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Welcome to the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry for Victoria Website.
I’m sure you will find the site very resourceful, educative and interesting.
The website offers historical and present story of struggle and survival of a small group of Aboriginal Catholics.
Responding to the Holy Father’s challenge in 1986: ‘And 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’.
Sit back, browse the options and enter into our journey.
Sherry Balcombe
Manager, Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Victoria (ACMV)
FIRE Carriers
The story of FIRE Carriers began with a dream to bring Aboriginal culture, history and spirituality into the forefront of education in Catholic schools. It was important to teach the stories of the oldest living culture to our youngest generations to ensure the living truth, the dreams and hopes of our Indigenous people were heard. This would be a genuine pathway to reconciliation.
The fire spread and the initiative of the FIRE Carriers grew throughout Melbourne and parts of Victoria. 10 years along, we are proud to share one chapter of this amazing journey - that of the Catholic primary schools in Melbourne's north east zone.
2020 NAIDOC Mass
A special NAIDOC Mass was celebrated at St Francis Church, Melbourne on Sunday 12 July. Click the image below to view the Mass. The homily is also available to read here.
Uluru Statement from the Heart
Below is a 25 minute TED X clip where a young strong Quanadmooka man explains the Uluru Statement of the Heart in a powerful way.
We hope that you are enriched by this clip and it inspires you to action and to join us on the true journey to reconciliation.
Reconciliation in Action
In Australia, Black Lives Matter actions have drawn attention to the on-going scandal of Indigenous deaths in custody. In the video below, Cynthia Rowan, a Birra Gubba woman, accomplished educator and former member of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, discusses how true reconciliation can be achieved with Archbishop Mark Coleridge.
ACMV Masses for 2020 - Postponed until further notice
Sadly our ACMV Masses have had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once further information is known, this will be communicated.
Aboriginal Stations of the Cross prayer cards
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The artwork represents the Aboriginal community all coming together under the Catholic Church, represented by the cross above them. This cross then branches out linking in with our spiritual ancestors, while the coolamon is there to cradle our community and bring our culture to the Catholic Church.
Artwork by Reanna Bono, Wiradjuri and Wemba Wemba.
Links
Recently there has been a high level of media coverage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues within the Church media so we have collated some of the articles below.
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News
Hello everyone,
I have just finished inputting all of the parishes/schools and organisations that have purchased an Acknowledgement plaque.
These groups are now listed as Partners in Faith. If you are interested, the list can be found (sorted by State / Territory) on the
Acknowledgement Plaques page.
The key stats are:
- Over 430 Plaques have been sold
- There are 177 Partners in Faith listed on the website
- 12 Partners have sent in images of their plaques in Place
The bottom line is that there are now over 400 places of education and worship that Acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of their land.
Bookends Project: Aboriginal faith and culture
The Australian Jesuit Province’s Bookends Project is inviting staff to deepen their understanding of topics related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and refugees – the two groups caught in Australia’s ‘bookends of rejection’. In this video, we explore how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics bring faith and culture together. Sherry Balcombe takes us on a tour of some of the important symbols and spaces at the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Centre in Melbourne.
https://youtu.be/eNLcN3-ij_A
Bookends Project: Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Melbourne Mission Statement
The Australian Jesuit Province’s Bookends Project is inviting staff to deepen their understanding of topics related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and refugees – the two groups caught in Australia’s ‘bookends of rejection’. In this video, Sherry Balcombe from Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in Melbourne shares the mission of the organisation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=822V-H46Yfg&feature=youtu.be
Bookends Project: Uluru Statement from the Heart
The Australian Jesuit Province’s Bookends Project is inviting staff to deepen their understanding of topics related to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and refugees – the two groups caught in Australia’s ‘bookends of rejection’. In this video, Sherry Balcombe from Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in Melbourne reads out the Uluru Statement, which was signed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders last year, calling for the establishment of a 'First Nations Voice' in the Australian Constitution and a 'Makarrata Commission' to supervise a process of 'agreement-making' and 'truth-telling' between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI0ikFuPB4g&feature=youtu.be