Josephite Community Aid (also JCA or Jcaid) was a charity organisation based in Sydney, Australia, which, through the work of young volunteers, provides assistance to newly arrived refugee migrants, people facing poverty, mental disability, underprivilege and other special needs. JCA was founded in 1986 and relied on donations and the work of volunteers.
JCA (originally named "VCA" from Vincentian Community Aid) invited young people to serve the poor and marginalised. [1] [2] It was founded by Sister Maria Sullivan RSJ, who approached friends in 1986 with ideas for forming a group to help the poor and underprivileged with the assistance of young volunteers. [3] [4]
The group attracted a wide range of benefactors and young volunteers and found a particular mission working among the waves of refugee intakes reaching Australia, from war zones such as Lebanon, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Sudan. [3] With the support of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, the Australian order of nuns founded by Saint Mary MacKillop, the group committed itself to aiding people who are poor and underprivileged through utilizing the talents and dedication of young people. [5]
Representatives of Josephite Community Aid were invited to participate in the canonisation of St Mary MacKillop in Rome in 2010, with co-ordinator Adrian Thompson representing Australia in the procession of gifts. [6]
JCA featured in the documentary Mary MacKillop: Soul of the Sunburnt Country, produced by Albert Street Productions and Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. [7] [8]
The Australian Catholic Church or Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church under the spiritual and administrative leadership of the Holy See. From origins as a suppressed, mainly Irish minority in early colonial times, the church has grown to be the largest Christian denomination in Australia, with a culturally diverse membership of around 5,075,907 people, representing about 20% of the overall population of Australia according to the 2021 ABS Census data.
Penola is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located about 388 kilometres (241 mi) southeast of the state capital of Adelaide in the wine growing area known as the Coonawarra. At the 2021 Australian Census, the town of Penola had a population of 1,376.
Mary Helen MacKillop RSJ, religious name Mary of the Cross, was an Australian religious sister of Scottish descent who has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church. She was born in Melbourne but is best known for her activities in South Australia. Together with Julian Tenison-Woods, she founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, a congregation of religious sisters that established a number of schools and welfare institutions throughout Australia and New Zealand, with an emphasis on education for the rural poor.
The Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart, often called the Josephites or Brown Joeys, are a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Mary MacKillop (1842–1909). Members of the congregation use the postnominal initials RSJ.
Christianity is the largest religion in Australia, with a total of 43.9% of the nation-wide population identifying with a Christian denomination in the 2021 census. The first presence of Christianity in Australia began with British colonisation in what came to be known as New South Wales in 1788.
Maxwell Henley Harris AO, generally known as Max Harris, was an Australian poet, critic, columnist, commentator, publisher, and bookseller.
Mount St. Joseph Girls' College is a Catholic Girls College located in Maidstone Street, Altona, Victoria, Australia. Mount St. Joseph Girls’ College is one of few schools in Australia that is a Josephite college, founded by the Josephite Order in 1964.
Penola Catholic College is a co-educational secondary college, located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Patron of the college is Saint Mary MacKillop. It has two campuses: one located at Glenroy which is commonly known as the junior campus for Years 7 and 8 students; and the other, the main campus, in Broadmeadows for the Years 9 to 12 students.
St Mary MacKillop College, also known as MacKillop College, is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary school located in Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia. The school is located in the parish of Swan Hill within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ballarat.
MacKillop Catholic Regional College is a Catholic secondary school in Werribee, Victoria, Australia. It has strong connections to the Josephite sisters, founded by Mary MacKillop. The college was founded as Mary McKillop Girls College in 1970, providing junior secondary education to female students in Years 7, 8 and 9. As demand for secondary education grew in the area, the College expanded to cater to male and female students from Years 7 to 12 and changed its name to reflect these changes. In 2022, MacKillop reached their 50 year anniversary, however celebrations were curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mary MacKillop College, formerly St Joseph's Upper Primary, then St Joseph's High School, is a Catholic girls' secondary school in the Adelaide suburb of Kensington, South Australia.
Irene McCormackRSJ, an Australian nun, was a member of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart who worked as a missionary in Peru. She was assassinated in Peru in 1991 by members of Sendero Luminoso, a Maoist rebel terrorist organisation.
Laurence Bonaventure Sheil OFM was an Irish Franciscan friar, who served as the third Roman Catholic Bishop of Adelaide. Born in Ireland, he was educated at St Peter's College, Wexford, and at the Franciscan College of St Isidore, Rome, Sheil was sent to the British Colony of New South Wales in Australia after being ordained a priest. There, he served as an educator and administrator, before poor health saw him move to Ballarat as archdeacon.
Mount Saint Joseph, Milperra is a Systemic Roman Catholic comprehensive single-sex secondary day school for girls, located in Milperra, a south-western suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Founded in 1960, the school is based on the values and spirit of Mary MacKillop. It was established under the auspices of the Sisters of St Joseph. The current principal is Narelle Archer and the assistant principal being Clair-Maree Simpson. Mount Saint Joseph's brother school is De La Salle Revesby Heights.
Catholic education in Australia refers to the education services provided by the Catholic Church in Australia within the Australian education system. From 18th century foundations, the Catholic education system has grown to be the second biggest provider of school-based education in Australia, after government schools. The Catholic Church has established primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions in Australia. As of 2018, one in five Australian students attend Catholic schools. There are 1,755 Catholic schools in Australia with more than 777,000 students enrolled, employing almost 100,000 staff.
The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) is an asylum seeker support organisation in Australia. The ASRC, based in Footscray, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, provides aid, justice and empowerment programs to over 1000 asylum seekers living in the community seeking refugee protection. The ASRC is run by a team of over 1000 volunteers and around 100 paid staff, and is headed by former university lecturer and lawyer Kon Karapanagiotidis.
The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Nazareth, also called simply the Sisters of St Joseph or Josephites, are a religious congregation who have their main centre in Whanganui, New Zealand. The congregation was a member of the Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph which disbanded in 2013. The Sisters of St Joseph Whanganui received the Decree of Fusion with the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart on 22 February 2013.
Mary is a 1994 dramatised documentary from Australia about Mary MacKillop, from a concept by Julie Macken.
Kiran Martin is an Indian pediatrician, social worker and the founder of Asha, a non governmental organization, working towards the health and community development of around 50 slum colonies in and around Delhi, reaching a reported number of 400,000 to 500,000 slum dwellers. She was honored by the Government of India, in 2002, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Xavier Catholic College is an independent Roman Catholic co-educational secondary day school, located in the Northern Rivers regional town of Ballina, New South Wales, Australia. A Companion School of the Society of Jesus, the school was founded in 2000 and is administered by the Catholic Schools Office of the Diocese of Lismore.