More than 200 people from St Canice’s Parish in Sydney turned out for this year’s annual dinner to raise money for people in Timor Leste.
Special guests at this year’s celebration at Bondi Surf Lifesaving Club on October 29 were East Timorese scholastics Dino Sarmento and João dos Santos, who are currently studying at Jesuit Theological College in Melbourne.
The two scholastics entertained the crowd with talks about their home as well as musical performances.
St Canice’s Parish has been supporting the parish in Railaco, an hour’s drive from Dili, since 2004. Funds from Australia go towards salaries for staff at the local secondary school, a mobile medical clinic, and a feeding programme for school children.
A number of people in the parish have visited the community in Railaco, seeing first hand the work of people like Sr Rita, who runs a secondary school for more than 200 children, many of whom walk for hours each day to get to school.
Parishioner Michael Musgrave visited the community in 2009, and said he came away from the evening feeling elated at the much-needed funds that were raised for the East Timorese.
‘Much of this is the work of parish priest Fr Steve Sinn SJ, who inspires benefactors, large and small, with his passion’, said Mr Musgrave.
For more about the Parish’s assistance to East Timor communities, go to www.stcanice.com.au