The Council and Members of Catholic Social Services Victoria acknowledge and celebrate that our engagement throughout Victoria takes place on the sacred land and waterways of the many cultural groups of the Aboriginal Peoples of Victoria. For over tens of thousands of years these lands and waterways have been cared for under cultural lore and customs.
Australia’s First Peoples have never ceded sovereignty and are the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent. We acknowledge that the Aboriginal People have suffered personal harm, cultural dislocation and dispossession since colonisation.
This past has resulted in Aboriginal People becoming one of the most disadvantaged peoples within our society and we are committed to action to close this gap.
Righting the wrongs of dispossession requires a commitment to truth telling about the past so justice, equity and reconciliation can be experienced by all peoples of Victoria.
We commit ourselves to listen and walk with the First Peoples in the true spirit of Makarrata: coming together after this long painful struggle for recognition, true justice and full flourishing for all Australians.
…the Church herself in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be until you have made your contribution to her life and until that contribution has been joyfully received by others. Pope St John Paul II, Alice Springs 29 November 1986 Adopted by Council at Catholic Social Services Victoria, October 2018
Pope St John Paul II, Alice Springs 29 November 1986
Adopted by Council at Catholic Social Services, October 2018
Celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday
On 4 July the Catholic Church in Australia celebrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday, marking the beginning of NAIDOC Week. At St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, Archbishop Peter A Comensoli celebrated a Mass that incorporated several elements including a special Acknowledgment of Country, a traditional smoking ceremony ritual and music composed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Exploring themes of injustice during Reconciliation Week
Focussing on the theme ‘More than a word. Reconciliation Takes Action’, the 2021 National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 3 June) highlighted the role we all play in fostering reconciliation and in collectively building relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ histories, cultures, and futures.
CSSV Services Providers that assist our work with First Nations people
Aboriginal Education
Aboriginal Catholic Ministry
Aims to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Straight peoples have their rightful place in the Church and wider community and works for reconciliation in partnership with those who believe there can be an alternative to the present order.
- 434 St Georges Road, Thornbury VIC 3071
- (03) 9401 6380
- www.cam1.org.au/acmv
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