Tamil Catholics celebrate their 10th birthday

Sydney
4 November 2001

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Tamil Catholics celebrate their 10th birthday

Shalini Matthias and Gayatri Arasaratnam

By Chris Hook

The Tamil community plays a rich role in Australia’s multicultural life, the Catholic Association of Sydney Tamils was told at its 10th anniversary at Liverpool’s All Saints Church Hall.

Federal MP Dana Vale, whose electorate of Hughes borders the Liverpool area, delivered the message on behalf of the Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Minister, Philip Ruddock, who was unable to attend due to other commitments.

“Australians are fortunate to live in a democratic society in which civic freedoms and fundamental rights are respected,” Ms Vale said.

“Within the law all Australians have the right to express their own culture and beliefs.

“As a result, Australian society encompasses a wealth of cultures, histories and traditions and the Australian cultural scene is dynamic and exciting.

“The Tamil community, with your rich cultural heritage, plays a significant role in creating Australia as a vibrant, dynamic and harmonious multicultural society.”

Also present at the anniversary celebrations was the Bishop of Parramatta, Bishop Kevin Manning, who was welcomed by the group’s president, Tarcisius Matthias, and secretary, Lazarus Nelson.

The Tamil group has performed a variety of tasks, including organising retreats and pilgrimages, conducting Bible competitions for schoolchildren and raising money for those who remain in wartorn Sri Lanka.

It has sent more than $60,000 to the bishops of northern and eastern Sri Lanka – valuable funds to help address the country’s internal refugee problem.

And, says Mr Matthias, the association has recently established a youth group “to help (young people) balance their life in conflicting cultural trends and to orient their future, giving deeper expression to Christian values”.

The association’s chaplain, Fr Sahayam, urged the community to foster the use of Tamil and help their children learn the language. He called on the Tamils to deepen their commitment to Catholic tradition and not to be swayed by evangelical groups.

Bishop Manning awarded prizes to winners of a Bible competition and addressed the community, asking its members to continue their efforts in fostering Tamil culture and Christian values.

In reference to the strife in Sri Lanka, the bishop asked all those present to help foster reconciliation through an attitude of forgiveness amid the atrocities.

The remainder of the evening was a celebration of Tamil performance and song as the group commemorated a decade of work for the Tamil community.