Irish-British Province

SYDNEY/AUSTRALIA
SVDs - At the heart

In January 2005, riots broke out in the outer Sydney suburb of Macquarie Fields. This low income area consisting mainly of government-built houses has one of the highest unemployment rates in Australia, with many dysfunctional families, and a large drug abuse problem. Our SVD parish is in the heart of Macquarie Fields.

In Central Australia, in the semi desert heart of this great continent, is Alice Springs, a beautiful town which attracts thousands of tourists. They are drawn to by its vibrant colours and the culture of its indigenous inhabitants. Alice Springs is also a town that embodies the tragedy of those people, most of whom have become disenfranchised, lost and despairing, their lives wrecked by alcohol. Mother Theresa once described the plight of Australia’s aborigines as being the most desperate she had seen. Four SVDs are living in Alice Springs and at the nearby parish of Santa Teresa.

“Terror Central” is the name given by an Australian magazine to the main street of Lakemba, a Sydney suburb. It has a large Muslim population and is seen to be a hotbed of potential terrorism. It has a reputation for crime and violence. Three SVDs live in the heart of Lakemba, in a rented house, 10 minutes walk from both the local Catholic Church and the local mosque.

“I wouldn’t even drive through Redfern!” a friend said when he heard about the SVD involvement in Redfern-Waterloo. In the heart of this depressed part of Sydney, SVDs work with Cana Communities, a group of people reaching out to the needy who congregate here. Like Macquarie Fields, it is a place identified by poverty and lawlessness. Our confreres are taking up the challenges offered by these four missions. Each one is different, yet each shares similarities as well. In each of them SVD Prophetic Dialogue is a core feature which our men are learning to put into practice. (Bill Burt)

Source: Arnoldus Nota