Slide 4

Our Lady Help of Christians

The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, in collaboration with Sydney Catholic Schools, annually celebrates the historical Australian feast day – Our Lady Help of Christians – by encouraging students to donate a gold coin to support our charity, the Charitable Works Fund (CWF).

SYDNEY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
SUPPORTING OUR LOCAL CATHOLIC CHARITIES

An annual Mufti Day inviting all Sydney Catholic Schools to help our Local Catholic Charities through the
Charitable Works Fund (CFW) as inspired by Our Lady Help of Christians.

Our Lady Help of Christians

Our Lady Help of Christians plays an important role in Australian Catholicism as she is considered the Patroness of Australia. She is our "spiritual" mother and takes care of the sick and dying, and those who are experiencing difficulties and hardship.

Today, many people experience poverty and homelessness, in addition to mental health issues and disabilities. Mary, like any other mother, wants to help.

More about Mary

For 2,000 years there have been many times where Mary, the mother of Jesus, has come to aid her children. The feast of Our Lady Help of Christians is a celebration of all of these times.

The history for this feast begins just over 200 years ago, when the French political and military leader, Napoleon, fought with armies across Europe. Ripping through Italy, the unstoppable general stormed the Vatican, and captured and imprisoned the Pope (then called Pius VII). Pius prayed to God, promising that if he was released he would pay special honour to Our Lady. After five years, Pope Pius was released, and returned in triumph to Rome on May 24, 1814. Keeping his promise, he dedicated that same day, May 24, to the feast of Our Lady Help of Christians.

At the same time, back in Australia, life for Catholics was also very hard. Most Catholics were poor and for about twenty years there was no priest in the whole country. Catholics kept their faith alive by praying the rosary.

So when the Bishops met for the first time in 1844 they chose Our Lady Help of Christians as the patroness, or protector of Australia. A new feast for a new country.

The beautiful St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, which was then quite a new building, was dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians. To this day, a statue of Our Lady stands in one of the chapels—a symbol that she continues to watch over Australia.

Similar to the trials experienced 200 years ago in Australia, many people today continue to experience poverty, homelessness, in addition to mental health issues and disabilities. Mary, like any other mother, wants to help.

Hence on this feast day, let us reflect and recall that everyone is precious in her eyes, and if possible, we can make a modest donation to help those in need.

Charitable Works Fund (CWF)

The Charitable Works Fund (CWF) is responsible for collecting funds for the purpose of supporting the charitable and pastoral works of the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.

It is your charity, the charity of the Sydney Catholic community, and your local parish. Click below to find out more about the great work that CWF supports!

More about CWF

The CWF supports our local community through:

Aid and support to our disabled and deaf through the Ephpheta Centre. They do this by organising Sunday Mass in sign language, sacramental preparation for both children and adults, pastoral care and community support, outreach to families with young deaf children, advocacy services, spiritual development and leadership.
Formation for our future seminarians through Our Seminaries. They do this by providing an environment that nurtures the calling that a man experiences for service in the priesthood, looking at their character development, pastoral skills and academic training to enable them to carry out their mission in the Church.
Catechises to students in Schools through Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. They do this through training and supporting around 2,000 volunteers who teach Special Religious Education classes each week to around 30,000 Catholic School Children in public schools.
Ministry and community to our Aboriginal community through Aboriginal Catholic Ministries by providing pastoral care to Catholic Aborigines and supporting them in the living of their faith
Assistance to vulnerable families through CatholicCare. They do this through counselling, accommodation, employment assistance, migrant support, aged care and family support.
Pastoral support to university students, patients in hospitals and those in prisons through Catholic Chaplaincies. They are a source of comfort and friendship to people in need, minister to the sick and help foster a Catholic culture at university campuses.
Plus many other ministries and services!

Overview

The Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney in collaboration with Sydney Catholic Schools will annually celebrate the historical Australian feast day of Our Lady Help of Christians, by encouraging students to consider donating a cold coin to support our Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney charity, the Charitable Works Fund (CWF).

However, due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s appeal will be aligned with Social Justice Sunday, with the Feast Day Fundraiser scheduled for Friday, 28 August 2020.

Purpose

The purpose of this initiative is two-fold:

1. Increase Awareness and Devotion to Our Lady Help of Christians
2. Share The Joy of Giving

MATERIALS

To best support you in organising this CWF Schools Appeal, the Catholic Archdiocese will be creating a suite of materials for Primary and Secondary schools to use. Using these materials are optional.