Catholic Church of Anglesea, Grovedale and Torquay Official website

Nazareth Catholic Parish

Grovedale, Torquay and Anglesea

A vibrant community

journeying with Jesus

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Nazareth Social Justice

St Vincent de Paul Society

Royal Commission

L.B.G.T

ACBC Social Justice Statement

Serve Our World

From the letter of Pope Francis for World Mission Sunday 2017:

"The Church is missionary by nature; otherwise, she would no longer be the Church of Christ, but one group among many others that soon end up serving their purpose and passing away. So it is important to ask ourselves certain questions about our Christian identity and our responsibility as believers in a world marked by confusion, disappointment and frustration, and torn by numerous fratricidal wars that unjustly target the innocent. What is the basis of our mission? What is the heart of our mission? ...

... The Church’s mission is enlivened by a spirituality of constant exodus. We are challenged “to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the peripheries in need of the light of the Gospel” (Evangelii Gaudium, 20). The Church’s mission impels us to undertake a constant pilgrimage across the various deserts of life, through the different experiences of hunger and thirst for truth and justice. The Church’s mission inspires a sense of constant exile, to make us aware, in our thirst for the infinite, that we are exiles journeying towards our final home, poised between the “already” and “not yet” of the Kingdom of Heaven."

Recognising the call to be missionary, our parishioners are involved in may different and varied 'deserts of life', as they seek out ways to satify the 'different experiences and thirsts for truth and justice'. If you would like to join them in any of the endeavours below please Contact Us and we will help you get started.

Safeguarding Capabilities in Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Survey

for Parish Clergy, Employees and Volunteers

The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne is working with Australian Catholic University’s (ACU) Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) to understand the safeguarding capabilities of staff and volunteers. The survey will help us to collect data related to workers’ capabilities in identifying and preventing child sexual abuse.

The survey commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services offers the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne a unique opportunity to measure the capabilities of our workforce—including leaders, staff and volunteers—and then using the results to reflect upon how we can improve safeguarding and protective policies and procedures within CAM.

This survey can be completed by parish clergy, employees and volunteers (16 years or older) who are involved in work or ministry in a parish.

Participation in the survey is voluntary and all responses are anonymous and remain confidential.

The survey can be completed online on a smartphone, tablet, or computer and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.

We ask that you complete the survey by the 14th of March, 2019.

Click on the survey link to complete the survey.

Your contribution to this important work would be greatly appreciated.

If you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Linda Franco, Senior Policy Advisor, Professional Standards Unit, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne who will be able to answer any questions about this survey – 9926 5621 or via email to Linda Franco

Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse

The scandal of the abuse of our children by many of our own has hurt every one of us in some way. There are the victims of the abuse and their families. There are the good priests and their families. There are the bad priests and their families. And there are the people in our pews and schools, hospitals and homes and all their families. This is the makeup of our church and we are all hurting, and our families are hurting.

So, what do we do when a member of our family is hurting? We try to alleviate the hurt. We try to understand the hurt and where it originated or has come from. And, we try to put in place the processes that mean the hurt should not happen again. Finally we seek to live with the ramifications of that hurt, offering forgiveness and renewal where ever necessary.

Read our Royal Commission page to better understand the ramifications of the abuse scandal.

Australian Safe Kids and Young People Survey

for children and young people (10-18 years of age)

Child abuse prevention researchers at the Australian Catholic University Institute of Child Protection Studies (ICPS) are seeking our support in relation to the development of the Australian Safe Kids and Young People (ASK-YP) survey.

Developed as part of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Childhood Sexual Abuse, the survey offers organisations, a tool to ensure that the voices of children and young people can be included in decision making regarding the improvement of safeguarding and protective policies and procedures. This research has been commissioned by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services.

The survey has been created to be filled in by children and young people aged between 10-18, involved in parish activities e.g. altar service, attending mass, youth group, children’s liturgy, sacrament preparation.

Children 15 years of age or under, will require parental consent to complete the survey. This link provides parents with information about the survey, how the data will be used and allows parents to provide consent before the child is able to complete the survey. Young people aged from 16 to 18 years of age, do not require parental consent.

The survey takes 15 to 20 minutes and can be completed on a mobile phone, tablet or computer. Click here to complete the survey.

Participation in the survey is voluntary and all responses are anonymous and remain confidential.

Please complete the survey by the 14th of March, 2019.

Your participation is very much appreciated and will helps us to understand the safeguarding concerns of children and young people across the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Linda Franco, Senior Policy Advisor, Professional Standards Unit, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne who will be able to provide you with more information about the study and answer any questions about your child’s participation – 9926 5621 or via email to Linda Franco

Lifeboat Geelong

The most harmful thing about sexual abuse is the extremely invalidating impact it has on a person. The abusive experience typically causes sufferers to feel that they don’t count. Their wishes and interests and feelings don’t count. They have been treated as an object for the sexual gratification of the perpetrator. It strips them of their dignity and humanity....

A most heartening local initiative has been the establishment of a support committee called Lifeboat Geelong, which recognises the harmful effects of abuse and offers help and tangible support to sufferers to show their plight is recognised – and in fact they do count. Lifeboat Geelong provides a constructive example of a potentially healing response to reports of church-related sexual abuse, perhaps also helping sufferers to further restore their sense of dignity and faith. (adapted from https://www.chrismackey.com.au/the-impact-of-church-related-sexual-abuse-2/ )

INTRODUCING LIFEBOAT GEELONG

Bringing Hope, Help and Recognition.