
Bridging Now to Next: National Reconciliation Week
ACSQ Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator Aunty Sandra King OAM shares some of her Reconciliation story and about this year’s National Reconciliation Week theme song
ACSQ Reconciliation Action Plan Coordinator Aunty Sandra King OAM shares some of her Reconciliation story and about this year’s National Reconciliation Week theme song
“God blesses us through the ocean as the waves and the current go in and out. The ocean is sacred to us. As part of my baptism as a baby, my mum removed my clothing and nappy and held me up in the sea breeze to be sprayed — to first be blessed — by the ocean. She then took me to the church for the service,” says Torres Strait Islander Elder Aunty Dr Rose Elu
“God calls us to respect one another. This, in part at least, involves respecting people’s territories, traditions and protocols; seeking counsel and consent; and, caring for one another. Respect is also about being welcoming and inclusive. When respect is fostered, harmony presides. When respect is denied, harm is caused,” says Aunty Dr Rose Elu in her Lambeth Conference Anglican Indigenous Network address
“The focus on prayer during the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation will give us all an opportunity to pray specifically for a building up of the Body of Christ in a coming together of First Nations peoples and non-Indigenous peoples. The power of this is a coming together of hearts, minds and souls,” says The Rev’d Canon Bruce Boase, Chair of the ACSQ Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group
“Systemic racism operates at the deepest levels of our society. Systemic racism, or institutional racism, by another name, refers to how ‘white superiority’ functions as the norm. It is the lens by which we see all things. It shapes the political system, police force, the educational system, legal system, employment practices, and, yes, even our Church,” says Gurindji man and National Aboriginal Bishop Chris McLeod
Wakka Wakka man The Rev’d Canon Bruce Boase, Yiman woman Olivene Yasso and Quandamooka and Bundjalung woman Aunty Sandra King OAM share their thoughts on the forthcoming Week of Prayer for Reconciliation and National Reconciliation Week, which are held between 27 May and 3 June annually, marking two significant milestones in the Reconciliation journey
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