2025 Parish Support for LAP

Thank you to all of our parishioners for your continuing support for the LAP project through your prayers and generous financial contributions.

This project supports the LAP team in Jakarta caring for the children living with HIV AIDS in the slums of that city.

Below is a brief summary of the services provided by the LAP Team in 2025 and the support from our parish:

LAP Services:
Back in 2009 a small visionary team established LAP as there was no HIV AIDS prevention program in Indonesia that focused on children.
Now, sixteen years later LAP is caring for 140+ children, 95% of whom live in abject poverty and 70% are orphaned.
From an initial program to provide milk and nutrition to the children, the team has extended their support to now include programs that enable children and care-givers living with HIV throughout Indonesia access to LAP services either face-to-face or online.
Assist children and care-givers to access HIV treatment services such as medical examinations, anti-retroviral drugs, and the national health insurance program.
Build the skills and resilience of an increasing number of children surviving into their teenage years through targeted development programs.

Financial Support by the Parish:

We were very pleased to be able to remit over $16,000 to the LAP team in Jakarta during the course of the year.
This wonderful response came from collections at all Masses in July and November and a continuation of the generous regular pledges that had accrued over the year.
Contributions from our parish go directly to the LAP team in Jakarta to enable them to expand their services to meet the changing needs of the HIV children and their care-givers.

Thank you sincerely for your wonderful support, may you and your family have a happy and peaceful Christmas,

Mick Hetherington, Luisa Hogan, Carmela Rigby, Elena Rodrigues, Jill and Tony Kiley

On behalf of the Parish LAP Fundraising Team

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON LAP, CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE

Parish LAP Fundraising Team.

The special collection this weekend will be for the LAP Team who care for children living with HIV/AIDS in Jakarta.

Unable to attend Mass this weekend and would like to assist LAP with their work? – you can donate directly to the parish account established specifically for contributions to LAP – Just contact the Parish Office who will be pleased to help you set this up.

For all those attending 8:30 Mass, please join us for Morning Tea after Mass.

Thank you for your wonderful generosity over the past twelve years.

Parish LAP Fundraising Team.

COLLECTION NEXT WEEK END (5TH/6TH JULY)

The special collection next weekend will be for the LAP Team who care for children living with HIV/AIDS in the very poorest slum areas of Jakarta in Indonesia.
If you are unable to attend Mass on that weekend and would like to assist LAP with their work you can make a donation directly to the parish ac count established specifically for contributions to LAP. Just contact the Parish Office who will be pleased to help you set this up.
For all those attending 8:30 Mass, we invite you to join us for Morning Tea after Mass. Thank you for your wonderful generosity over the past ten years. Parish LAP fundraising Team.

LAST CHANCE TO JOIN. CONTACT ANYONE ON THE FLYER BELOW TONIGHT OR TOMORROW MORNING.

Highlights:
257 Children, of which 100 are teenagers, and families being cared for.
Hepatitis B screening and vaccinations for 24 teenagers.
“Safeguarding Privacy on Social Media” program launched for 100 teenagers to enable them to make safe, informed decisions about their lives.
Six-month Leadership program to develop leadership skills and build self-confidence for 10 teenagers
“Peer Champion” program in which three teenagers have completed a five-month peer support program teaching them how to support other adolescents during their hospital visits.

Thank you sincerely for your wonderful financial support that goes directly to providing milk and nutrition for the HIV children and financing the provision of Case Workers caring for the children.
This has allowed LAP to use funds from other donors to finance the innovative programs highlighted in the latest newsletter.
Thank you sincerely for your wonderful support,
On behalf of the Parish LAP Fundraising Team
Mick Hetherington, Teresa Quin, Carmela Rigby, Jill, and Tony Kiley

Latest Newsletter Highlights:

LAP have just celebrated their 15th anniversary.In that time they have cared for 252 HIV children and their families. Twelve of the children have been with LAP for over ten years and are now teenagers..
Currently LAP support 162 children, including 32 living in regions outside of Jakarta who are supported via online services.
LAP has trained three of the older children to act as peer support for other teenagers to encouraging them to adhere to their medication program.
In conjunction with a sponsor company, LAP has launched a six-month internship program for four teens to improve their quality of life through job training.
The newsletter includes a special article on Mick and Bernie Hetherington’s recent visit to LAP.

Fundraising by Parishioners:

We were very pleased to be able to remit over $20,000 to the LAP team in Jakarta during the course of the year.
This wonderful response came from collections at all Masses in July and November, a continuation of the generous donations from regular pledge-givers and some very generous anonymous donations from several families. The St. Anne’s school community also contributed through their Harmony Day.
Contributions from our parish go directly to providing milk and nutrition for the HIV children as well as helping finance the cost of providing Case Workers caring for the children.

Thank you sincerely for your wonderful support, may you and your family have a happy and peaceful Christmas,
Mick Hetherington, Frank O’Connor, Teresa Quin, Carmela Rigby, Jill, and Tony Kiley

On behalf of the Parish LAP Fundraising Team

Our Overseas Humanitarian Project
Collection Next Weekend (23rd/24th November)
The special collection next weekend will be for the LAP Team who care for children living with HIV/AIDS in the very poorest slum areas of Jakarta in Indonesia.
If you are unable to attend Mass on that weekend and would like to assist LAP with their work you can make a donation directly to the parish account established specifically for contributions to LAP. Just contact the Parish Office who will be pleased to help you set this up.
For all those attending 8:30 Mass, we invite you to join us for Morning Tea after Mass. (If attending other Masses you are welcome to come at about 9:30am)
Thank you for your wonderful generosity over the past ten years.
OLMC LAP Fundraising Team.

