Window on the World’s Religions is a new interfaith initiative from the Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations (CCCMR). In an increasingly diverse world, understanding and connection across religious divides are more vital than ever. This initiative responds to that need. Followers from different religions share about their faith through talks, videos, sacred objects, panel discussion, and question and answer. Teams maximise the opportunity for personal encounters. More time allows for maximum sharing. The process enables both the sharing of information and personal connection. We hope that Window on the World’s Religions will become a series of personal encounters with believers from a variety of the world’s religions present in Western Sydney.
For our first event on 9 October 2025 at the Bishop Bede Heather Centre in Blacktown, we invited a Hindu team, as Hinduism is the fastest-growing religion in Australia and Western Sydney. We also invited a Sikh team, as Sikhs too have a significant presence in Western Sydney. Attendees included parishioners, teachers, chancery staff, members of the Interfaith Commission, Catholic Mission, and representatives from other churches and other religions.
On arrival, presenters and participants met and shared food and conversation, setting the tone of welcome, warmth, friendship and hospitality which marked the whole event. After the Acknowledgement and Welcome, Fr Patrick McInerney, Director CCCMR, introduced the process by reminding the audience that Western Sydney’s rich cultural and religious diversity is a tremendous asset to the community. He encouraged the mostly Christian audience to live the Gospel message of “love your neighbour” who, in Western Sydney, is often Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Muslim, or Sikh. The audience then divided into two and the Hindu and Sikh teams presented their workshops simultaneously. After an hour of rich sharing, the audience swapped around and the teams presented a second time. Everyone gathered together for a final plenary session of sharing insights, and conversations lingered on for a long while afterwards.
Discovering Common Ground
Window on the World’s Religions served as a vibrant platform where representatives from the Hindu and Sikh traditions illuminated their core beliefs, daily practices, and guiding values. Speakers detailed how their faiths inform their daily living and inspire profound commitments to compassion, justice, harmony, and selfless service. The warmth and sincerity of these personal stories transformed abstract concepts into living, relatable traditions.
For Trish Reilly, Acting Principal, St Joseph’s Primary School, the experience was transformative. She arrived expecting to highlight differences but instead found unity. “I came along expecting to hear differences. Instead, I heard commonality. I heard shared beliefs about peace, joy, acceptance and service. I heard welcome, invitation and collaboration,” she said. “I heard themes of equality for all people, active engagement in justice and truth and practical and committed actions of service.”
Transforming Knowledge into Friendship
The evening’s success lay in its focus on personal exchanges over purely academic learning. It was a space for smiles, genuine questions, and shared reflections that built bridges between people. As Adrian Gomez of Parramatta Catholic Schools noted, reading about other faiths is one thing, but personal encounter makes them real. “I’ve read about Hinduism and Sikhism before, but to have them embodied by people who live locally, made these religious traditions come alive for me.”
Adrian reflected that events like this are crucial for transforming mere understanding into true friendship. “The personal exchanges were as powerful as the teachings themselves, reminding everyone that dialogue is not just about learning, it is about building relationships that bridge religious and cultural divides,” he said.
The Divine Light Within
The timing of the event held special significance as the Hindu community was to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights, in the coming weeks. Anticipating this celebration provided a perfect, unifying metaphor for the evening’s core takeaway, a message Trish found particularly powerful. “The message that resonated with me was that the Divine Light is within all of us whether we are Catholic, Hindu or Sikh and it is our calling to shine that light for all to see,” she concluded.
This sentiment perfectly encapsulates the event’s achievement: moving beyond surface-level distinctions to recognise the profound, shared spiritual light that calls all people of faith to action, service, and peace. Inspired by the evening’s success, Adrian expressed a personal eagerness “to explore ways that Catholic Schools Parramatta Diocese’s students and staff can continue this dialogue, particularly in areas with high Hindu and Sikh populations.” The event was a testament to the power of open hearts and genuine encounter in enriching communities and fostering lasting interfaith relationships.
The Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations notes that Window on the World’s Religions is repeatable – it is not just a once-off event but can be done again. It is transportable – it can be taken to other places, to parishes, to schools, for teachers, for various groups. It is adaptable – it can feature other religions according to the needs and demographics of local areas and organisations, including just a single religion. It can even be used to showcase Christianity to the followers of other religions. With interest from parishes, schools, and other agencies in the Diocese of Parramatta, and with the cooperation of our friends from other religions, Window on the World’s Religions can become a versatile vehicle for building informed interfaith relations among the people of Western Sydney.
Ms Kim Chong, Media & Community Liaison, Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations
