“Bringing Christ’s love to those who need it the most…”
St. Raphael’s Mission (affectionately known as SRM), is a Sydney-based charity who offer a meal and a conversation to the homeless of Sydney; deliver grocery hampers and provide support to newly-arrived refugees & provide opportunities for the senior citizens & isolated in our community to socialise with each other over free food, games & entertainment. They also offer the opportunity for volunteers to meet people who may change their lives.
Please continue reading to see how SRM helps, and how YOU can also help!
Overview
SRM was formed in order to help the needy and disadvantaged in our local communities and the wider Australian community.
None of our volunteers, staff, assistants, or any hands-on resource get paid which means we can feed more people, provide more hampers and have more day outs for our senior citizens: A simple formula!
SRM truly hope that the Orthodox Christian community as well as the greater Australian community support this Mission and all it sets out to do and all it aspires to become.
We have been blessed with the lives we have been given. It is now our turn as a community to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.
OUR GOALS
Our short-term goal is to continue to expand our range of services in particular in the following areas:
- Homeless
- Senior Citizens
- Refugees
Mission
To make community service and charity a priority in the lives of all individuals
SRM’s main mission from establishment was to feed and socialise with the homeless.
Achievements
Thanks to our generous donors and benefactors, SRM has been able to grow and expand it’s services & volunteer base over the past 7 years. This has allowed SRM to achieve a number of things, including:
- Make and distribute 150 seasonal hampers every Easter and Christmas
- The purchase of a van to transport volunteers, donations, and resources
- Hampers to newly arrived refugee families to welcome them and provide them with support
- Gift cards to newly arrived refugee families
Our History
St. Raphael’s Mission (SRM) started off as small seed in 2011 as a St. Nicholas, Punchbowl youth initiative, known as the ‘Welfare Sub-Committee’. The seed took root quickly and this grassroots movement was relocated and formally established as a Mission under the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese. The hard work and dedication of the founding members of the charity, by the grace of God, has lead to a more organised and recognised mission.
In more recent years, SRM has expanded it’s services to extend to the elderly and refugees and they hope to continue to grow their services in these areas and across other groups of people that may need assistance.
Over the last five years, word of mouth as well as social media and public fundraising has increased awareness of the Mission and in turn, their volunteer base has grown significantly, as have their regular individual donations base and sponsorship in terms of money, food and resources.
Ways you can help
We are looking at ways to automate donations, volunteering and cooking. For now, please reach us through the Contact Us tab!
Latest News
Why St Raphael?
St
Raphael was a modern day Saint who died in 1915. He was born in Beirut, Lebanon, became a priest and travelled to America on his own to help the isolated, the needy and the lonely. He searched for the isolated and scattered Arab communities, preached the Word of God and established Antiochian Orthodox Churches within these communities.
St Raphael met many people, helped the poor, and was a friend and father to all those he met. He spent his life ensuring that the Arab community did not stray away from their faith and united them all through a magazine called Al Kalimat (The Word), which is still published today.
He became the first Orthodox Christian Bishop to be consecrated in America. He was humble, always put others before himself and had a total lack of concern for himself which was evident through his life works and ministry.
Like, St Raphael, we pray that this Mission unites all Orthodox Churches and the greater community in helping those that are less fortunate than us. We hope that also, like St Raphael, we become a friend to all those we help by showing them the love of God through our words, actions and united fellowship.
Troparion (Tone 3)
Rejoice, O Father Raphael, Adornment of the Holy Church!
Thou art Champion of the true Faith,
Seeker of the lost, Consolation of the oppressed,
Father to orphans, and Friend of the poor,
Peacemaker and Good Shepherd, Joy of all the Orthodox,
Son of Antioch, Boast of America:
Intercede with Christ God for us and for all who honour thee.
Our Services
Feeding the Homeless – Monday Nights
St Raphael’s Mission currently feeds 100 to 150 homeless individuals every Monday night in Martin Place. We provide the homeless with a variety of food, fruit, dessert and drinks as well as clothing, sleeping bags and essential everyday items. The Ladies Committee’s from the various parishes help us by providing us with home cooked meals to feed 150 people at least once a month.
Most importantly, we provide an ear to listen to each individual’s stories, allowing a friendship to blossom and a mutual respect between us grow.
SRM throw a Easter Feast & Christmas Party for the homeless every year where there are choir members, hairdressers, a lot more volunteers as well as a lot more food, including seafood, pork, sharwarma & turkey. During these events, SRM provides each homeless individual with a hamper that contains a range of non-pershiable and essential items that are based on the season; that is Easter hampers contain more winter based items & Christmas hampers contain more summer based items.
To the homeless, these hampers, not only mean that they have a helping hand to get through the season but to them, it also represents all the people who have donated money, items or time to make these hampers and the respect and love it shows towards them.
You can see the difference our Mission not only makes to the homeless we feed, but also in the lives of the volunteers. For many, feeding the homeless has brought them back to their faith and Church; for others, it has deepened their spirituality but across all; it has taught us to be thankful to God for the blessings He has bestowed upon us and for opening our hearts to do His work and bring glory to His name.
Wondering what a day in the life of a SRM Volunteer looks like? Watch the video below:
Seniors Day Out
SRM hold ‘Elderly Day Outs’ every 3 months for those in our community that are lonely or widowed. These are free events and include:
- Lunch
- Transport
- Gifts,
- Games e.g. bingo, musical chairs etc.
- Entertainment
Refugees
SRM currently make hampers for newly arrived refugee families (up to 1 year in Australia) every month. We provide each family with a hamper containing either:
- Essential grocery items
- Back to school items, games for kids etc.
- Gift cards
Sponsors
We would like to thank our regular sponsors:
- Nara Lounge
- C 8 C Chicken
- Saidie Creative
- The Ladies’ Auxiliary Committees of the following Antiochian Orthodox Parishes:
- St. Nicholas Punchbowl
- St. Mary’s Mays Hill
- St. Mary’s Mt Pritchard
- St. George Redfern
How to Donate
Via PayPal
By Direct Bank Transfer
- Account Name: St. Raphael’s Mission
- BSB: 032 024
- Account Number: 918 090