Catholic Mission - Annual Report 2007

Catholic Mission 2007 Annual Report

Catholic Mission www.catholicmission.org.au Freecall 1800 257 296

Partnering Fostering Encouraging

Contents Director’s Report

1

Overview of year

2

Partnering Local Churches

4

Fostering Church Leadership

6

Encouraging Children to Care

8

Education Report

10

World Mission Month

11

Finance Report

12

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

Catholic Mission is part of the international group of Mission Societies specifically commissioned by the Pope to promote a universal missionary spirit and provide spiritual and financial support to growing Churches around the world.

Director’s Report

1

Dear Partners in Mission, You have changed many lives for the better!

I would like to thank you all for your support of Catholic Mission in 2007. Every donation given, every prayer said, every time the message of Jesus was passed on have all directly contributed to changing the lives of children and adults overseas and in Australia.

The support of Australians to the evangelising work of the Church continues to grow.

Both spiritual and practical assistance are essential elements of evangelisation. The Catholic Church in a vast majority of countries worldwide relies on the support of Catholic Mission. Millions of people including many, many children now receive spiritual inspiration, education, health care and nutrition through Catholic Church workers and volunteers funded

by Catholic Mission.

Of course all spiritual and all practical support is offered to people of any faith or none at all.

I would like to thank very much Father Terry Bell, who recently completed his term as National Director. This is his report far more than mine. His tenure saw a much increased growth in support to those in need, with fundraising increasing healthily each year

and the work of Catholic Mission continuing to grow. In May 2007 Fr Terry was elected to the Superior Council in Rome and will continue to work for Catholic Mission through that crucial policy-making body.

I would also like to thank the Australian Bishops for nominating me to the office of National Director. I believe it is a wonderful time to be so deeply involved in the ministry of evangelisation, at a time when it is so crucial to the future of the Church. I hope that you will pray for me to always do my best and to remember always I am doing God’s work.

Please continue to pray for Catholic Mission, support our work financially and learn about the inspirational service of so many Catholics to those in need. You just may find yourself growing as a more complete and Christ-like person as result!

Yours sincerely in our Lord,

Martin Teulan National Director 2007-present

In my life I have had the privilege of visiting mission areas in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Samoa. These visits have informed and enlightened my time as National Director. I have seen and heard the stories of mission workers and the people they love and serve. I have been enabled to appreciate some of the difficulties (economic, cultural, political, educational) that all missionaries face and it has enthused and inspired me in my efforts to share their stories with others and to increase the level of giving by myself and others in Australia.

I thank all the donors of Catholic Mission who have given so generously to support the work of missionaries as bearers of the Good News by the witness of their lives, their sharing of faith, their relief of poverty, their efforts to address injustices, their formation and education of children and adults – in a word, their living out true discipleship of Jesus. What others do overseas, you and I must do at home with equal joy and enthusiasm. May the grace of God strengthen and bless our desire to live out fully our baptismal calling and union with Jesus.

Fr Terry Bell National Director 2000-2007

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

2

Overview of th Catholic Mission’s encouraging financial results are an indicator of the continued support of the Australian community for the work we do; for those we hear about, see images of and read about, but yet, cannot see or speak with personally. This highlights a spirit of true faith in giving. We thank our donors for their support in 2007 and implore Australians to continue giving with a sense of sacrifice to help us achieve our target of a 12 per cent increase in 2008. It is the role of each and every one of us to join in the communication efforts and radiate to those around us the messages we receive during the year from Catholic Mission about the hardships faced in the world.

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

Summary

3

Total income

13.5%

Partnering Local Churches

19.2%

Fostering Local Church Leadership

3.8%

Caring for Children

7.8%

he year Catholic Mission’s total income increased on the previous year by 13.5 per cent, with a record of over $14 million achieved for 2007.

Our regular donations decreased marginally for Friends in Faith and Leaders for Life with a slight increase for Children’s Mission Partners.

An overall total decrease for our regular giving programs is of some concern, given the cost effectiveness to Catholic Mission with this type of giving scheme. We therefore encourage donors to support Catholic Mission’s regular giving schemes in 2008 and beyond. Catholic Mission builds an ongoing relationship with our regular donors who in 2007 enjoyed receiving our updates and newsletters keeping them in touch with the work and people we support.

Direct Mail appeals increased for both Partnering Local Churches and Catholic Mission’s work for Children, but unfortunately, decreased for our Fostering Local Church Leadership appeal. Funds raised from this program go directly to support priests and religious leaders in mission countries. There is currently a vocation boom for priesthood in the developing world. The decrease in support for this program in 2007 is worrying but provides an enormous opportunity for our supporters, both existing and new, for 2008.

