Our stories

Building a just society means elevating everyone by supporting all people to reach their full potential. Every success story is crucial because none of us can flourish, until we all do.

Dropping off the Edge 2015 launch
- 21 July 2015
We're pleased to join with Catholic Social Services Australia to launch Dropping off the Edge 2015. Dropping off the Edge 2015 shows clearly that complex and entrenched disadvantage is experienced by a small but persistent number of locations in each state and territory across Australia. Read more here. More information to come. Resources: Dropping off…
Pope's jail visit
- 17 July 2015
Pope Francis has made a point of visiting prisons and speaking with the people held in them. He still keeps in touch with his friends in a Buenos Aires jail. His concern for prisoners has endeared him to us at Jesuit Social Services. He has also taught us much as we accompany people in the…
Eid celebrations
- 17 July 2015
Times of fasting are communal events. So they usually have a beginning, and also an end when we change from fasting to feasting. Lent is preceded by Pancake Tuesday and finishes at Easter. The Muslim fast of Ramadan finishes with Eid, also a time for eating and celebrating together. Both fast and feast are celebrated…
An insight into Aboriginal culture
- 16 July 2015
Jesuit Social Services' management staff participated in an informative Aboriginal cultural awareness training program recently. The workshop, presented by Kellawan trainers Kelly, Wanda and Sean, covered topics including culture, history and contemporary challenges. Kelly and Wanda spoke about Aboriginal history since 1788, context of cultural rules, the importance of community and identity, relationships between nations,…
Overcrowding in prisons the backdrop to riots: Jesuit Social Services
- 7 July 2015
Severe overcrowding in Victoria’s prisons has created the kind of pressure cooker conditions in which riots are more likely, and should be considered as a contributing factor in any investigation of the Ravenhall riot, according to Jesuit Social Services. “We know from a series of reports and our own experience working with people in prisons…
NAIDOC week
- 6 July 2015
NAIDOC originally stood for 'National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee'. Many years ago Indigenous Australians recognised that they needed a day of the own to celebrate distinctive aspects of their own culture that Australia Day could not include. The Committee names the theme of the day each year. The theme of NAIDOC week in…
Royal Commission into Family Violence
- 30 June 2015
Jesuit Social Services submission to the Royal Commission into Family Violence calls for the current fragmented approach to family violence to be better integrated, and for a more systematic approach to be taken to those using violence against family members and intimate partners. We highlight the critical issues of safe and affordable housing, the support…
Pope calls for forgiveness
- 22 June 2015
Some of the bluntest lines spoken during refugee week came from Pope Francis. Speaking to the crowd in St Peter's Square during Refugee Week, he noted the increasing number of people who are displaced inside their own nations or have fled from war and persecution across borders, and the way in which so many nations…
Pope Francis' Environmental Encyclical
- 22 June 2015
Pope Francis' Encyclical on the environment has won many hearts, not least because it combines concern for the environment and for social justice. The Pope writes with authority because of his experience with the poor in large Argentinian cities. There the poor, caught in a society marked by great extremes of wealth and poverty are…
Refugee Week ambassadors
- 16 June 2015
Former refugees and child soldiers turned successful Artful Dodgers Studios participants The Flybz have been named national ambassadors of Refugee Week, which runs until Saturday. Refugee Week is Australia's peak annual activity to raise awareness about the issues affecting refugees and celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society. Fablice, who forms The…