Chaplaincy

What is Chaplaincy about?

The chaplaincy team offers a caring presence to all staff and students at UWS; encouraging spirituality, offering hospitality and creating community. We do this by embracing our diversity, encouraging conversation and respecting our similarities and differences. Our role is to encourage a spiritual life within the University. Our key aim is to help you get the most out of your time at UWS. Our chaplains come from a variety of spiritual traditions, offering:

a safe place and an open ear
opportunities to nurture, express and explore your spirituality
links to religious groups and faith communities
connection of life and faith through critical thinking, exploration of ethical issues and action for social justice
care and support in times of uncertainty, crisis and loss
thoughtful acts of service with, and for, others
a free and confidential service

Multifaith events

UWS Photographic Exhibition: My Faith, Our Australia: Common Ground.
Official exhibition opening: 12:00pm – 2:00pm, Thursday 19 September 2013. Outside the Allen Library, Kingswood campus.

Free event, finger food will be available.

Submit a photograph!

Multifaith Chaplaincy invites staff and students to submit a digital photo for the exhibition ‘My Faith, Our Australia: Common Ground’.

Your entry needs to be submitted as an eight to ten megapixel digital photo via email. Submissions need to include:

Your name and staff or student ID number
A completed Photographic Entry form

Submit photos to: chaplaincy@uws.edu.au

The closing date for submission of photos is Monday, 2 September 2013.
For further information, please contact Christine Gapes, UWS Chaplain at c.gapes@uws.edu.au.

Multifaith facilities

Multifaith Facilities are available for students and staff on all UWS campuses.

	Muslim Prayer Rooms	Prayer & Meditation Facilities
Bankstown	Building 10.G.19 (Female) Building 10.G.20 (Male)	Building 10.G.13
Campbelltown	Building 2.2.02	Building 2.2.07
Hawkesbury	Building P22	Building P23
Parramatta	Building ESa, Room 1	Building EF, Room 4
Penrith	Building H	Building H

These Multifaith facilities are founded on the spiritual places of the Darug People, the traditional caretakers of this region. They are available for all who hold to a faith tradition as well as those who do not. They offer a safe place to meet, pray, reflect, meditate or simply take some time for yourself. There are multifaith libraries to browse, chaplains to chat with, groups to connect with and religious festivals to celebrate. Multifaith facilities are places where your inner life is respected and honoured.

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Campus contacts

Campus	Phone	Contact	Email
Bankstown	(02) 9772 6526	Richard Blight	r.blight@uws.edu.au
Campbelltown	(02) 9685 9324	Valerie Powidzki	v.powidzki@uws.edu.au
Hawkesbury	(02) 4570 1614	Rosanne Sinclair	r.sinclair@uws.edu.au
Parramatta	(02) 9685 9324	Valerie Powidzki	v.powidzki@uws.edu.au
Penrith	(02) 4736 0803	Christine Gapes	c.gapes@uws.edu.au

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Denomination contacts

UWS is served by chaplains from a broad range of denominations/faith traditions:

Faith Tradition	Phone	Contact	Email
Anglican	(02) 4736 0803 0417 201 463	Rob Elder	rob.elder@optusnet.com.au
Anglican	(02) 9772 6526 0422 282 893	Richard Blight	r.blight@uws.edu.au
Buddhist (Advisor)	(02) 9966 8893	Anita Lau	office@buddhistcouncil.org
Catholic	(02) 9685 9324 0414 638 884	Valerie Powidzki	v.powidzky@uws.edu.au
Catholic	(02) 4570 1614 0424 250 633	Rosanne Sinclair	r.sinclair@uws.edu.au
Coptic Orthodox	0418 283 114	Fr Matthew Attia	fr.matthew2@bigpond.com
Islam (External advisor)	0422 908 323	Hanan Dover	h.dover@missionofhope.org.au
Islam	(02) 4736 0145	Ataur Rahman	a.rahman@uws.edu.au
Jewish (External advisor)	(02) 9381 4281	Shailee Mendelevich	shailee@hillel.co.au
Presbyterian	(02) 9774 5740	Rev Peter Barnes	pebarnes@ezylink.net.au
Presbyterian	(02) 9685 9307 0433 800 973	Kamal Weerakoon	kamal.weerakoon@gmail.com
Latter-day Saints	(02) 9841 5318 0405 103 302	David Lakisa	david.lakisa@ldschurch.org
Latter-day Saints	(02) 9841 5479 0405 103 320	Daniel Kuhn	daniel.kuhn@ldschurch.org
Uniting Church	(02) 4736 0803 0422 498 371	Christine Gapes	c.gapes@uws.edu.au or cgapes@bigpond.net.au

UWS is also visited by other denominations/faith traditions. For more information please contact Sister Valerie Powidzki on (02) 9685 9324 or 0414 638 884 or alternatively via email v.powidzki@uws.edu.au

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