Our Seminarian Supporters Program has been developed specifically for this purpose – to assist seminarians with their journey towards priesthood. Under the program, seminaries in the mission countries we support are starting to receive their grants of $1,500 per student

per year (compared with $40,000 for Australian seminarians). With your help, we look forward to supporting many more seminarians in 2008.

Total Church Appeals were up on 2006 by 10 per cent which allows Catholic Mission to support the ever increasing need through our Partnering Local Churches programs. Each year, more and more missionaries are travelling to places in need and Bishops are inundated with project proposals. Using these funds, catechists are trained, churches are built, Catholic communications are developed so that the Word of God is brought to those who otherwise would not be able to join in Christ’s church. In addition, food, lodging, HIV/AIDS education and medication are afforded from this fund for those most in need.

Towards the end of 2007 we held a Corporate and Community Think Tank to take up a challenge posed in our 2006 report to look at ways of reaching Catholics who are not currently aware of our good works. Our hope for 2008 is that we can put into place some of the suggestions from the Think Tank in order to reach more non-Church attending Catholics.

We look forward to 2008 with optimism and embrace the challenge to target a 12 per cent increase in donations.

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

4

Partnering Loca Propagation of the Faith

Since its inception in 1822, Catholic Mission has run its annual Church appeal, when we ask parishioners to reach out and support young Local Churches and their Communities all over the world.

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

Friends in Faith

5

Catholic Mission’s regular giving program to partner with local churches and communities is the Friends in Faith program. Our regular donors receive newsletters with details of some of the projects being funded.

cal Churches It is a challenge in the developing countries of the world where natural conditions make life difficult and hard to even hear the Good News or where oppression and persecution prohibit the living or proclamation of the Gospel.

Catholic Mission is totally dependent upon donor support to reach the ever-increasing number and size of requests that are received each year.

There are never enough funds to respond to all the good initiatives, programs, projects that the local Bishops and communities desire to help them deepen their faith, to spread the Gospel, and to address the human needs, oppression, and persecution they face daily.

Our 2007 Church Appeal put focus on Sister Dorothy Stang and the wonderful work she did in the Amazon for 37 years.

Sister Dorothy had been an advocate for rural communities in the Amazon Rainforest, helping them to make a living farming small plots of land without deforestation. She had previously received death threats from loggers and land owners but this did not deter her from trying to protect the people from hired gangs. They wanted the land for commercial exploitation – leaving the villagers to become unemployed slum dwellers on the fringes of the cities.

The shocking image in the poster speaks eloquently of the presence of the cross in the direst situations, of the dangerous reality faced by missionaries in many countries and the constant presence of the Church.

Our challenge at Catholic Mission is to replace doubt with belief, hate with love, suffering with life and conflict with peace.

Missionaries all over the world work tirelessly to help the oppressed, feed the hungry and give hope to communities. Many live with the constant threat of danger, but do so with open hearts.

The sacrifice being made by missionary workers for peace and for faith too frequently includes their own life – like Sister Dorothy Stang, shot and killed at point blank range by hired gunmen in Anapu, in the Amazon Rainforest, Brazil in February 2005.

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

6

Fostering Churc St Peter Apostle

All over the world, young aspiring Church Leaders face many hardships during their formation. Catholic Mission has been Fostering Local Church Leadership in the developing world since 1889, helping young churches grow.

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

Leaders for Life

7

Catholic Mission’s regular giving program to Foster Church Leaders is the Leaders for Life program. Regular donors receive two newsletters a year giving examples of some of the seminarians they are supporting through the Leaders for Life program.

ch Leadership In the Archdiocese of Honiara seminarians first enter the Nazareth Apostolic Centre to complete a certificate on Catholic Catechism.

All students wishing to enter the Holy Name of Mary Seminary must complete this course.

This program has proven quite successful in preparing young aspirants for their language skills required for their seminarian studies which soon follow.

Archbishop of Honiara the Most Reverend Adrian Smith said, “It is good to always remember that English is the third or fourth language of most of our seminarians. They know their mother tongue, the next closest language to their home village, Solomon Islands Pijin and English. The Solomons is a country of over 80 different languages for less than half a million people.�

The past year has been a challenging one as they enthusiastically implemented a new idea of Training the Trainers. The Minor Seminarians are thankful for the formation they are given to make them ready for the Seminary. Their year has been a grace filled year with all the different activities provided for the Minor Seminarians as the school does its best in giving them a holistic formation.