We are delighted to share with you the amazing outcome of our recent fundraising campaign for LAP, a non-governmental organization that provides care and support for children living with HIV/AIDS in Jakarta, Indonesia. Thanks to your generous donations, we were able to raise almost $2,600 at our Masses last weekend. This amount will be added to the funds from our regular pledge-givers and sent to the LAP team as soon as possible.

Your support is making a real difference in the lives of these children, who face many challenges and stigma due to their condition. LAP helps them access antiretroviral treatment, education, nutrition, and psychosocial support. They also advocate for the rights and dignity of people living with HIV/AIDS in Indonesia.

We are very grateful for your kindness and compassion. You have shown us what it means to be a caring and faithful community. May God bless you and reward you for your generosity.

Parish LAP Fundraising Team.

-A.I

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who attended my Farewell Lunch on Sunday and also to those who sent me their regrets due to their other engagements. The food you brought was delicious and generous. I was deeply touched by such a wonderful gathering that marked the end of my very joyful time among you. May God keep blessing us all.

Kevin McIntosh.

We are delighted to announce that Elisha has joined our Altar Server Team. This is a great opportunity for Girls and Boys who are over 10 years old and have received their first Eucharist. If you are interested in becoming an Altar Server, please contact Michael at 0417332186.

The LAP Team is a group of dedicated volunteers who provide care and support for children living with HIV/AIDS in Jakarta, Indonesia. They work in some of the poorest slum areas of the city, where access to health care and education is limited. The LAP Team helps these children by providing medical treatment, nutritional supplements, school fees, counseling and recreational activities.

Next weekend,29th/30th April, our parish will have a special collection for the LAP Team, to assist them with their work. This is a great opportunity to show our solidarity and compassion for these children who face many challenges and hardships. If you are unable to attend Mass on that weekend and would like to contribute, you can make a donation directly to the following parish account established specifically for LAP:

BSB 083347, ACCOUNT NO. 546358602, ACCOUNT NAME: OLMC CHURCH ACCOUNT – LAP DONATION.

Thank you for your generosity and support for the LAP Team and the children they serve and if attending 8:30 Mass, we invite you to join us for Morning Tea after Mass.

-A.I.

Want new friends, new skills, and fun at the same time? Then have you thought of enquiring about:

· the Welcoming Team offering a cuppa after 5.30 or 8.30 masses?

· or the Parish Coordinating Team, bringing people closer together?

· or the Team Protecting People at Risk such as our children, FIrst Nations people and our elderly?

· or the Sunbury Winter Shelter on Mondays June 1 to August 31 at the Parish Centre?

Lyn or Liam, Juan Carlos or Jane are available in the church foyer after mass this weekend to answer your questions.

Application forms available on the Welcome Desk and at the Parish Office.

As part of the compliance for our Parish with the Archdiocese of Melbourne Safeguarding requirements, we require that volunteers complete online Volunteer Training every 3 years. Our parish is currently overdue.

We will require you to complete the online training by 1st April 2023 please. When you log into the online training, you will acknowledge the Volunteer Code of Conduct Declaration and complete a 30 minute online training module.

When this is completed, the parish will receive notification from the Archdiocese that you have completed it.

Ten years ago, the Parish Assembly recommended the Parish support a small and dedicated team associated with the Catholic University in Jakarta. The team called Lentera Anak Pelangi (abbreviated to “LAP” and meaning “Children Shining like Rainbows”) provides support for many very sick children living with HIV-AIDS, the majority of whom are orphaned and living with grandparents or other relatives in appalling slum conditions. The parish LAP group coordinates fundraising activities in support of the Jakarta LAP support team.

Achievements in 2022 that we are most proud of:
A continuation of the wonderful support from people across the parish that has resulted in over $134,000 being raised to support the HIV AIDS children since the inception of the project in 2014.
In a typical year 40% of the donations have come from collections at Masses, 50% from regular pledge-givers and 4% from school community contributions.
We are also most grateful for the ongoing support from Fr. Kevin for the project and this continual support from parishioners and school communities.

Our aims for 2023:
Maintain close contact with the LAP team in Jakarta to ensure we understand their needs and challenges.
Encourage a continuation of the generous contributions from the Parish community.

So what happened at the Parish Assembly?

Guest speaker, Fr Professor Frank Moloney, held the 60 participants spellbound with his insights into the Australian Plenary Council decrees and into the significance of Pope Francis who has given Catholic Christians the motivation to pay as much attention to the Word of God as we do to our traditional liturgies; to become a more joyful and merciful people, more Christ-like in our relationships; to dream of a better future for our community and our planet, walking together listening to and sharing each another’s joys and sorrows.
Any nervousness about voicing our thoughts on the eight identified themes and writing them on tens of Post-It notes, evaporated as the table facilitators quickly established a respectful listening atmosphere for each break-out group. Michael McConville and his youthful apprentice, Natasha John, did an amazing job facilitating the day overall. Michael’s great skills and good sense of humour were much appreciated. The small-group discussion approach was hugely successful in allowing parishioners to drill down into what the themes and decrees will actually mean for our parish in 2023.
For three hours there was such a joyful buzz in the hall which can be attributed not only to the wonderful finger food lunch (Thank you Mary, Nilda, Sr Jose and Juan Carlos.) but also to the display of so many parish group reports as well as to the time and energy put into planning by the Parish Pastoral Coordinating Team (PPCT). Thanks also to the many parishioners who, while not present, prayed for the success of the assembly. All these efforts paid off. By 3 o’clock on the day we were revitalised. We felt proud to be Catholic.

From the Archdiocese:

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