HomeDonate now to support the mission of our Church
Make a positive impact on the lives of those who need your help. The Parramatta Catholic Foundation and Clergy Support Foundation raise funds, awareness, and prayers for five vital Catholic ministries. You can also donate to your local parish or leave a gift in your Will. If you would like to donate directly to the Foundation, they will allocate your donation to where it’s needed most.
All donations over $2 to the Parramatta Catholic Foundation or the Clergy Support Foundation are tax deductible. Please note donations to Parishes are not tax deductible.
Donate now or make a regular monthly contribution to:
The one who hopes has been granted the gift of new life.
Pope Benedict XVI (Spe Salvi, 2)
You can also help ensure the future of our Church through a gift in your Will.
In the Diocese of Parramatta, I believe we have very big hearts. More often than not, we are willing to share the little we have with our loved ones around us, our families abroad and our friends. I also know many of you, if you aren’t already, are willing to give yourselves in service to the Church, but often don’t know where to start, nor have the time to begin. For those of you in this position, or if you just want to do more, you might like to consider donating to the Parramatta Catholic Foundation as a means of participating and strengthening the work our Church.
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta
On Sunday 13 August, 23 Holy Spirit Seminarians, priests and parishioners from the Diocese of Parramatta banded together and entered the City2Surf, with the aim of raising awareness of Catholic vocations and funds to support our Holy Spirit Seminarians’ education and spiritual formation.
Fr Paul Marshall, a first-time City2Surf participant said, “I’m here because I’m a great believer in promoting vocations to the priesthood. I’ve been a priest for 35 years and it makes a lot of sense to be here, to promote what we’re doing because I believe in society there’s a real thirst for the sacred and the search for meaning.”
Holy Spirit Seminarian Jason Irawan has several motivations for entering this weekend’s City2Surf fun run. The 27-year-old sees it as an opportunity to bond with his fellow seminarians, priests, and parishioners over a shared challenge, exercise and fun, while also ‘normalising’ the call to a life of service.
During National Vocation Awareness Week (6-13 August), Jason encourages those who are feeling the call from God to vocations in the Catholic Church to be open. “If it feels like a calling, then come and see!” he said.
Sunday morning will look a little different this weekend for Colleen Nicholas. Instead of attending her regular Sunday Mass at The Sacred Heart Parish Luddenham-Warragamba, Colleen will pull on her walking shoes and head to the city for her first City2Surf —the world’s largest fun run.
The mother-of-three will join nine of her fellow parishioners walking 14km to raise awareness for Catholic vocations and funds for our Holy Spirit Seminarians on their journey to become priests. A parishioner at Sacred Heart for 25 years and Parish Secretary for 18 of those, Colleen decided to take part in the iconic event when approached by Menard Gaspi, the seminarian on placement at her parish.
The idea of becoming a priest came to Luke Thien Quoc Huynh very early in life, but it wasn’t until he attended an Open Day at the Diocese of Parramatta’s Holy Spirit Seminary that the path forward in his vocation began to fall into place. Luke, who is now in his third year of formation, says his involvement in the Church began during his childhood in Vietnam.
“The idea of becoming a priest came to me very early,” he says. “My mother told me that when I was in Year five of primary school in Vietnam, the teacher asked me to draw a picture from my dreams and I drew a church, with me there. So, I had the image of the priest and the church as well.”