National Reconciliation Week

Reconcilation guide for churches – a guide full of useful information and ideas on how to get involved during the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation.

Reconciliation Timeline – this timeline looks at events that have made an impact on the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

27 May: the 1967 referendum factsheet – The 1967 referendum altered the Australian Constitution to give the Australian Government the power to make laws for Indigenous Australians.

For more information and resources see here.

Creator Spirit,
All creation once declared your glory,
Your laws were honoured and trusted,
Forgive us our neglect as our country approaches
the most critical moment in its history.
Listen to our prayer as we turn to you,
Hear the cry of our land and its people,
Just as you heard the cry of Jesus,
your Son, on the Cross.
Help us to replace our national shame
With true national pride by restoring the
dignity of our First People whose antiquity is
unsurpassed.
May our faith and trust in you increase.
Only then will our nation grow strong and be
a worthy place for all who wish to make their home in our land.
Amen.
© Elizabeth Pike, September 1997
Aboriginal Catholic Ministry, Melbourne.

We are a community of communities from the Murray to the sea.
Inspired by the Gospel and nourished by the Eucharist, we follow the example of Jesus and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, reaching out in joyful and humble service, caring for all of God’s creation, growing in love day by day and looking forward to life with God forever.

Diocesan Vision Statement

In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands in which the Diocese of Ballarat sits. We would like to pay our respects to Aboriginal Elders past, present and future. Their wisdom can help us care for the earth, our common home.

- Acknowledgement of Country -