Caritas Case Study

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Caritas Australia has developed into one of the leading Catholic agencies for International aid and development. Working with Indigenous Australians and developing nations in the Pacific, Africa and Asia, Caritas supports over 200 countries and territories with emergency aid and grassroots programs. The history of Caritas began with one man, by the name of Lorenz Werthmann. This young priest founded the first Caritas association in Cologne, Germany during 1897. As a priest, Werthmann identified the need for an organisation that would assist the marginalised in their lives. The aim for this association was to follow the Latin meaning of Caritas, love and compassion. By doing this, the association offered services and help to those in need …show more content…

Based on the words of Archbishop Oscar Romero, “Aspire not to have more, but to be more,” Werthmann’s vision for the promotion of peace, human welfare and economic laid the benchmark for today’s Caritas associations. By June 1964, there were many Catholics who wanted to take a stand to social injustices. Caritas began its work from Australia as the Australian Catholic Relief (ACR) which was founded by Roy Boylan. Led by Roy Boylan, this committee was focused on supporting colonial controlled nations struggling to gain independence, global humanitarian issues and local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. During a time of rapid expansion in Australia, Caritas became aware that responding to emergency situations was only a small part of the fight to beat poverty. A sign of the change in Caritas’s work was evident when a program implemented in 1972 was one that focused on the development of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. Focused on health, employment, land rights, education and health, these programs strived to diminish any injustices and develop communities. After putting significant resources into programs involving the Catholic Schools system, parishes and other communities, greater attention was put towards