About us

Pastoral Carers Association is a volunteer, community-based charitable organisation supporting people with mental illness regardless of religion, age, gender, ethnicity or economic situation. In reality, however, our clients are amongst society's most needy: those who are financially disadvantaged, chronically ill, homeless and socially isolated.

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The efforts of Pastoral Carers Association dates back more than 30 years through the agency of the of the former Catholic Psychiatric Pastoral Care (decommissioned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane in 2020). The Pastoral Carers Association was established to carry on the pastoral care of people who suffer mental health disorders. It is currently funded through the personal efforts and donations from its members and the public.

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In addition to contributing financially, each member commits up to five hours service each week for 52 weeks of the year. Volunteers undergo worker screening and registration by the National Disability Insurance Agency and are trained to communicate with people who have mental Illness.

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Our volunteers work in mental health institutions, supported accommodation, hostels, detention facilities, psychiatric wards and on the streets and in the parks of Brisbane. These are the homes and gathering places of our brothers and sisters most in need of pastoral support.

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In our work, we seek to promote a sense of justice and security in those whose mental health is a barrier to relationships and interactions at the personal, social and structural levels with government agencies, churches, communities and society as a whole. We achieve this through individual contact and counsel to accept and experience the world, society and the environment as it is rather than to withdraw from it. 

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​Although the number of supported clients varies according to their places of abode in any given season, the total number of clients in our care is usually between 100 and 120.

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