Sunday Resources 2019
Peace to this House and all who dwell within
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday Resources
7 July 2019
The theme for the 2019 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday Resources is “Peace to this house and all who dwell within”. The NATSICC Liturgy team reflected on the readings and the theme is drawn from Luke 10:1-12. Queenie McKenzie's artwork (left)is the theme image.
In our busy lives, we are often bombarded with competing priorities, distractions, worries and concerns about ourselves and others, which can cause us to forget to take the time to stop, look around, reflect and look for our peace in our lives. Our strong connection to culture and land helps us see the beauty in our world and by sharing this appreciation we are helping share God’s love.
The message that NATSICC would like to give you, is to reflect and make time to look for your inner peace in your busy life, and celebrate together with your families, friends and the wider community God’s message of peace and love for all.
We hope that this resource continues to help assist all - including Schools, Parishes and Communities to celebrate this significant day in our Church calendar. Please take the opportunity to visit our website which contains good news stories, information and programs: www.natsicc.org.au
We thank you for celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday alongside us. It is our dream that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Catholics come together in every Catholic Parish and School in this great Southern land as one people in Christ.
Letters
The Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Pastoral letter is a stirring call to action for all Australians.
"Our Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have suffered dispossession, displacement, violence of various types and much more. So often others have determined for them what they considered to be the best for them. The challenges facing communities are multifold."
Letter from Bishop Columba Macbeth-Green
The Chairman of the Bishops Commission for Relations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples has written to Parishes, schools and organisations regarding this special day.
Resource Booklet
The full NATSICC Resource booklet includes:
Liturgy resources for both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander congregations and non-Indigenous groups
Guide to Acknowledgments and Welcome to Country
Homily
Youth Activity
Booklet download - Web Version
Poster
People talking to Jesus in the Brough shed' by the late Queenie McKenzie of Warmun was selected as the artwork for the 2019 Poster. Used with the kind permission of the Christof Collection of the Diocese of Broome, the work brings together Catholic faith and Traditional Culture .
Youth Activity
Tree of Life
The Tree of Life activity is a Cross Cultural Awareness opportunity that uses a tangible object (the tree) as the basis to explore aspects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture, Faith and Spirituality. Students may identify the similarities and differences with their own culture.
It take place over a single day, a week or several weeks depending on the structure that is utilised. Each of the steps can be expanded, removed or adapted to your own area. For example, if you have local community members that speak Language, the Languages could be expanded upon and include visits and presentations.
The activity will yield the best outcomes if the Local Community is engaged and consulted in designing and delivering the steps wherever possible. Use the ‘Your NATSICC’ section at www.natsicc.org.au to find the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Ministry. If there isn’t a local Ministry, your local Council will have contact details for the local Language group.
Activity Resources
Tribute to Deacon Boniface
The NATSICC Council would like to remember a man of extraordinary faith, the late Deacon Boniface Perdjert, who was able to describe the ways in which his culture and faith came together. He once described this relationship by saying “Jesus told us we have to love God with whole hearts, mind and spirit that means the whole of me and the whole of me is Aboriginal. There is no other way for me to love him.” Simple yet powerful.
Deacon Boniface Resources
NATSICC Retreat Videos
One of the ways that you can enhance and enrich your celebration and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday is to watch the presentations from the recent NATSICC Virtual Retreat. You can view them prior to the celebration as a way to prepare either individually, or ideally as a group to facilitate discussion and sharing around the topic covered.
Our voices on...
A page that shares NATSICC's points of view on various important topics, including the Environment, the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and more here