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CATHOLIC YOUTH OPEN HEARTS TO HELP PEOPLE IN NEED IN WA

More than 500 primary school students and teachers, representing the 90 Catholic Primary Schools in the Archdiocese of Perth, will join together for the official launch of the ‘Archbishop’s 2017 LifeLink Day’ and demonstrate their collective care, compassion and support for people in need within the community.

Perth Catholic Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, in partnership with Catholic Education WA, will host this special event at the Newman College Auditorium, Churchlands, on Wednesday 7 June 2017 commencing at 10.00am.  The event will be livestreamed via www.lifelink.com.au

41,000 primary school students have potentially participated in the Archbishop’s “LifeLink Day Hearts” project prior to this official launch, an activity which saw young students from Years K-6 make a gold coin donation to receive a ‘paper heart’ on which they have been encouraged to draw a picture or write a message of support to someone in need in the community. These individual hearts will be collected and at 11.00am, immediately following the official launch proceedings, the 500 student representatives will join Archbishop Costelloe on the oval outside the Newman College Auditorium to see the result of their efforts. 

It is hoped that a minimum of 34,000 Hearts will be displayed which would represent the number of Western Australians helped by a Church welfare agency each year in WA, and provide a powerful and visual demonstration of what can be achieved when we join together to make a real difference in the lives of those who reach out to us for help. 

Archbishop Costelloe said “Though my annual LifeLink Day initiative, our young people are made aware of the many hardships facing so many people in our community, and how the Church responds to this need through our LifeLink social service agencies. This is going to be exciting opportunity for us to join together, as one Catholic family,  to demonstrate what can be achieved when we, united by Faith and guided by love, reach out to care for our brothers and sisters in need. 

This message is not just for the young students attending Catholic schools in our Archdiocese. It is a message for the entire community - regardless of faith, creed, colour or circumstance. It is fundamentally important that we embrace a collective spirit of generosity, or be ‘large-hearted’ as I like to say, in responding to people in need within the community.

In doing so, in making the choice to reach out and help someone in need, we truly walk in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd”, said Archbishop Costelloe.

Established in 1994, LifeLink is the Archdiocese of Perth’s umbrella organisation which supports the Church’s many social service agencies. LifeLink agencies reach out to more than 34,000 Western Australian families and individuals in need each year, delivering more than $54 million dollars of professional programs and practical assistance throughout the State.  Whilst much of this funding is provided by various State and Federal Government grants and service contracts, the Archdiocese continues to provide over $1.2 million in annual funding, not including the buildings and properties used to accommodate many of its social service agencies.

LifeLink supported agencies reach out to care for people battling homelessness, people with disability, the deaf and hard of hearing, women and children escaping domestic violence or abuse, the long term unemployed or disadvantaged, people with mental health issues, the lonely and the isolated.

Media organisations are warmly invited to attend this event. Note: The unveiling of the ‘LifeLink Day Hearts’ at 11.00am will be filmed and photographed by a professional drone operator.

For further information or comment, please contact:
Mr Brett Mendez, Media Manager, Archdiocese of Perth
Telephone: 08 9313 2241 Mobile: 0455 099 652
Email: brett.mendez@perthcatholic.org.au