2002

8th February 2002
Taree's Catholic students help others to find a 'Place to Call Home'
With Easter only six weeks away, it's again time for PROJECT COMPASSION, one of Australia's largest fundraising and awareness-raising campaigns for overseas aid and development.

Organised through parishes and schools by the Catholic Church's aid and development agency, Caritas Australia, PROJECT COMPASSION traditionally begins during the first week of Lent (February 13, 2002) - a time of simplicity, reflection and doing good deeds for others - and continues until Easter Sunday (March 31, 2002).

Raising over $5 million annually, the PROJECT COMPASSION campaign gives Australians an opportunity to support development programs in virtually every developing country in the world.

The Most Reverend Michael Malone, Bishop of Maitland-Newcastle, will officially launch PROJECT COMPASSION during a creative and powerful presentation involving students from St Clare's High School, Taree.

According to Deacon John Taylor, Caritas Australia's Diocesan Director, the theme of PROJECT COMPASSION 2002 is A Place to Call Home. "Many people in our world lack a place to call home", he said. "These are the people whose homes were destroyed through natural disasters such as the Gujarat earthquake and the people who lost their homes in conflict such as that in East Timor in 1999."

"Also without a home are the people forced to flee from their homes and often their countries due to conflict - the experience of refugees all over our world."

In recognition of their outstanding response to PROJECT COMPASSION in 2001, St Clare's High School in Taree will host the 2002 diocesan launch of PROJECT COMPASSION.

Mr Anthony Potts, Ministry Coordinator at St Clare's, said "the funds raised this year will assist the women and children who have been taken from their homes in Nepal and are now victims of global trafficking; the people of West Papua living in refugee camps; the children of Uganda whose home is simply the street; the refugees and people of Afghanistan attempting to rebuild their lives; the people of Kiribati whose entire country is at risk of disappearing due to environmental degradation … the list goes on."

Join us for this year's diocesan launch of PROJECT COMPASSION
Tuesday February 12, 2002 between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm
Manning Entertainment Centre 33 Manning River Drive Taree

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