For years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have joined with other Australians in steps towards meaningful change and a better life. Reconciliation is more than a week-long event.
National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories and explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation. National Reconciliation Week follows National Sorry Day (26th May), a day that formally acknowledges the
suffering and grief experienced by the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and commemorates the strength, determination and pride of First Nations communities.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Peoples have a long history of resolve. Whilst progress has been made there is more work to do. Racism still raises its ugly head daily and there continues to be gaps in health, education, employment and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The 2021 State of Reconciliation in Australia Report: Moving from Safe to Brave, finds that Australians care about these injustices and want to do something positive for reconciliation. National Reconciliation Week 2023 invites all Australians to Be a Voice for the Generations towards a more just, equitable and reconciled country for all.
Reconciliation is much more than gaining knowledge, it involves facing hard truths, allowing for safe spaces for personal and communal growth, developing capabilities and taking meaningful action. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council’s, Cultural Competency in a Catholic Context e-learning course is a great start for Catholics to acknowledge and value the diversity and gifts of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to develop the ability to work effectively alongside First Nations Peoples. Commitment to developing respectful relationships is an important dimension of reconciliation.
This year National Reconciliation Week takes place at a crucial moment as the country moves towards the 2023 Referendum. The 2023 Referendum follows years of extensive work and consultation. The Catholic Bishops endorsed the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2021 as did the Australian Church at the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia in 2022. A First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution is a key element of The Uluru Statement from the Heart delivered to the Australian people in 2017.
As Christians, we are called to open our hearts and bring what we are hearing and reflecting upon to prayer.
God of all Creation,
We who have come from every land give thanks for the land we call Australia.
This earth that feeds us, the stories that bind us, the skies that envelop us in freedom.
Nourished by the rich gifts of the First Peoples and their 60000 years of spiritual connection to this Country, we all want to feel accepted and respected.
Let us walk together and listen with open hearts to each other.
Let us look back with courage, see the truth and speak it.
Let us look around with compassion, see the cost and share it.
Let us look forward with hope, see what can be and create it.
Give us the gift of your Spirit to face the truth,
We ask this through Jesus our brother and Lord. Amen.
Prayer from -
(Easter to Pentecost Discussion Series, Voice Crying in the Wilderness
Archdiocese of Brisbane and Edmund Rice Centre)
