The journey to reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples is not easy, but the Catholic Church remains hopeful of healing. That is the message from Chair of the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Bishop Charles Gauci, as Australians mark National Reconciliation Week.
We Divine Word Missionaries share that hope for healing, and in fact, it is the bedrock of all that we do in our ministry with First Nations peoples in Australia.
When we took up ministry in the Tiwi Islands, we heard that call for healing come through strongly from the community’s elders. They asked us to make healing our priority. It is a call we hear echoed in the other indigenous communities in which we are present, in Central Australia and in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.
In June-July, SVDs around the world will gather at the 19th General Chapter near Rome to focus on how we can continue to bring Christ’s healing to the communities we are part of, with the theme: “Your light must shine before others: Faithful and creative disciples in a wounded world.”
In his statement for Reconciliation Week, Bishop Gauci reminded us that reconciliation is an ongoing journey.
"There has been much that needs to be healed—there has been injustice, discrimination, dispossession, and all that accompanies these issues,” he said.
"As we journey together, we must continue to heal from the past while also looking toward the future. We need to find effective ways to ensure the common good is shared by all people of this nation, especially our First Nations People."
Bishop Gauci highlighted the need to narrow the gaps in life expectancy, housing, employment, and mental health and he called on the Church to play a pivotal role in this journey, as “light of the world and salt of the earth”.
"There are no easy answers. We need to prayerfully reflect, be guided by the Holy Spirit, listen to each other with respect, and walk together to find the best way forward,” he said.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council also underscored the need for unity and collective action.
"Now more than ever, we need to place our trust and hopes in the Holy Spirit and come together as a nation, undivided. We are one people under God, each with our own gifts and strengths, and now is the time we, as a Church, show leadership through unity and purpose," the council stated.
"Our communities and families live with daily reminders of the disparity in health, education, and life expectancy. The spirits of many of us are also low following the failed efforts of First Australians for our voice to be heard on issues that affect us. “However, we have faced challenges before and remain the oldest continuing culture in the world."
The Council called on all Catholics to join them in this journey of reconciliation.
"We will be your companions in making our Great Southern Land a better and fairer place for all. We need to walk side by side, with each other, and with Jesus Christ."
The Council offered this prayer (below) as an invitation to embrace the journey with open hearts and minds, guided by the Spirit, towards a future where all Australians can thrive together in harmony and respect. We in the SVD Australia Province invite you to join us in praying it together:
Companion Prayer
Lord, we are companions on a journey
Only you Dear Lord know the identity and depth of me
You know my hurts and pains those frustrations I feel in this land
So please, I ask you take my hand and comfort me Reconcile and guide me in justice and in faith
For we’re on our way to Alice (Springs) where you expressed your love for me Lord,
Set me free and let me be the servant I want to be Lord,
I thank you for hearing and understanding me
For Lord, You are always on my mind and on my lips and in my heart
And there’s simply no other way that it could be.
Yours in the Word,
Fr Asaeli Rass SVD,
Provincial.