Some of the young seminarians in the Nazareth Apostolic Centre write to Catholic Mission and its supporters:

Dear Friends, As a Diocesan candidate I am happy of the opportunity to study here at Nazareth Apostolic Centre. After completing this Minor Seminary Program I certainly feel that I have been re-moulded in my life with God. I am totally indebted to your financial support towards my schooling. I have reflected that I am growing the areas of faith and somehow feel that I am ready to assist my people pastorally in this Christmas break.

I am looking forward to continuing my seminary studies early next year.

Blessings on all of you.

Respectfully yours, Mr Vincent Manehoua

Dear Benefactors, I would like to share with you my word of thanks in respect for the course provided for us here at Nazareth Apostolic Centre.

I a m a minor seminarian candidate and I a m very grateful for your support that has enabled me to study. I believe that I have come this far in my faith journey. Will be keeping you all in my prayers.

Yours in Christ, Kasimiro Tawo

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

8

Encouraging Ch Children’s Mission

Catholic Mission is the only Catholic organisation with global works specially dedicated to children. Internationally, last year Catholic Mission helped over 2.6 million children to live a full and happy life.

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

Children’s Mission Partners

9

Catholic Mission has a partners program, called Children’s Mission Partners, for regular donors who wish to receive letters and photographs quarterly on different projects around the world.

Children to Care Funds raised to help children increased by 7.8 per cent this year. This means that we can help more and more projects throughout the developing world.

Ethiopia is a country where poverty, famine and malnutrition are endemic. To save human lives is a top priority for Catholic Mission.

The Church cannot possibly preach a credible message of God’s love and human solidarity if it fails to help infants and small children in grave danger of losing their lives.

The people of Awassa appreciate the service that Catholic Mission funds through the 13 health clinics in the region for children. Sisters of different orders staff most of the clinics and they even staff a little hospital. There are also a few Catholic and non-Catholic nurses who administer vaccinations and medications to the sick children, though resources are lean.

The young and the frail get the most attention and the sisters run mother and child programs and feeding programs for these children. Finding food for the many hungry and malnourished children is just one of the challenges that they face daily.

The families of the children are thankful for any help they receive, knowing that all over the world there are many other children like their own, in crisis.

The sisters help any child in need, regardless of religious affiliation, race, sex or cultural traditions. In this way, your charity becomes an extremely effective way to show respect to the lives of the children and their families.

Thanks to generous donations, medicines and food can be purchased for the children of Awassa.

Catholic Mission funds projects like these all over the world, helping the most needy and poor, helping not just one child, but many, not just one community but many.

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

Education Report Catholic Mission provides a wide variety of animation and education services. These include high quality teaching resources and interactive classroom workshops, support for sacramental preparation, missionary speakers, ongoing professional development for teachers, dramatic presentations on mission and justice known as Village Space and cross-cultural immersion opportunities.

2007 children first!

In schools Catholic Mission offers the children first! program which encourages children to care for children in need. We provide schools with an educational resource containing information on some of our projects as examples of the many hundreds of projects funded around the world. Children helping children is the central prong to the children first! program, ensuring that it has a fundraising as well as educational an role.

In 2007, in preparation for the Oceania World Youth Day, Catholic Mission focused on ‘The New Missionaries’ - young people with new energy and new ideas. The New Missionaries are those doing positive things in their own communities, as well as the youth who will gather from around the world in a celebration of faith at the Oceania World Youth Day. Funds raised through the children first! schools program were up 3 per cent to $503,075 this year enabling the many people helping children to help even more.

Youth! Speak To support the celebration of Mission Month in October, Catholic Mission, in conjunction with Australian Catholic Religious, organised a series of one-day forums entitled ‘Youth! Speak’ with the aim of broadening people’s understanding of mission by hearing about what some are already doing and to further inspire others.

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

Four young people, Sherlyn Khong from Singapore, Paul Petrus and Marie Mondu from Papua New Guinea, and Ludivico Alves from East Timor, were invited to present the work that each is carrying out in their local communities, continuing Jesus’ mission of creating a more just, peaceful and humane society. At each forum local representatives including Indigenous speakers also shared their experiences. The forums were held throughout northern Australia in Darwin, Cairns, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Warwick and Casino.

World Youth Day Exchange Program Catholic Mission helped facilitate 120 young people making up 12 groups from the dioceses of Townsville, Rockhampton, Toowoomba, Brisbane, Lismore, Canberra and Melbourne to travel to various destinations of the Pacific rim (East Timor, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Tonga, Wallis and Futuna). Over a period of 10 to 12 days they met the participants who will attend the Oceania World Youth Day in 2008. They lived with them in their villages and gained deep insights into their culture and other ways of living in faith communities. All the Australians who participated are now earnestly preparing to host their Pacific neighbours with the same level of generosity and hospitality.

