Emmanuel City Mission Trip
On the 5th of September the Catholic Church celebrated the feast day of Mother Teresa, a woman whose life embodied radical compassion for the most vulnerable. In honour of this feast, a group of our Service Outreach volunteers travelled together to Emmanuel City Mission (ECM) in Brisbane.

ECM is a frontline homelessness support centre that welcomes up to 250 people each day in Brisbane’s inner city, offering meals, sanctuary, pastoral care, and genuine human connection. Founded by Robby Curtis and the Emmanuel Community, ECM traces its beginnings to Robby’s pilgrimage to Rome for Mother Teresa’s beatification, where her witness inspired him to take concrete action in his own local community. Our visit on her feast day was an opportunity for volunteers to learn from and experience the remarkable work taking place in this mission centre – to serve, to be inspired, and to deepen the vision of what’s possible for Outreach ministries within our own parish and wider community as we seek to support those most in need. If you feel called to be part of our Outreach initiatives, we would love more supporters for our Share a Meal, Community Outreach BBQ, Community Cooking and Food Bank initiatives. Please reach out using the contact details at the bottom of this notice. Your help makes a real difference in the lives of those who rely on these ministries.

Community Cooking Update
A big thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who assisted with the recent Community Cooking event at Unity College. Parish volunteers joined students and Hospitality teachers to prepare delicious, nutritious meals for individuals and families in need. This initiative – a partnership between Unity College, the OLR Parish Service Outreach team, the Uniting Church and St Vincent de Paul – continues to do amazing work in our community. The meals prepared are distributed to those in need through Unity College, the OLR Parish Centre, and the local St Vincent de Paul Support Centre. This initiative also now supports home cooks who, after completing a simple training process, can contribute from their own homes preparing meals for the Food Bank initiative.

Season of Creation Celebrations
As we celebrate the 800 year Jubilee of St Francis, our parish has been marking this historic moment with a series of Season of Creation events. Three special Masses for the Care of Creation have been celebrated across the parish, offering prayerful reflection on our call to care for our common home. Season of creation banners with the message “Care for our common home; Care for each other” have been prominently displayed at schools and churches across the Parish helping to keep this theme visible throughout our community. The Care4Creation team also hosted an innovative workshop in partnership with the Sunshine Coast Council, where participants engaged in an interactive Adaptation Game to explore practical ways to care for our environment and strengthen the resilience of both our parish and the wider community.

Please email cp.serviceandoutreach@bne.catholic.net.au for more information or enquiries.

Many thanks, The Service and Outreach Team