Catholic Community Life
St Vincent de Paul Night Patrol
During this challenging time our friends at St Vincent de Paul are trying their best to continue to provide services to the vulnerable in our community. However due to COVID-19 they have experienced a significant decline in vital winter clothing donations. St Vincent de Paul are still accepting donations and are following quarantine procedures to ensure that these items are safe for distribution. We understand that we had planned our annual St Benedict’s Winter Woollies Day for Term 3, but considering there is a current urgent need for donations we are encouraging all of our St Benedict’s families to do a clean out of their wardrobes to donate unwanted cleaned winter clothing. Of course donations of new clothing items are also welcomed. The Night Patrol Van is specifically seeking the following items in adult sizes:
- Jackets
- Gloves
- Sleeping bags
- Blankets
- Beanies
- Socks
- Scarves
These items should be donated directly to St Vincent de Paul Warehouse (32 Buckland St, Mitchell ACT) and on depositing these items you should let the volunteers know that you would like your donations to go specifically to the Night Patrol. Alternatively, you can make a financial donation online https://donate.vinnies.org.au/donation-hub
Thank you for your continued support.
Take Time to Breathe
As we begin to adjust to a new ‘normal’ it is important that we take the time to attend to our own wellbeing. Why not take the time to stop, reset and refocus with a daily 3 Minute Retreat? Loyola Press have free daily 3 Minute retreats that integrate beautiful images, music and scripture.
3 Minute Retreats (Parents and Carers)
https://www.loyolapress.com/3-minute-retreats-daily-online-prayer/
Teaching Empathy
How do we raise children who care? Empathy is one of the most difficult social skills to teach a child and at the same time, is the most important in helping them develop an authentic understanding of social exchanges. Often the term ‘empathy’ is confused with ‘sympathy’. The below clip is a useful tool to remind us of the difference between the two terms and the importance of understanding that purpose of empathy is to establish ‘connection’.
Brené Brown on Empathy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw
To engage in an empathic social exchange requires us to listen (not just wait for our turn to speak), reflect (deeper than the information that is presented to us) and respond (sincerely, not with token gestures). Below is an article that shares some practical ideas of how we can develop this vital social skill in our children.
Loyola Press: How Do We Raise Children Who Care?