10

World Mission Month Youth in Mission.

Care for Creation, Care for Neighbour Catholic Mission this year celebrated the great work that so many are doing around the world by shining the spotlight on young people involved in Jesus’ Mission, making a world of difference by proclaiming the Gospel with their daily lives in the streets and in schools, in urban and in rural areas. We particularly highlighted a better future with regards to caring for creation and caring for our neighbour.

An educational DVD was produced entitled “Youth in Mission: A world of difference” featuring three young people from diverse backgrounds, missionaries in their local communities. Israel works as a youth worker and choir leader in a squatter town of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Daniella works in a women’s health program in the favelas of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and Chris works as an Aboriginal education consultant in Western Sydney.

Most challenges today to God’s creation – pollution, deforestation, global warming – have their roots in social imbalance and lack of care for each other. Where there is ecological degradation it is the poor and most vulnerable who suffer first and worst. Catholic Mission supports thousands of projects around the world that help Care for Creation.

In Missionvale, Port Elizabeth in South Africa there are no handouts. Instead, the people of the surrounding villages are asked to bring something to be recycled to then receive bread and soup powder in return. This not only increases their self worth, but assists with building a stronger sense of community, involvement and achievement.

The latest project that the villagers are working on is wood packing pallets. The men and women pull them apart and then make outdoor benches and tables out of them. Everything is reused – even the nails. This is a project that the people of Missionvale have just recently

11

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embarked on, and are looking for an outlet to sell them to make money.

The project in Missionvale is run by the Little Company of Mary Sisters. Sister Ethel with a group of trustees help make many things happen there. There is an HIV/AIDS clinic, school, recycling projects and assistance with food parcels to name a few.

Water Tanks and Churches Often, in remote communities all over the world Catholic Mission is asked to fund projects like rebuilding churches. In many areas these types of works serve many purposes – a church for the spiritual formation of the people, a community hall for gatherings and a tank for fresh drinking water.

Surai is a small village on the island of Kairiru, about 25 kilometres off the coast of the provincial capital, Wewak, Papua New Guinea.

The village is home to 100 people. When they rebuild the church, they will also install a water tank, providing fresh drinking water for the total parish of 350 people. Currently, many of the locals walk a round trip of two hours to get fresh water from the closest stream used for drinking water. Once the community builds the water tank on the side of the new church this travelling time will be reduced to a five minute walk.

The church is currently in such disrepair that rebuilding is the only option. With the water tank on the side of the church this will help the community not only with their faith, but their health too.

Finance Report

12

Year ended 30 November 2007

2007 distribution

from funds raised in 2006

Home Mission Fund AUD $

Partnering Local Churches Home Mission Fund (Australia)

1,634,808

Madagascar Sri Lanka Port Moresby Kiribati New Caledonia

1,860,580 696,599 531,570 101,893 73,974

Total Partnering Local Churches Disbursements

3,264,616

Caring for Children Angola Chad Egypt Ghana Kenya Mozambique Nigeria Democratic Republic Congo Rwanda Sierra Leone Uganda Zambia Malawi Ecuador Haiti Honduras Philippines India Myanmar Albania Papua New Guinea Philippines Vietnam

22,888 104,702 42,296 114,917 118,619 24,924 126,408 117,470 108,219 55,486 318,191 123,727 56,549 60,014 53,372 6,384 48,010 1,098,091 57,842 76,611 37,795 19,408 99,467

Total Caring for Children Disbursements

2,891,388

Fostering Local Church Leadership India Thailand Papua New Guinea Total Fostering Local Church Leadership Disbursements

404,064 221,010 57,714 682,788

Total Overseas Disbursements

6,838,791

Home Mission Fund

1,634,808

TOTAL

8,473,599

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

distribution in 2007 by Diocese Armidale Broome Cairns Darwin Geraldton Port Pirie Rockhampton Toowoomba Townsville Wilcannia/Forbes PALMS Other TOTAL

AUD $

9,500 847,000 30,000 300,000 125,000 40,000 40,000 8,500 130,000 30,000 40,000 34,808 1,634,808

2007 distribution Partnering Local Churches

Caring for Children

13

Fostering Local Church Leadership

Adelaide Armidale Ballarat Bathurst Brisbane Broken Bay Broome Bunbury Cairns Canberra/Goulburn Darwin Geraldton Hobart Lismore Maitland Melbourne Parramatta Perth Port Pirie Rockhampton Sale Sandhurst Sydney Toowoomba Townsville Wagga Wagga Wilcannia/Forbes Wollongong Other TOTAL

