The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council is posting hard copies of the One Journey, Together Kitchen Table Conversation Guide to every parish in Australia, asking Catholic communities to deepen their understanding of the upcoming referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
The One Journey, Together initiative is a collaboration by NATSICC, Caritas Australia and Catholic Social Services Victoria.
It encourages Catholic communities to organise “Kitchen Table Conversations” as a meaningful response to the newly released 2023 Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement titled Listen, Learn, Love: A New Engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
These guided conversations aim to foster deeper understanding and engagement among Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in the lead up to the Australian constitutional referendum.
Inspired by the Conversation Guide resource, St Mary of the Cross Parish Mordialloc and Aspendale in Victoria held a conversation evening on the Voice to Parliament.
One of the organisers, Nicole Dobrohotoff, said the experience “proved to be a wonderful opportunity for people to gather, pray, learn, listen and discuss the upcoming referendum”.
“We created a safe space where people felt comfortable sharing their different views and concerns, and most importantly to ask questions. The group discussions were rich and I felt everyone took great care to really listen and learn from each other. I encourage all parishes to host a conversation in any way that suits their community. The most important thing we can do is take up this invitation and start a conversation.”
Details: www.indigenousvoice.church
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The Voice Referendum: How we got here. Why it matters (Redemptorists)
