HENRI NOUWEN

Henri Nouwen (1932-1966)was a Diocesan priest, ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in the archdiocese of Utrecht, Holland in 1957. His spiritual journey began in his native Holland and took him to America where he became a writer, academic and theologian, and a campaigner for social justice. Henri Nouwen is known as the “Wounded Healer”, turning his own wounds and sadness into compassion and care for others.

IDENTIFYING A NEED AND SEIZING AN OPPORTUNITY

In 1991 Elizabeth Walsh was working in Perth as a facilitator for Holyoake, the Australian Institute on Alcohol and Drug Addiction Resolutions. The Holyoake approach is based on a psychosocial understanding of drug use, and works with people who have drug and alcohol dependencies as well as educating and supporting their families. She had a personal connection with the Bridgetown area and was acutely aware of the need for a facility like Holyoake within the community.

At the same time the Hester Street residence now used as Henri Nouwen House was operating as a boarding house, although not at full capacity. Elizabeth recognized the potential of the property and approached the Uniting Church’s Tabitha Trust, which owned the residence, to request the use of a verandah to start up an outpost Holyoake program servicing the south west region of Western Australia.

When the boarding house ceased its operations, Elizabeth was convinced of the value to the community of the new program, and sought to use the whole house for this purpose. The proposal fell within the scope of the social justice criteria for allocation of Tabitha Trust grants, and upon the Trust’s approval, Elizabeth moved to Bridgetown in 1992, and Henri Nouwen House became the first Holyoake program in the South West.

Under new government funding policies in 1998, Holyoake closed all its country branches. Acutely aware of the crucial need for the continuation of the program, Elizabeth and the management committee sought to become an independent community care facility based on 12 Step principles.

Since then the house has expanded its programs and now promotes itself as a unique not-for-profit volunteer community organization, offering caring support for people whose lives have been affected by drug or alcohol dependency or co-dependency, relationship breakdown, domestic violence, sexual abuse, depression or bereavement.