Gold Coast
Early Origins
“Father De Mazenod’s encounter with the Blessed Virgin Mary” displayed courtesy of www.omiworld.org
Rosies was born from the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, an order of the Catholic Church which has its roots in 1800s France. The Oblates were founded by a young Frenchmen named Eugene de Mazenod who having fled the French revolution split his time between the earthly delights of the Italian High Society in Palermo and a more meagre existence in Venice under the tutelage of a local priest Don Bartolo.
St. Eugene had a unique view on the world around him essentially living two different lives and it was easy for him to see the lack of meaningful connection in both of the circles he moved in.
Upon his return to France he decided to enter the seminary and renounced his high birth and purely focused on the poor, the abandoned, the overlooked youth, and prisoners.
Eugene also caused quite a stir by refusing to preach in French which many of the “lower” classes couldn’t understand, instead he spread the word of God by speaking the native Provincial dialect, for the first time these individuals could receive the message of Christ’s compassion in a way that they could understand.
Bishop Mazenod – photo displayed courtesy of www.wikiwand.com
In 1826 St. Eugene received permission from Pope Leo XII to establish a new congregation that was founded on his core missionary principles and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate were born.
Under his guidance the congregation continued to grow and reached out to more and more people in need, sharing friendship and the community that could be found within the church.
In 1841 the first missionaries were sent overseas to Canada, quickly followed by England, America, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Lesotho, Ireland, and Mexico. The Oblate arrived in Australia in 1861 to continue working with those left behind in one form or another.
Becoming Rosies
Fr Paul Costello and his Oblate crew in 1987 L-R: Fr Peter Daly OMI, Fr Pat MacAnally OMI, Fr Paul Costello OMI, Fr Michael McKeaton
In 1974, Fr Tom Shortall OMI noticed that there wasn’t much for the young people holidaying on the Mornington Peninsula to do and felt like they were being abandoned by the local community. So he decided to open a drop-in centre run by volunteers and trainee priests to provide a safe environment for the young people to celebrate and have fun.
This began a summer tradition which lasted until 1996 – and so in the little town of Rosebud the Rosies that we know and love today was born.
The inaugural Schoolies Outreach
In 1987, Fr Paul Costello OMI saw a similar need during the Schoolies Week celebrations on the Gold Coast. While the area was a hive of activity during the event there wasn’t a safe place for the young people to just “hang out” if they needed a break from the week long party. Aside from the usual tea/coffee and a friendly ear the team also provided transportation to keep the School leavers safe.
During the Schoolies outreach, the team came into contact with the local homeless population and realised that Rosies was needed all year round, not just during Schoolies.
Brisbane Rosies team gear up for outreach
In 1990 twelve young people took a year off “normal” life and worked with Rosies as full time volunteers. The teams would go out each night and offer friendship and hospitality to anyone who was in need and never ask for anything in return.
Each year a new team of 12 would arrive for youth mission and eventually we expanded to not only include street outreach but also Children’s Court Support in Southport and a visitation program to the low security prison in Numinbah thus continuing the tradition that St Eugene de Mazenod started in the 1800s.
Rosies Today
Inspired by the way Rosies was received by people in need on the Gold Coast, the mission expanded to other locations.
Over our long history, programs and branches have come and gone as the need of the community shifts and the organisation changes. In 1998 we partnered with local schools to offer senior students, with a passion for social justice, the experience of a street outreach with the Rosies team through the School Engagement Program.
As we expanded into other communities the existing model shifted into the Rosies that you see today, with part time volunteers spending a few hours per month with those in need rather than committing for a full year.
This model allows us to open new outreaches as the need arises in areas where they are needed most, we currently have volunteers from Cairns and Mareeba in the North, to the Gold Coast in the South, Toowoomba in the West, and several locations in between. Visit our locations here.
Rosies SHARING FRIENDSHIP SINCE 1987
