events
Message Stick Relay
Queensland:
The Message Stick Relay is still being planned by coordinator Ernie Trevaskis.
For further information or to register interest contact Erine on:
- t: (07) 4931 3632
- t: (08) 8223 5244 - Secretariat
- f: (07) 4931 3717
- download: Expression of Interest form.pdf and fax back.
QLD Message Stick Diocesean Agenda.
- Townsville 24th May to 19th August.
- Cairns 21st August to 18th November
- Toowoomba 20th November to 04th February '06
- Brisbane 06th February to 17th June
- Rockhampton 19th June to 20th September
- Alice Springs 1st October
Each diocese will have the Stick for 3 months, Brisbane for 4 months.
BRISBANE: Murri Ministry
- t: 07 38911931
- e: murriministry@bne.catholic.net.au
CAIRNS: Gertrude Ygosse
- t: 0423 212 496
TOOWOOMBA: Mark Copland
- t: 07 46130895
- e: justice@twb.catholic.org.au
ROCKHAMPTON: AICCM
- t: 07 49313632
- e: aiccm@rok.catholic.net.au
QLD: NATSICC Rep
- t: 0417 788 726
Townsville Message Stick Relay
In October 2006, there is a gathering planned in Alice Springs for Aboriginal and Islander people to mark the 20th Anniversary of the visit of Pope John Paul II.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) encouraged involvement by people from all Dioceses in Australia by circulating a Message Stick as a way of drawng attention to this important event.
The Queensland Representative on NATSICC, Mr. Ernie Trevaskis from Rockhampton visited Townsville to hand over the Message Stick to the Townsville Diocese at a short ceremony at the Ryan Catholic Community Centre, Kiwan Tuesday, 24 May, 2005.
He handed over the Message Stick to Aboriginal Elders - Mary Twaddle, Dawn Bobongie and Nerida Lampton in the presence of Bishop Michael Putney and students from various Catholic Schools around Townsville.
Click the side image to View Gallery - 9 Images.
New South Wales:
The Message Stick Relay is still being planned by co-ordinator Elsie Heiss. For further information or to register interest contact Elsie on:
- t: (02) 9311 0918
- t: (08) 8223 5244 - Secretariat
- f: (02) 9311 0953
- download: Expression of Interest form.pdf and fax back.
Lismore Message Stick Mass
The message stick will have been to 25 Places in this Docese, including Parishes, Schools both State and Catholic. It has had huge media coverage and has been the most positive thing to happen re Koori input. - Sr Katherine Sweeney - Lismore ACM
Click the side image to View Gallery - 4 Images.
Tasmania:
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) has called on the Catholic Church and all people of Australia to renew their thoughtful and prayerful responses to reconciliation through the Pass It On Message Stick Relay. The Church and the nation have been invited to renew their responses to the challenges identified by Pope John Paul II in his address to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People at Alice Springs in November 1986. In his address the Pope asked that the Church and Aboriginal people work actively together for reciprocal reconciliation so that "the flames of reconciliation can be rekindled and past hurts healed".
Click the side image to View Gallery - 10 Images.
He also asked that Indigenous members of the Church be encouraged and supported ‘to become, through and through, Aboriginal Christians' by allowing them to express their Christianity in terms and symbols of their cultures.
The Tasmanian Message Stick was blessed and launched by his Grace, Archbishop Doyle at a Mass at St James College in February 2006 and then began its journey around Tasmania carried by Custodians from one school or parish to another.
There are two aims of the Message Stick. The first is to call all Christian people to renew our thoughtful and prayerful commitment to reconciliation with Aboriginal people. The second is to support and encourage Aboriginal People to fully participate in the Church.
Blessing of the Message Stick:
In his homily at the Mass for the Blessing of the Message Stick Archbishop Doyle said:
"The Gospel passage reminds us that reconciliation, at all levels in our lives, does not have any boundaries. It is not an act, but it is a process that can be shared by all Australians.
It takes time, because it has to be reborn in the heart of every human person who enters the pilgrimage of life. But I believe that the process is under way, and we have to ensure that it does not become dissipated.
The very beautiful gathering today is the encouragement we need not only to pass on the Message Stick, but to pass on forgiveness and reconciliation.
In passing on the Message Stick, we pass on something of ourselves."
In the schools & Parishes:
The Tasmanian Message Stick will be in all schools or parishes for three days between March and August. After this, the Message Stick will be taken to Alice Springs for the NATSICC Assembly later in the year.
As the Message Stick journeys around Catholic schools and parishes, the Stick itself will be painted with symbols of reconciliation by nine respected Aboriginal Artists. The students of each of the schools will, with the help of a visiting Aboriginal Artist, paint their reconciliation symbol on the Message Stick Stand. A canvas will also be painted with this symbol as a lasting reminder to the school of John Paul II’s challenge to us all. A Reconciliation Statement will also be written by the students to be framed and placed beside the painting.
Schools and Parishes will be encouraged to have a deep understanding of the meaning of reconciliation, have an understanding of the reasons why NATSICC has called for this "Pass- It-On Relay" and has used a mainland message stick as the symbol for it and be involved in a Mass or Prayer Service for the "Pass-It-On Message Stick."
Western Australia:
The Message Stick Relay is still being planned by co-ordinator Leonie Kelly. For further information or to register interest contact Leonie on:
- t: (08) 89192 2961
- f: (08) 9193 5889
- download: Expression of Interest form.pdf and fax back.
Northern Territory:
The Message Stick Relay is still being planned by co-ordinator Cathie Wilson. For further information or to register interest contact Cathie on:
- t: (08) 8223 5244
- download: Expression of Interest form.pdf and fax back.
Australian Capital Territory:
The Message Stick Relay is still being planned by co-ordinator Elsie Heiss. For further information or to register interest contact Elsie on:
- t: (02) 9311 0918
- t: (08) 8223 5244 - Secretariat
- f: (02) 9311 0953
- download: Expression of Interest form.pdf and fax back.