A word from our Community Works

Community Works Video

Please take the time to watch this video to learn more about our Community Works and the important work they do.

Wellsprings for Women

Wellsprings for Women is part of Kildare Ministries collective of 10 schools and 3 community works. More than 1300 representatives attended a national conference on (25 to 27 March) connected across 5 hubs in Melbourne, Geelong, Brisbane, Sydney, and Adelaide. The conference theme centred on: Crossing New Seas, Encounter, Dream and Do.  This was a phenomenal event to celebrate 10 years since Kildare Ministries was established and to bring together the 13 entities to embrace a common vision of Living Justice, Living Peace.   We heard from outstanding speakers such as Professor Anne Pattel-Gray whose message to us was loud and clear, "Get to know us better as we know everything about you".  Reconciliation is about taking steps towards transformative action. We heard from prominent speakers such as Professor Gillian Triggs, Dr Elissa Roper, Francis Sullivan, and Professor John Warhurst. Wellsprings staff and board members presented at each hub sharing information about our work and opportunities for involvement.

This was a life changing conference that filled our hearts with renewed energy and commitment as we reflect on Nick Cave’s quote:  "Hope is Optimism with a Broken Heart".

BASP

Kildare Ministries is comprised of 10 schools and 3 Community works. BASP is one of the Community works (with Wellsprings for Women in Dandenong and Saltbush in Balnarring). More than 1300 staff attended a national conference on (25 to 27 March) connected across 5 hubs in Melbourne, Geelong, Brisbane, Sydney, and Adelaide. It was a technical feat to bring together so many people who were physically in the five hubs and allow interaction between everybody.

Kildare Ministries has been in existence for ten years and this was a time to stop and reflect and recommit to the common vision of Living Justice, Living Peace. The conference theme centred on: Crossing New Seas, Encounter, Dream and Do.

Professor Anne Pattel-Gray (a globally recognised expert on Black theology, and the first Indigenous Australian to be awarded a doctorate in theology in the 1990s) was the keynote speaker. She was both inspiring and challenging. Reconciliation is about taking steps towards transformative action. She spoke about the question of reconciliation as a pilgrimage towards justice.

We heard from prominent speakers such as Professor Gillian Triggs, Dr Elissa Roper, Francis Sullivan, and Professor John Warhurst. BASP had a representative in four of the five hubs and each gave a presentation on the human face of asylum seekers in Australia. It was a great opportunity for BASP. Networking within Kildare Ministries and much more broadly in the community gives us the opportunity to influence many by providing information and stories. Those present at the Conference showed great interest in the Community Works and we will work hard to increase our interaction across the entities.

Saltbush Beach Balnarring

“Crossing New Seas” Kildare Ministries 10-year anniversary conference provided a unique opportunity for Kildare Schools and Community Works to come together and reflect on our mission and what powerful impact Kildare Ministries can have, driving transformational change in our communities, calling out injustice and embodying our Living Justice Living Peace vision.

Conference keynote speaker Dr Anne Pattel Gray shared some insights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s journey in Australia since colonisation and the resulting deep intergeneration trauma that continues to present day.  Dr Pattel Gray invites us to walk alongside First Nations people in the spirit of reconciliation, as equals, encouraging us to be listeners, to learn more about our shared history and to take greater steps to educate our young people, in our journey towards reconciliation. 

We were pleased to share with others at the conference our mission to provide short -term respite accommodation for vulnerable people and its impact on their lives.  We were also pleased to hear about the great work taking place across Kildare Schools and other Community Works to speak out against all forms of injustice and take positive action to help. The Saltbush staff and Board feel inspired to work more closely with our broad Kildare Ministry community, to join forces and put our faith in action, to effect greater positive change for the marginalised in our community.