Brisbane Church leaders, Catholic school students, Church workers and parishioners turned to God in a commitment to truth-telling and healing at a Mass for National Reconciliation Week at St Stephen’s Cathedral on Friday. Source: The Catholic Leader.
Jazmin Dyal, a student at St John Fisher College, Bracken Ridge, performed with her dance crew for the reconciliation events at the cathedral precinct.
She said dance connected her to her heritage in a way that went beyond words.
“It definitely brings out something within our group,” she said.
The dances they performed were inspired by stories from the Dreamtime, she said.
She hoped her expression of culture might encourage others to get involved in sharing Australia’s story.
Jayden Chong, a student at St Joseph’s College, Nudgee, said the reconciliation Mass helped him feel close to his heritage, too.
He said National Reconciliation Week was an opportunity to “celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and also educate on the culture and what has been around for many thousands of years”.
Brisbane Archbishop Shane Mackinlay said there had been “uncertainty” and a “loss of confidence” after the unsuccessful referendum on the Voice to Parliament.
He said the political result of the referendum was not a verdict on the broader necessity of healing or even the Uluru Statement of the Heart, of which the Voice was only one part.
Drawing on the Gospel, he called for “concrete actions” tailored to each person’s capacity.
“Reconciliation,” he said, “is everybody’s business.”
Archdiocese Reconciliation Action Plan project manager Joni McCourt said the day was a “wonderful celebration of culture”.
She thanked Archbishop Mackinlay for his leadership and said it was great to see young people sharing their commitment to the reconciliation journey.
After the Mass, an event was held in the Hanly Room, which included a speech from Brisbane Catholic Education Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education senior manager Mayrah Dreise.
Dr Dreise challenged the audience to move beyond symbolic or occasional gestures of reconciliation towards a genuine and daily practice.
For reconciliation to be real, she said it must be “maintained, not mentioned” and must reshape how the Church leads, decides, welcomes and shares resources.
FULLS TORY
Brisbane Catholic community prays for healing and truth at reconciliation Mass (By Joe HIggins, The Catholic Leader)
