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60 years of Caritas Australia

Caritas means love and compassion in Latin and these two powerful words have guided us for the past 60 years, as we worked hand-in-hand with our partners worldwide to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.   

Thandolwayo collecting water in Zimbabwe
Caritas Australia 60Yrs Anniversary Logo Landscape Version

Caritas Australia started in the early 1960s among lay Catholics who wanted to tackle hunger and global poverty.

The Catholic Overseas Relief Committee was created in 1964, which later became Caritas Australia. That same year, Catholic parishes in Adelaide conducted the first Lenten appeal that raised money for a fishing boat to support the needs of the communities in the Tiwi Islands. 

Today, Caritas Australia works in 36 countries across Africa, Asia, the Pacific, as well as First Australian communities. We are also part of one of the largest humanitarian networks in the world, Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 162 member organisations in 200 countries all over the world, with over one million staff and volunteers. 

Join us as we celebrate 60 years of walking alongside the world's most vulnerable communities to end poverty, promote justice and uphold dignity. 

Caritas 60Th Anniversary Book Cover Outside (1)

60 Faces: Portraits of Compassion in Action

60 Faces: Portraits of Compassion in Action tells the story of Caritas Australia’s impact across the world through 60 hand-picked photographs of participants from our international and Australian programs. The 60 faces represent all we achieved together in the last 60 years, supporting vulnerable communities to confront the challenges of poverty and build a thriving future. 

Caritas Australia 60th Anniversary Virtual Gallery

We have compiled a selection of our favourite 60 photos in this virtual gallery below. These 60 faces represent all we achieved together in the last 60 years, supporting vulnerable communities to confront the challenges of poverty and build a thriving future. 

The 60th Anniversary Virtual Gallery competition has now closed. Winners were chosen on 1 July. The winners are: K. Agnew, S. Bortoli, G. Butler, I. Darch, I. Fatehirad, M. Geagea, L. Goodwin,  A. Hughes, A. King, L. Kuehn, S. Lynch, K. McGinlay, P. Mitchell, M. Potter, P. O'Dwyer, R. Bierton,  B.Tunks, D. Upton, C. Williamson

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