Boronia, St. Joseph's
Justice and Solidarity Group;
and
The Basin, St Bernadette's
We are dedicated to finding our answers to the
question
“Social Justice, what can we do?” and putting those answers
into practice in our own lives.
We meet on the first Thursday of each month February to December.
7.30 pm at The Parish House, Boronia Rd Boronia.
Meetings generally conclude by 9.30pm
Other venues may be used for meetings as required.
On going projects
We have 3 such projects that are established and operating.
* Support for Refugees and immigrants, via the Dandenong Asylum Seekers’
Centre
* Support for international community building, via The 26 Club [Salesian
Parish of Los Palos, East Timor]
* Support for local Ecumenical community building, via Boronia Community
Meal, [St Paul’s Anglican Parish]
Promotion and support of Social Justice Concerns in the broader community
Networking an liaising with other agencies and organisations
For example
Greenpeace, Genetically modified products information, Ecological issues
and information, Indigenous issues and reconciliation information, Poverty
and marginalisation issues. Participation and equity issues. Prisoners
of conscience issues, Multi-faith and multicultural issues, Make Poverty
History campaign.
Annual events
It has be the practice of this group since its inception to hold one or
more annual event open to the broader community and focusing on specific
issues.
For example
Poverty and Marginalisation within Australian society
– Nick Costello, Graphic Artist’s –“Poverty and
The Comfort Zone.” Exhibition
- Subsequently exhibited at St Joseph’s Secondary College Ferntree
Gully
Poverty and Marginalisation within Australian society
- Poverty forum- We organized a public forum for all political candidates
in the seat of Latrobe –focused on Poverty prior to the federal
election
East Timor Dinner- thank you and fundraiser support dinner for East Timor
workers and donors
Ecology and climate change Seminar- event focused on local responses to
environmental concerns.
We are open to visitors without any obligation to form ongoing commitments.
We are open to people with ideas and information about social justice
issues and responses. We like to support people who are starting up groups
elsewhere.
We are dedicated to finding our answers to the question, “Social
Justice, what can we do?” and putting those answers into practice
in our own lives.
The 26 Club
Support
for international community building, via The 26 Club [Salesian Parish
of Los Palos, East Timor]
BACKGROUND
26 CLUB was instigated as a means of allowing community members opportunities
to extend practical financial support directly to communities in East
Timor. The avenue of contribution is through the Salesians of Don Bosco
to acknowledge their extensive contribution to communities in East Timor,
to support them in the continuance of that work and to cement our local
relationship with The Salesians in our local communities.
The number 26 is derived for the sum of $26 dollars. This sum was the
monthly cost of accommodating and educating a child in the Orphanage School
of Los Palos.
Rather than measure contributions in monetary terms, the 26 Club prefers
to measure achievements in spiritual and human terms, the quality of genuine
sacrifice the quality of human life and relationship achieved.
In addition to the monetary contribution, we contribute useful items to
the Salesians shipping container that is filled and dispatched at regular
intervals.
Support for local Ecumenical community building
The Boronia Anglican Parish, St Paul’s instigated a community meal
at its premises in Dorset Road. Responsibility for what is now a weekly
event rotates among a number of local church groups. Our group provides
a community meal monthly on each 4th Thursday.
This event allows practical support and fellowship in a community context
to many regular patrons.
It allows ecumenical links to develop.
It is likely that this event will take on a more ecumenical character,
during the Late December and January period, as it is likely that groups
from the various denominations will work even more closely in mutual support.
Whilst some group members are absent during the holiday period, church
groups will join forces to continue with the meal during the holiday period.
Asylum Seekers
Support for Refugees and immigrants, via the Dandenong Asylum Seekers’
Centre
In
both our church and mass centre, we have collection boxes where members
of our community donate toiletry, sanitary and laundry items. These items
have been purchased to provide material support for Refugees [sometimes
referred to as Asylum Seekers]. Some non-perishable food items and clothing
items are occasionally received in this manner. No receipts are issued
for these donations. Rather than collect money, it has our intent to maintain
a sense of solidarity in our shopping. When we purchase essential toiletry,
sanitary and laundry items, we cultivate our awareness. There are people
in Australia, as refugees, not by choice but by necessity. While they
are actively seeking for their status to be resolved, they are not eligible
to receive social security support. Neither are they legally permitted
to be employed
Not even in order to support themselves and their families. Educational
services may not be available to them and their children. Young children
are raised in Australia in these conditions. Children are born in Australia
into these circumstances. These facts are not well known or understood.
Most members of the Australian community would expect their own basic
needs to be met, in such a situation. If you were confined to a waiting
room for example, you would expect toilet paper and soap to be available
to you in a washroom. Have you considered that to refugees our community
is their waiting room? They are not supplied with basic toiletries through
government. They are not permitted to earn money to pay for even their
most basic needs.
In addition to the established collection points and donations, specific
appeals are activated from time to time. For example, collection of funds
for nappies. Occasionally we have a “Lucky Dip” Sunday, when
community members are invited to draw a small “Lucky Dip”
card from a box passed around. They place the card in their wallet or
purse so that next time they go shopping, they may remember their refugee
fellows and purchase an extra essential item to donate.
Recent events
Our
latest initiative was to assist the St Vincent de Paul Society in the
hosting of a get together with our local candidates to air concerns about
justice issues. It was chaired by one of our members, Drew Pawley, who
capably steered all discussion away from any party political plugs and
allowed both the candidates and those present to express their concerns
and state their positions of understanding on social justice issues non-politically.
Our members are also involved with two groups initiated by the Knox Council. The Reconciliation group aims to develop awareness of indigenous issues in the area and the second to foster Interfaith understanding and respect.
On several occasions we have networked with the Wantirna and Ferntree Gully groups.
Acknowledgements
We are always overwhelmed by the generosity of our two church communities to any of our drives, and also for the support given to us by our Parish Priest, Fr John Petrulis and our two Parish Associates, Sr. Frances and Ewa Toomey.
Contact the Justice and Solidarity Group via the Parish office on 03
9761 2124 or parish@sjbrnia.melb.catholic.edu.au