422 7933
Toowoomba Mrs Beatrice Lucas 07 4637 1508
PO Box 1668 North Sydney NSW 2059 T: 02 9919 7800 F: 02 8904 0185 E: admin@catholicmission.org.au ABN: 52 945 927 066
Wilcannia-Forbes Mr Michael Deasy 02 4284 0970 Wollongong Mr Michael Deasy 02 4284 0970 National Office Mr Martin Teulan National Director 1800 257 296
Freecall: 1800 257 296 catholicmission.org.au