Home Mission Fund

Key

Key Home Mission Fund Madagascar Sri Lanka Port Moresby Tarawa-Nauru Noumea Angola Chad Egypt Ghana Kenya Mozambique Nigeria Dem. Rep. Congo Rwanda

Home Mission Fund

Gross Income Diocese

Partnering Local Churches Caring for Children Fostering Local Church Leadership

Sierra Leone Uganda Zambia Malawi Ecuador Haiti Honduras Philippines India Myanmar Albania PNG Philippines Vietnam Thailand

Armidale Broome Cairns Darwin Geraldton Port Pirie Rockhampton Toowoomba Townsville Wilcannia-Forbes

Funds raised by Works 2006 AUD $

2007 AUD $

277,239 86,563 96,984 118,384 902,471 802,202 9,895 270,126 111,452 328,449 42,076 25,544 65,709 176,786 402,068 3,982,765 553,020 1,077,864 80,718 97,836 67,246 147,236 1,783,205 121,288 62,996 133,088 10,254 608,312

257,680 68,798 141,440 271,610 1,077,061 605,458 9,174 134,350 100,920 339,136 38,212 31,950 65,587 203,504 785,133 3,965,620 740,871 1,196,736 142,097 128,507 31,953 161,652 2,551,029 115,720 94,537 137,811 16,781 620,395 93,193

12,441,778

14,126,912

The total income includes Shares bequested in previous years and realised in 2007 totalling $1,050,979.

2006 AUD $

2007 AUD $

Partnering Local Churches and Communities (Overseas and Home Mission Fund)

7,023,003

8,371,638

Caring for Children

4,261,602

4,422,156

Fostering Local Church Leadership

1,149,299

1,238,625

7,874

1,300

Tsunami Appeal Other TOTAL

93,193 12,441,778

14,126,912

Allocation of 2007 Income AUD $

Funds distributable for overseas

7,690,961

Funds distributable for Home Mission Fund

2,024,202

Community Education

630,891

Investment for future projects

1,128,277

Net operating expenses

2,652,581

TOTAL

14,126,912

Percentage of net operating expenses over total income

18.78%

Catholic Mission Annual Report 2007

Catholic Mission Freecall 1800 257 296 National Office PO Box 1061 Chatswood NSW 2057 Cairns Fr Patrick McKenna (07) 4046 5632

Phone: 02 9411 4611 Fax: 02 9411 4622 Website: www.catholicmission.org.au Email: admin@catholicmission.org.au ABN: 52 945 927 066

Broome Fr Daniel Chama (08) 9193 5888

Darwin Sr Elizabeth Little (08) 8941 1244

Townsville Sr Therese Marie Fleming SGS (07) 4726 3253 Rockhampton Fr John Grace (07) 4931 3670

Geraldton Mrs Rosemary Miles (08) 9964 2716

Toowoomba Ms Patricia Harding (07) 4637 1508 Port Pirie Fr Arno Vermeeren (08) 8586 6239

Perth Mr Francis Leong (08) 9422 7933

Wilcannia/Forbes Mrs Mary Kenyon (02) 6853 9300

Bunbury Mr Francis Leong (08) 9422 7933

Brisbane Sr Mary Lowcock RSM (07) 3336 9239

Hobart Mrs Mary Donovan (03) 6208 6258

Armidale Fr Ross O’Brien (02) 6771 3517

Bathurst Mr Glenn Smith (02) 6331 7544

Lismore Mr John Griffiths Phone: (02) 6628 7307

Maitland/Newcastle Mr Barry Urwin (02) 4979 1142

Parramatta Mr Eddie Leszczynski (02) 8838 3421 Broken Bay Mr Christopher Jackson (02) 9847 0000

Adelaide Mr James Evans (08) 8210 8199

Ballarat Ms Sue Searls (03) 5339 4440

Sandhurst Fr Rom Hayes (03) 5862 1250 Melbourne Fr Pat Harvey (03) 9639 1344

Catholic Mission www.catholicmission.org.au Freecall 1800 257 296

Wollongong Mr Michael Deasy (02) 4284 0970

Wagga Wagga Mrs Cathy Carroll (02) 6937 0013

Canberra/Goulburn Deacon Joe Blackwell (02) 6163 4321 Sale Mrs Susan Grout (03) 5174 0587

Sydney Ms Lana Turvey (02) 9390 5430