CARITAS Australia has reached millions of people living in poverty in Australia and overseas over the past 55 years.
Now, the organisation is building a new vision and road map for the future, spearheaded by its first lay chair, Robert Fitzgerald, and the first woman chief executive officer, Kirsty Robertson.
“As we all live through one of the most challenging periods in living memory, organisations like Caritas Australia are a beacon of light for people living in the most remote and most marginalised communities across the world,” Mr Fitzgerald, a lawyer by profession and former royal commissioner into sexual abuse, said.
“With COVID-19, the need and the challenges are greater than ever before.
“We are so grateful for, and humbled by, the long, rich history that Caritas Australia has with Catholic schools, parishes and the community.
“It is with a keen sense of responsibility to the people we serve and resonant legacy that we are entrusted, that we now look to the future.”
Caritas Australia have developed an ambitious ten-year strategic direction which sets out the organisation’s vision for both change in the world, and in the organisation.
Ms Robertson said Caritas Australia’s mission is to work towards a just and equal society for all of God’s creation.
“Inspired by the Gospel which finds its expression in Catholic Social Traditions, our goals centre on justice, dignity and hope for all,” she said.
“We have a lot of work to do, but we do not have far to look for an abundance of inspiration.
“The resounding courage of the people who we work with across the world is an ever present reminder of how hope and resilience can bring about change, while the Australian community reinforces to us daily the impact that compassion can have.”
Ms Robertson said Caritas would prioritise its efforts towards communities affected by conflict and disasters to recover and build back stronger, and to widen support for those living on the margins, particularly women “to lead the change they want to see, to create a future where all may thrive.”
