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Catholic Newspaper of the Sandhurst Diocese May 2011
Celebrating 25 years
of helping each other
On February 24, Centa-
Care celebrated 25 years
of family and community
services in the Sandhurst Diocese.
A number of happenings occurred
to celebrate that occasion: Some people
got together to write the stories of
those 25 years and as a result a beautiful
booklet was produced.
A DVD was also created to present
the programs that CentaCare provides
for couples, families, children and
individuals.
On the day itself there was a Conference
with the theme “Being Family
Today”.
To present the theme there
were five very interesting, relevant
and invigorating talks by professionals
with expert knowledge and
experience.
There was a 25th birthday cake
and the day concluded with a formal
celebration, with guest speaker Professor
Alan Hayes, Director of the
Australian Institute of Family Studies
speaking on “Celebrating Families
today”.
There were 120 people at the
events including the first Director of
CentaCare, Fr Gerry Gallagher and
some of the counsellors who provided
the first counselling service at
Bendigo, Shepparton, Wangaratta and
Wodonga.
It was a fantastic day full of energy,
hope and optimism for the future of
families today.
On that occasion, CentaCare celebrated
a lot of things. In a special
way it celebrated its services as the
work of the Church out in the market
place; that its reason for existing
is based on Gospel teaching that God
loves all people and because of that,
people need to deeply respect each
other; It celebrated that it is part of the
Social Mission of the Church with a
central focus on the dignity of everyone,
no matter what the circumstances
are in which they find themselves; it
celebrated that it is inspired with a
vision of hope, growth and wellbeing
for couples, families and individuals
and for the whole community.
CentaCare is very grateful for all
Father Gerry Gallagher and CentaCare director Paul Fogarty with the 25-year birthday cake.
it has been given: For Church support,
for State and Federal funding,
for generous donors and supporters,
for the Parish Appeals throughout 25
years, for the quality of people who
have come to work within it, and for
the capacity to provide high quality
family services.
One current story about the work
CentaCare does, is a story of an activity
that happens at a women’s prison.
It is very moving.
In the past 12 months, CentaCare
has facilitated a playgroup for mothers
and children in the prison. Seven to
ten children attend the Playgroup.
Children have opportunities to
socialise with other children and
adults, and learn self esteem, problem
solving and resilience.
Mothers receive positive parenting
support, develop confidence in parenting,
learn about appropriate child
development and about healthy eating
options for their children.
Initially some of the children were
reluctant to participate and were very
clingy to their mothers.
Some of the children found it hard
to focus and participate in the structured
activities.
The mothers were also initially
reluctant to participate and engage
with the facilitators.
Over some time, however, there
has been a significant change in both
children and mothers.
There are now children waiting for
CentaCare to arrive at the prison.
There is lots of laughter and fun
during sessions.
There is a high sense of
achievement in what is produced in
the activities.
Mothers are now listening to each
other’s stories. Mothers and children
actively participate in songs and
rhymes, mothers participate in food
preparation, mothers engage with
facilitators about personal or parenting
issues, and much more.
One parent wrote at the end of 10
sessions: “I have two daughters residing
with me here. “At first I could not
get my four-year-old to come. She isolated
herself where my 2-year-old was
happy to come. Since my 4-year-old
has attended, she has come a long way
with her speech, singing, dancing and
joining in with other kids.
“All the time she has learned
how to be happy with other kids. My
2-year-old sings all the time around
our unit. The most important thing
is that it brings us all together and
teaches us all a lot, parents as well.”
Another parent wrote: “My 3yr
old daughter presently attends Prison
Playgroup every Tuesday. She is
enjoying it immensely and she is
learning a lot from what she participates
in. We are hoping this playgroup
could possibly occur each and every
Tuesday, as it would benefit all of our
children greatly here at this Prison”
Since those statements were written,
the Department of Justice now
funds it for a weekly program and the
Prison has nominated the CentaCare
workers for a Victorian State Award
for Innovation and Excellence.
Through CentaCare services,
people in need find new hope. Couples,
families and individuals get
opportunities to start again in their
relationships with others. And as in
the story, people get to see new meaning
in what is happening in their lives.
The CentaCare 25 Anniversary
Parish Appeal begins on Sunday, May
1.
Some Parishes will have it later
because of other commitments. The
Appeal provides an opportunity for
everyone to support a wide range of
services to families, couples and individuals
in need. Donation of $2 or
more are tax deductible.
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