"The Australian Government’s vision of a socially inclusive society is one in which all Australians feel valued and have the opportunity to participate fully in the life of our society" -  Australian Government's Social Inclusion Website

Fr Brennan introduced his speech on Aboriginal Justice by pointing out that Gerald Ward was an English Catholic priest who established  the St Vincent de Paul Society in Melbourne. He  then said "Had he been alive today, he undoubtedly would have applauded government initiatives for inclusion of the poor and unemployed in the labour market, but he would have espoused more than full employment for the sake of productivity. His starting point would have been the inherent human dignity of the person who happened to be poor, unemployed or excluded. And the key to that upholding of human dignity was the establishment of a relationship".

HE added " I want to insist that there is no substitute for relationships and respect for human dignity when designing welfare measures for the assistance of the poor and the excluded of our society, especially Indigenous Australians in remote communities*..

The Catholic Parish of Pittwater

View South from Barrenjoey Lighthouse

The Catholic Parish of Pittwater is part of the Diocese of Broken Bay. From October 2008, it has been under the care of the Salvatorian Order.  

Pittwater is a large expanse of water bordered by National Park and suburbs. A tombola separates Pittwater itself from the ocean, which boasts a number of picturesque and popular beaches.

The Parish is situated at the "top" end of Sydney's famed "Northern Beaches". It extends from and includes the suburb of Warriewood in the South and Palm Beach in the North plus those in between. It includes the suburbs of Church Point, Scotland Island, Lovett's Bay, Elvina Bay, Coaster's Retreat and Mackerel Beach to the West.

The Parish Priest is  Fr George Kolodziej
	"My prayer is that this Parish of Pittwater is going to be a community of HOPE providing spiritual nourishment to ALL"

The Laity plays a major part in Pittwater Parish. Here is a video celebrating the role of the laity. It will give you an idea of what happens in the Parish.

The music is provided by our very own Soul Band and the third section was composed, sung and self-accompanied by Lauren from our Parish.

Click the player to start or pause. There is a full screen icon on the bottom towards the right. You will need a recent version of Adobe's Flash Player and you might be asked to download it. You will need a Broadband connection to view the video. However, most people have this.

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!

The Parish has two Churches with associated Primary Schools and one Secondary School (Mater Maria College, Warriewood).

Barrenjoey Lighthouse at the Northern end of Palm Beach is the iconic symbol for the Diocese of Broken Bay of which Pittwater Parish is a part.