PERTH, WA: November 28, 1991
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It's only $5 per head
Mr Wringe . . . difficult to keep pace with costs.
CATHOLIC APPEAL TARGET ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL, HE SAYS The Catholic Community Care Appeal is aiming at $400,000 this year compared with the $180,000 raised in last year's Advent appeal. "It is absolutely critical that the 1991 appeal is successful," the Community Care Commission's executive director, Mr Kevin Wringe, told parish representatives recently. Mr Wringe told the parish promoters of the appeal that 10 archdiocesan agencies alone cost $6 million to operate last
_year with the Church providing nearly $1 million and state and federal government programs providing the other $5 million. Costs are increasing and government funding is becoming increasingly competitive to obtain, he said. The archdiocese too is finding it increasingly difficult to keep pace with costs. As an example of pressure on Catholic services, Mr Wringe pointed out that there is a nine-week waiting list for counselling at Perth Centrecme, one of the few agencies
where fees are not charged for counselling. This year's title Catholic Community Care Appeal had been changed from t he former Catholic Appeal Charities because it reflected better than the word 'charity' the community's care, support, empowerment and enhancement of people's well-being. The Commission of which Mr Wringe has been executive director for the past six months in the West Australian bishops' peak umbrella body for Catholic social welfare services and co-
ordinates and supports 10 archdiocesan community care agencies. There are approximately 20 Catholic community care organisations providing services in the archdiocese, Mr Wringe said. The $400,000 target for 1991, he said, was looking for $5 per head from an estimated $75,000 people at Mass on December 7-8. Less than 3% of the appeal budget had gone into printing and other publicity. The remainder would go to the agencies. As an example of
Catholic care initiatives, Sounding a warning Mr Wringe cited a new about increasing needs 12-bed hostel built by the Mr Wringe said: Housing Aboriginal "Currently, Western Board on Church land at Australia is in a serious Kalgoorlie and managed crisis — 100,000 are by the Church. unemployed; over 53% The centre was answer- of the Aboriginal working critical needs, he said, force are unemployed; and additional needed 35% of our youth will be monies would depend on unemployed next the 1991 appeal. month. "We are experiencing He cited also the recently opened AIDS the deepest recession in centre at Rivervale and 50 years. In my 20 years the Goldfields Centre- in social welfare, never care which was provid- has the situation been as ing counselling both for critical as at present. "The rural communiboth the Catholic and state high schools in the ties are hurting beyond description. area.
"The general community, at all levels of society, has many people who are suffering because of the current recession, and because of the many and varied pressures of the times in which we live. "Pressures of modern society; include the grief and pain experienced through abortions; the AIDS crisis; the increase in suicides; drug abuse; increase in pressures on marriages; the rise in occurrences of domestic violence; child abuse; the increase in child sexual abuse; and untold pressures through financial difficulties."
Brother on road to priesthood Sixteen years as a Vincentian brother has given Bill Irwin valuable experience for his move into priesthood. Brother Irwin, who has been working in the Kwinana parish since August, was ordained a deacon last Friday by Bishop Healy at St Vincent's Church in Kwinana. "My time as a brother has given me a broad view of ministry because I was involved in a very active, but very different way with people," he said. Born in 1955 in Gulargambone in NSW, Bill went to high school at St Stanislaus' College in Bathurst, run by the Vincentian fathers and brothers. He joined the Vincentians when he finished school, and after five years in the Vincentian seminary in Eastwood, Sydney, he completed a social welfare degree. He later spent two years in parish work in Melbourne and returned to St Stanislaus' for three years,
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Deacon Bill Irwin didn't mind a helping hand to it his dalmatic after Bishop Healy ordained him at Kwinana.
teaching and working in the boarding school. But two years ago Bill decided to become a priest. He did a further 18 months study before his appointment to the Kwinana parish. It was the work of the brothers at St Stanislaus' that first prompted Bill to join the Vincentians. "They work closer to people (than a priest does) in one sense," said Bill. "In that work,I came to see the value of ministry in the sacramental life of priesthood. "I see my role in the ordained ministry as helping others to understand their own ministry in the Church, to encourage them to see whatever they're doing as a ministry, not just a job, and to help them use their gifts in whatever ministries are open to them for building up the kingdom." Bill will be ordained a priest early next year in NSW, but will continue his posting in the Kwinana parish. — Ian Esmond