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by Jacqui Willoughby

“It sounds counterintuitive, but being in the presence of someone facing death has taught me how to truly live.”

CatholicCare Sydney is marking National Volunteer Week (18–24 May) by celebrating the contribution of volunteers like Nora, whose compassion and presence bring comfort, dignity, and connection to people during some of life’s most vulnerable moments.

Sacred Ground: Where Faith Deepens in the Quiet Moments

For many clients, faith-based care has been a transformative aspect of their experience.

Providing such care “has deepened my faith in ways I couldn’t have anticipated,” says Nora.

“Being with someone at the end of life is sacred ground. I’ve felt God’s presence in those quiet moments of companionship. It’s the space where care shifts from cure to comfort, and where people are supported to reflect, connect, and find peace in their own way.”

The presence of peace that comes with sitting with someone can be profoundly insightful.

She finds that they have a lot to say when they know someone is listening deeply, just to listen.

“Listening to their stories, their regrets, their wisdom, has changed me fundamentally. I came to give, but I’ve received far more: perspective, gratitude, and a deeper understanding of human resilience and dignity.”

For Nora, it is liberating to let go of fear of the sorts of conversations dying people want to have.

With these moments also comes an evolved understanding of compassion and care. As a volunteer, “It’s about honouring their humanity and walking with them through their pain.”

A Calling She Couldn’t Ignore — And a Peace She Didn’t Expect

She felt a calling to this work more than five years ago, a feeling she says is difficult to put into words.

“It was the opportunity to support people in their most vulnerable moments,” she says.

She began this work expecting to feel constant sadness and heaviness.

“But what I mostly experienced was a profound sense of peace and privilege and satisfaction, being trusted to share someone’s final journey,” she says.

“I learned that suffering doesn’t diminish a person’s worth or wisdom; often it deepens it. Fear of palliative care is replaced by peace, and that is a gift to both of us.”

Patience plays a big role in compassionate and effective volunteering.

“Trust builds once they realise that I’m not there to pity or rush them,” she says. “I’m just there to walk alongside them at their pace.”

You Don’t Need to Have the Answers — Just the Willingness to Show Up

Working with many people and different personalities and accepting that many of them have little time left can be a difficult experience.

Often, people aren’t looking for attempts at comfort or solutions from their volunteers. With her CatholicCare Sydney training, Nora understood what was needed of her in these moments.

“Presence itself is powerful… every moment matters, and every person deserves to be truly seen and heard.”

For those interested in volunteering with CatholicCare Sydney, Nora has some advice.

“This work will change you, and in the best ways. Working with elderly people and those facing end-of-life situations might sound daunting, but there’s profound beauty and peace in it.

“I welcome these big conversations now. I walk towards them, not away from them.

“Once you learn some simple but powerful ways to listen, respond, and create space for what people truly need to say, these conversations no longer feel frightening; they feel deeply satisfying and healing.”

The most helpful thing we can say is not ‘You’ll be okay,’ but ‘Tell me more.’ And this is where your own volunteer journey begins.

“You’ll discover that in supporting others through their most vulnerable moments, you’ll find peace, purpose, and a deeper understanding of what it means to be a child of God, our Creator.”

For more information, call 13 18 19 or visit catholiccare.org.

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Republished with thanks to The Catholic Weekly.