Students of St Columba's Catholic College, with Aunty Pat Field (centre) and Sally Butler (centre left) with one of the hampers donated by the students to disadvantaged families in the Blue Mountains. Image: Diocese of Parramatta.
It’s not just the Easter bunny spreading holiday cheer in the Blue Mountains this week.
Aboriginal Elder, Aunty Pat Field, visited the students of St Columba’s Catholic College, Springwood to collect Easter hampers of essential items (and Easter eggs) provided by the students of the College.
She thanked the students at their Easter Liturgy, telling them the story of how the hampers previously given by the students had helped a family under enormous financial pressure due to a child’s illness, and how they were helping young Aboriginal people who needed to live out of home.
Aunty Pat distributed the hampers to Aboriginal families in the Blue Mountains for Easter.
Sally Butler, Community Outreach Worker at CatholicCare Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains contacted the school to pitch the idea. The school quickly came on board.
Noting that Easter is a time that families like to gather together, putting extra pressure on disadvantaged families, Sally saw hampers as a practical way of showing support and highlighting need in our community.
“Easter, the holiest time for the Catholic calendar, is a time when we can highlight the need in our community,” she said. “It’s easily overlooked as a time when we can support others.”
Mark Sattler from St Columba’s Catholic College Springwood said, “CatholicCare and their partner, the Blue Mountains Aboriginal Culture and Resource Centre, have given us the opportunity, via our food drive, to put faith into practical action at a time that’s been very difficult for local families.
“Our students’ generosity is always readily apparent when they have the opportunity to put into action their understanding of the other-centred love that’s at the heart of the Gospel.”
CatholicCare Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains have a Drop-In Centre in Springwood and work with the diverse Blue Mountains community. They have a strong working relationship with Aboriginal Elder Aunty Pat Field.
Learn more about St Columba's Catholic College