Articles by: Debra Vermeer

Good Samaritan community in Bacolod launches eco-restoration project

The Good Samaritan community in Bacolod, the Philippines, has come together to launch Project Samaritan, an eco-restoration project at a public park in a bid to foster the local ecology

Posted on: October 19, 2022

Journey to becoming Oblates a ‘life-changing experience’

The Good Samaritan community in Victoria welcomed three new Oblates last month, in a beautiful celebration at Santa Maria College in Northcote, Victoria, writes Debra Vermeer.

Posted on: October 17, 2022

Return visit to Timor Leste sees scholarship students shine

Seventeen more young people in the Good Samaritan Railaco Scholarship Program have graduated from tertiary studies in Timor Leste despite the immense practical challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted on: September 21, 2022

New Oblates welcomed in a celebration long delayed

The Good Samaritan community welcomed four new Oblates last month in a beautiful liturgy. This was the first Oblation ceremony held in NSW since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Posted on: September 19, 2022

Good Samaritan Oblates seek a deeper experience of God and community

Two Queensland women made their commitment as Good Samaritan Oblates this month, after both were drawn to deepen their ties with the Good Samaritan community in prayer, outreach and companionship.

Posted on: August 17, 2022

Yvonne Weldon is committed to making a difference

As a student at St Scholastica’s College in the 1980s, Yvonne Weldon thrived under the Good Samaritan charism of being neighbour and offering a helping hand to those in need.

Posted on: August 16, 2022

Call to Chapter heralds a time of prayerful discernment for Good Sams

Good Samaritan communities in Australia, the Philippines, Kiribati and Japan gathered in prayer this month for the Call to Chapter. This is the beginning of a 12-month process of discernment.

Posted on: July 20, 2022

Good Samaritan community commits to Laudato Si’ Action Goals

The Sisters of the Good Samaritan have launched their seven Laudato Si’ Action Goals, designed to help them turn their long-time commitment to caring for creation into day-to-day practical actions.

Posted on: July 20, 2022

Oblates’ outreach initiative focuses on the elderly in Bacolod

A collaboration between Good Samaritan Oblates in Caboolture, Queensland, and Bacolod, the Philippines, has resulted in a new grass-roots initiative where the Philippines Oblates visit elderly people in their community.

Posted on: July 20, 2022

Joan Chittister: What is the ‘new’ trying to emerge in Benedictine life?

Benedictines must draw on their history, tradition and charism, rooted in the ancient Rule of St Benedict, as they strike out on new paths in facing the challenges of today.

Posted on: June 15, 2022

Good Samaritan Sister Clare Condon receives ACU honour

Good Samaritan Sister Clare Condon has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Australian Catholic University in recognition of her contribution to social justice and to the Catholic Church in Australia.

Posted on: June 15, 2022

Tertiary Scholarship Fund supports first graduates in Bacolod

Four young people from the poorest areas of Bacolod in the Philippines, who began their education with the Good Samaritan Kinder School in 2004-05, will soon graduate at tertiary level.

Posted on: June 15, 2022