Reflections from the 2021 Winter Sleepout

I have been blessed to work at St Ursula’s College for 11 years. In that time, I have come to know our community as a place filled with generosity, kindness and love. This year, our Term 2 Outreach once again called us to love.  

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” – Gal 5:14 

We are called as Christians to not only ask who our neighbour is, but as my Year 12 SOR class would say, “ we are challenged to BE the neighbour” for those around us.

We may sometimes assume that, with its million dollar homes and great selection of schools, Kingsgrove may not be a place where I need to be a neighbour – but we know the reality is different. Within our own local community groups such as Vinnies and One Meal, we help families each day with food items, clothing, assistance to pay bills and support with companionship and friendship. These are all tangible ways of being a neighbour. 

As a community built on Gospel principles, we too are called to be the neighbour. During Weeks 7 and 8, the back of our College Chapel became our Serviam Supermarket. It was filled with hundreds of items that were packed during the Winter Sleepout and distributed to Vinnies, One Meal Kingsgrove and One Meal Riverwood. 

The Winter Sleepout gave our community and the Mini Vinnie’s from OLF the opportunity to come together and learn about the issues of homelessness in Sydney. We are thankful for Josie Charbel, herself a former St Ursula’s student who now coordinates the Vinnies Vans in Sydney, for coming to present during the evening. We learnt about the causes of homelessness and some of the myths surrounding who is homeless. As a group, we were also invited to take part in concrete ways of helping – snack packs, toiletry packs and knitting blankets are all warmly appreciated. 

Before bedding down on the cold floor, we packed over 650 snack packs and toiletry packs! They will be distributed this week through Vinnies Kingsgrove and One Meal services in Kingsgrove, Riverwood and Miranda. 

The evening saw us try and get some sleep but our cold and uncomfortable night is unfortunately a reality for many of our neighbours each day. I am incredibly proud of the girls who chose to be a neighbour, for taking up the challenge to Chase the Change and stepping out of their comfort zone. As a group, they raised approx. $2200, which will be forwarded to the Kingsgrove Conference of Vinnies to support our local neighbours. 

My deep appreciation to the staff who helped support the evening – Mrs Katacos, Mrs Hunter, Miss Touma, Ms Melas, Ms Grimm, Ms Sukkar, Ms D’Souza, Ms Gant, Mrs Bosnich, Mrs Mileto, Mrs Sladen, Ms Guiffre and Mrs Leask. A special thank you to the College support staff who helped with all the behind the scenes organisation. Last but not least, thank you to Mrs Monk and Ms Morabito for staying overnight with me in the Merici Hall. It was a wonderful community celebration of Serviam!

Antoinette Nader

Youth Ministry Coordinator

My father likes to tell me, no matter how tough life gets, to find hope in the fact that the sun will always rise and it’s an opportunity to start again and that when we take our last breath, then we find our hope in God’s Son who rose! 

The Winter Sleepout started as I expected, familiar friendly faces, laughter and good vibes. Soon after the lights dropped, so did the temperature and so did the vibrant vibe. Reality kicked in and it started to hurt my body and my soul. My mind immediately focused on the poor homeless – “how do they do this every night, laying on the unforgiving hard icy floor?” Every minute felt like an eternity! My father’s words came to mind “the sun will always rise.” How I longed for the warmth of the sun to wake me, so that I could go home, shower eat and sleep on a bed in a climate-controlled environment! I couldn’t see how these comforting words would apply to the poor and homeless and their situation, but, with my new found appreciation for their struggles, I will endeavour to be the light of hope in a hopeless situation. I will do all that I can for them and to raise awareness, so that maybe one day they can hope in the coming of a new dawn and, like me, draw strength from the Risen Son and find joy, peace and hope in the rising of the sun! 

Mya Kazzi

Year 10

On Friday, I took part in the Vinnies Winter Sleepout. The night was an enjoyable experience, where we got a chance to learn about homelessness. On the night, we prepared packs of toiletries and food, played board games, learnt to knit and watched an amazing movie called The Public. However, it wasn’t all just about having an enjoyable time, but having empathy for those who experience homelessness every day. The night’s sleep wasn’t as glamorous and comfortable as sleeping in the comfort of your own bed, it was cold and the floor was hard. Involving myself in the College Winter Sleepout was an eye-opening experience that allowed me to understand the hardships and true realities of homelessness. It has allowed me to understand the things we may take for granted and grow a true appreciation for what I’m so blessed to have.

Lucy Marta

Year 10