Needless to say Melbourne’s second lock down is harder than the first for many of us.  As we know what to expect from the first, Melbournians keep experimenting with different types of communication to connect with one another and look for creative ways to entertain and challenge ourselves.  There is no difference at the Parish House.  Last week we challenged ourselves, with open minds and confident cooking skills, to have Vegetarian Week.

During the week, presbytery dinner cook-ups brought different flavours to the table from Italy and the Middle East to South East Asia and India.  In order to make the Vegetarian Week more serious, we decided to offer our support to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Catering (ASRC Catering) by ordering dinner.

If you don’t know about ASRC Catering, it creates fresh and healthy vegetarian food bursting with flavours from around the world.  Our experience with ASRC Catering was positive due to the efficient communication, accurate delivery time, generous quantity and delicious food.  As we enjoyed the food, Fr Trac remarked, “I myself having a restaurant background am very pleased with all the services provided and the food is yummy too”.

ASRC Catering website

Refugees and asylum seekers are currently facing many difficulties and they are paving their own way for their survival due to not being eligible for the financial benefits under the Federal Government stimulus package.  Supporting ASRC Catering is one of the ways to help refugees and asylum seekers at this time.  By purchasing a meal you provide a nutritious care meal to a person seeking asylum in need of support, and keep a person seeking asylum employed.

Our support to ASRC Catering is a small act of kindness towards the refugees and asylum seekers. It does not resolve the whole issue, but it is a helping hand to get struggling families through this difficult time. This action can be a miracle if we take it up and spread it to many, as Mother Theresa says, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” With this in mind, let us pray that the Lord may open our eyes to be aware of the many opportunities we have and to share with others who are in need.

Deacon Jude

Jude Johnson is a Deacon, ordained earlier this year from Corpus Christi College, Carlton. Jude is on pastoral placement across our parishes until he is ordained a priest later this year.