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About The Mission
This story begins with St Maria of Paris.
The inspiring force behind the Mission is the theological writings and lived example of Saint Maria of Paris, a nun who opened a house of hospitality for Russian refugees, migrants, the homeless, the poor and Jewish people in Paris during the twentieth century.
Mother Maria served everyone without judgement, ministering to their physical, emotional and spiritual needs. She believed, "each person is the very icon of God incarnate in the world". The aim of our Mission is to uphold this same credo and show every person the dignity, respect and love we would show to Christ himself.
Mother Maria is famous for her words, "No amount of thought will ever result in any greater formulation than the three words, 'Love one another,' so long as it is love to the end and without exceptions." She embodied this message in her life by helping Jews escape France during the Nazi Occupation. She and her co-workers were caught, and Mother Maria martyred in Ravensbrück concentration camp on Holy Saturday, 1945.
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We encourage you to read about Mother Maria's life. We can guarantee that her story will change your life.
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The Beginnings of the Mother Maria of Paris Mission.
The Central Youth Committee of New South Wales has undertaken many fundraising and charitable works in its history. However, there was a need to establish a consistent way to meet the needs of the poor through the Orthodox spirit of love and hospitality.
The opportunity to establish the Mother Maria of Paris Mission arose from a series of events in July 2019, which included a documentary screening of St Maria's life, a winter clothes and food drive for the homeless and an English All-Night Vigil for Saint Maria of Paris and Prophet Elijah. These events were met with an incredible amount of good-will from our community.
From that day forward, we believe that St Maria's intercessions and the Grace of God in our community have allowed us to continue our work with the homelessness.
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We thank the CYC's presiding priest, Father Apostolos Trifyllis and the Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Belmore and District "All Saints" for overseeing these endeavours.
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