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Justice & Peace group |
The Justice & Peace group at St Dominic's has been part of the parish for over twenty years. We work to reflect on the issues of the day and to assist our parish to play its part in responding to the call of the Gospel to work for a more just and peace-filled world. We meet on the last Monday of each month at 7.30pm for approximately an hour. The meetings are not overly formal and we discuss a range of current social issues.
We are always looking for new members and you would be more than welcome to join the group. Why not just come along, meet us and see if the work we do is something that would interest you. You are welcome to join the group - contact Mark Quirk at quirkms@bigpond.com
An overview of the past year (updated 13 November 2021)
The Group continues to promote and advocate for Social Justice in our community. We have focused on raising awareness of issues through the parish newsletter and maintaining this website page to report on our activities .
In 2020 we adopted mental health as a parish theme, and in September that year we hosted an online forum that highlighted awareness of mental health in our community, and encouraged each of us to play our part in prevention and in travelling with those affected. This was followed up by an ecumenical liturgy at St Dominic’s in March this year, and, in April, a Mental Health First Aid training program for parishioners. All these events were well supported. The ecumenical liturgy, conducted in partnership with the Canterbury Council of Churches, is planned to be repeated next year. Our mental health portal contains more information – www.stdominics.org.au/mental_health.html
In recent months, the Group has been involved in three major activities
We are always looking for new members and you would be more than welcome to join the group. Why not just come along, meet us and see if the work we do is something that would interest you. You are welcome to join the group - contact Mark Quirk at quirkms@bigpond.com
An overview of the past year (updated 13 November 2021)
The Group continues to promote and advocate for Social Justice in our community. We have focused on raising awareness of issues through the parish newsletter and maintaining this website page to report on our activities .
In 2020 we adopted mental health as a parish theme, and in September that year we hosted an online forum that highlighted awareness of mental health in our community, and encouraged each of us to play our part in prevention and in travelling with those affected. This was followed up by an ecumenical liturgy at St Dominic’s in March this year, and, in April, a Mental Health First Aid training program for parishioners. All these events were well supported. The ecumenical liturgy, conducted in partnership with the Canterbury Council of Churches, is planned to be repeated next year. Our mental health portal contains more information – www.stdominics.org.au/mental_health.html
In recent months, the Group has been involved in three major activities
- Acting as catalyst for pastoral planning
- Running a joint parishes”’ Forum on Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si’ - Care for Our Common Home. This Zoom forum, in November 2021, attracted more than 100 participants, and is an early step in the development of our parish response to Pope Francis’ call – for more information see www.stdominics.org.au/integral_ecology.html
- Reconnecting with the School on Social justice issues
MENTAL HEALTH PORTAL
Following the 2020 Social Justice Statement from the Australian Bishops on Mental Health and their earlier document on parish support for mental health, St Dominic’s parish has adopted mental health as one of our pastoral priorities. Click here to open our portal.
INTEGRAL ECOLOGY PORTAL
In 2021 the Bishops focused their Social Justice Statement on integral ecology, a major theme of Pope Francis (and of his namesake, St Francis of Assisi.
Our Integral Ecology portal contains resources, and updates on our efforts as a parish to follow a path of renewal and change, as we seek to respond to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor.
Standing with Indigenous Australians
When we celebrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday at St Dominic's on 4 July 2021, Fr Peter Murnane op shared the following in his homily:
It is now more than 100 years since First Nations people have been ... organising and protesting against the ways in which we European newcomers have treated them. Many of us are just now beginning to hear their tragic history, the countless stories, and admit the terrible mistakes we have made: massacres, massive theft of land; stealing eight generations of their children; putting them in prison at greater rates than other people; so many deaths in jail. While the Catholic church has greatly helped Indigenous people in many ways, we have also done much harm to these First Nations peoples. We must not be afraid to hear these truths expressed; we must not be like the villagers who could not accept Jesus’ new vision of where God is found; of whom God loves. As with every other failure, when we admit the ways we have failed the Aboriginal peoples in the past we find an opportunity to re-examine what we have done.
Our Justice & Peace group is developing a response to this challenge, to complement our efforts over recent years.
As part of our listening, we draw attention to a reflection by Sherry Balcombe, Manager of the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in Victoria, on Aboriginal Australians and the criminal justice system - 210909_sherry_balcombe_re_incarceration_nation_2021.pdf - Download File
It is now more than 100 years since First Nations people have been ... organising and protesting against the ways in which we European newcomers have treated them. Many of us are just now beginning to hear their tragic history, the countless stories, and admit the terrible mistakes we have made: massacres, massive theft of land; stealing eight generations of their children; putting them in prison at greater rates than other people; so many deaths in jail. While the Catholic church has greatly helped Indigenous people in many ways, we have also done much harm to these First Nations peoples. We must not be afraid to hear these truths expressed; we must not be like the villagers who could not accept Jesus’ new vision of where God is found; of whom God loves. As with every other failure, when we admit the ways we have failed the Aboriginal peoples in the past we find an opportunity to re-examine what we have done.
Our Justice & Peace group is developing a response to this challenge, to complement our efforts over recent years.
As part of our listening, we draw attention to a reflection by Sherry Balcombe, Manager of the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in Victoria, on Aboriginal Australians and the criminal justice system - 210909_sherry_balcombe_re_incarceration_nation_2021.pdf - Download File
Domestic Violence - recognise, respond, prevent
Please click here to read a letter from Felicity Rorke, Chair of Catholic Social Services Victoria’s Domestic Violence Working Group (and current Executive Director of the Good Samaritan Inn) that was sent to parish priests across Victoria.
During the pandemic there has been significant increase in reporting of instances of domestic and family violence and abuse – to both police and help lines. As Victoria and parishes open up and we are able to be in community with each other again, accompanying one another and our communities pointing to supports that are available is important. To start a phase of work, CSSV has developed a poster with some key telephone numbers, that can for someone seeking help. Click on the image below to visualize the poster.
Manisha Agarwal
Project Officer
Catholic Social Services Victoria
383 Albert St, East Melbourne, 3000
Ph: 0428 866 597 E: manisha.agarwal@css.org.au
During the pandemic there has been significant increase in reporting of instances of domestic and family violence and abuse – to both police and help lines. As Victoria and parishes open up and we are able to be in community with each other again, accompanying one another and our communities pointing to supports that are available is important. To start a phase of work, CSSV has developed a poster with some key telephone numbers, that can for someone seeking help. Click on the image below to visualize the poster.
Manisha Agarwal
Project Officer
Catholic Social Services Victoria
383 Albert St, East Melbourne, 3000
Ph: 0428 866 597 E: manisha.agarwal@css.org.au
