Bishops’ Meeting: Rebirth theme for Aboriginal assembly

Sydney
8 June 2003

Bishops’ Meeting: Rebirth theme for Aboriginal assembly

Lowitja O’Donoghue, the inaugural chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and a member of the Council for Aboriginal Reconcilation, will be a keynote speaker at the sixth annual assembly of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Commission.

The assembly will be held in Adelaide from October 5-10 with the theme The time for rebirth is now - taken from Ecclesia in Oceania No 28.

Other keynote speakers will be George Rosendale and Agnes Palmer. Together, the speakers are expected to provide a wonderful mix of politics, vision, spirituality and healing.

The commission promotes and celebrates the Catholic identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeoples and advises and informs Australia’s bishops on affairs affecting indigenous peoples.

The bishops spent some time at their plenary meeting focusing on measures to maintain and strengthen the Church’s mission to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

They discussed the challenges of adequately resourcing the mission to indigenous peoples, particularly in remote areas. They also noted that Aboriginal and Islander Sunday is set for the first Sunday of July and that a liturgy and resource kit is being finalised for use in parishes and schools.