Columban Podcast - Building Bridges

Growing up, I was not surrounded by peers from diverse faiths. I went to an all-girls Catholic High School, where most were Catholics or Christians. 

It's definitely good to be immersed in one’s faith on one hand, but it's also important to interact with people from other faiths and hear their stories and have interfaith dialogue in everyday life. It's about breaking down the walls and separation and finding the common values and shared beliefs. 

I see hope when high schools participate in interfaith immersion experiences with each other and explore together faith, service, learning, interfaith dialogue and community. It's the building blocks of society - interfaith dialogue for peace, harmony, understanding, and respect. 

As a young woman, I have been amazed and inspired by the many women in western Sydney. Full of passion, care, determination and energy, these women from diverse ages, cultures and faiths strongly believe in community building and interfaith dialogue. It amazes and delights me to see many networks of diverse faiths, both women and men stepping up and being a voice for their communities more and more. 

I see women proudly involved in taking roles and responsibilities in organising, community building, planning, networking and meeting politicians and sharing their stories in the name of building bridges between believers from different religions. 

Sydney Alliance, Voices for Power, Youth POWR, The Sydney Statement, The Western Sydney Women’s IntHERfaith Initiative are just some examples where people of different faiths can embrace who they are, accept, respect and lift each other up and work towards a common good. 

As a woman of faith, I've had opportunities to participate in a number of table-talks, forums and discussions where I could share my concerns and hopes for our community and listen to other women and men of faiths different to my own. 

Living in a multicultural and multifaith society, there is hope for more Australians to embrace interfaith dialogue. The richness of working together and creating friendships is evident in the many examples of the diverse communities and people of faith that are part of the story of Australia.