I have been a staff member of the Columban Mission Institute, Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations in Sydney for almost eight years. On November 23 of this year, I will take up the appointment of Regional Director for Australia/New Zealand in Melbourne. So the time has come for me to say goodbye to Sydney and to my ministry in this beautiful Harbour city.
Reflecting on this ministry here in Sydney reminds me I have experienced many enriching moments of different encounters. Some I would call ‘God-moments’ such as when I sat at the back of mosques listening to the recital of prayers at Eid celebrations. I often felt an inner sense of ‘oneness’ that, although I was praying my different prayer in my own tongue, I was one with my Muslim sisters and brothers, all praising the one God with reverence and love. They were more than moments of ritual for me as I often left with a lingering sense of being uplifted and encouraged with a sense of solidarity with them.
I remember having a similar sense of spiritual nourishment several years ago after an Australian Catholic University sponsored prayer breakfast for parliamentarians in an inner city hotel. Greeting a Muslim friend that morning at the conclusion of the recital of prayers from several faiths we first simply smiled then spoke of how we had enjoyed the spiritual atmosphere we had shared. I have had similar experiences listening to the chanting of Jewish prayers at the different Shoah memorial services I attended, especially the annual one at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney.
There have also been many ‘people-moment’ encounters. Often when I have explained what ministry I am involved in I have had the quick response: “Oh, that’s interesting!” It has been an interesting journey.
I have spent many hours preparing for the annual Abraham Conferences, Youth PoWR celebrations, school and church talks. Making new friends among conference committee members and working alongside them has been a gift, a mystery which continues to reveal itself with new insights into other faith understandings. I have been inspired by the example of many good people whose deep faith, generosity and broad vision for society has contributed so much to local communities, especially in the face of much suspicion, fear and even hate.
Being a bridge between members of my own faith community and Muslim communities has been a position of privilege, but it has not gotten easier and it often feels like the broader Catholic Church has been slowly drifting away from this important dimension of the Church’s ministry. Breaking the Ramadan fast with families at iftar meals sponsored by our friends at the Affinity Intercultural Foundation and enjoying their hospitality has also been one of the highlights. Once I brought a large group of foreign priests to attend a family iftar meal, which was the first time many of them had entered the home of a Muslim, even though they had Muslim neighbours in their own countries.
I am not sure how much broader my understanding of God has grown in recent years, but I know that it has been in a gradual state of flux, ever adjusting to brief tiny insights of how God pops up in my daily life. I am aware of the limits of my cultural/faith lens on life. I think I have developed a more open approach and stretched the boundaries of my tent as they say. I look forward to sharing these experiences with new friends in Melbourne.
Columban Fr Brian Vale is the Regional Director for Australia/New Zealand.
Related links
- Read more from The Far East, November/December 2017
