We can, and should, be doing more to draw the first Australians into the life of the Church, especially when they are often the most distant from it, Archbishop tells Cathedral blessing ceremony on December 15.
Archbishop Barry Hickey has called on the Catholic Church, especially parishes, to draw into the life of the Church the many Catholic Aboriginal people whose families received their faith from Catholic Missions.
His call came during an Aboriginal ceremony for the blessing of the Aboriginal pathway in front of the Cathedral which was held on Tuesday evening at the newly refurbished St Mary’s Cathedral.
The pathway depicts elements of traditional Aboriginal life and the coming of Christianity in 16 panels etched on black granite by Noongar artist Laurel Nannup.
The fire of reconciliation was kept alight on December 15 as Perth Catholics were welcomed to the completed St Mary’s Cathedral by Noongar elders.
A flame was lit in the Cathedral’s new processional forecourt for the welcome and the blessing of its Aboriginal mosaic lame designed by local artist, Laurel Nannup, depicting Christ as the light of the world.
Congregants gathered in the forecourt prior to Mass for the blessing of the ceremonial fire before elder, Richard Walley asked for the prayers of his ancestors and sang a song of praise in the Noongar language.
The Mr Walley carried a candle lit from the fire into the Cathedral – a candle presented to the Archbishop by Ms Nannup – which Archbishop Hickey said was a "constant reminder to us of the original owners of this land of Australia."
Students from Catholic schools throughout the archdiocese played clapsticks throughout the opening ceremony.
In his address, the Archbishop emphasised some of the assertions he made in two papers he released earlier in the day on Aborigines and the Church.
He spoke about the need to ask questions surrounding the poor participation of indigenous people in parish churches and the state of Aboriginal health, education and wellbeing.
He said that governments had a role to play in ensuring that indigenous children received an education, at least up until the end of highschool, with enforcement of attendance if necessary.
Many Aboriginal people, for whatever reason, remained at a distance from the Church, the Archbishop said. It would be very regrettable if they ever thought they were not welcome.
Archbishop Hickey issued two discussion papers on the Church and Aboriginal people on Tuesday as well (see page 8 in this week’s Record).
Parish Councils and priests should take active steps to include them in all parish activities.
“Nor should they consider them ‘the poor’ as this stigmatises them and fails them by low expectations,” the Archbishop said.
Regarding Aboriginal disadvantage, the Archbishop said it was a national shame that on so many measures of disadvantage, Aboriginal people were so prominent. Ways of reducing these were not easy, but there seemed no reason why compulsory secondary education could not be enforced at least in urban areas, nor why skills education with subsequent employment opportunities could not be made compulsory for all, Aboriginal or not.
Education and work could not only overcome earlier disadvantage, but could also restore personal dignity and stabilise family life.
The low expectation policies of this and former governments only perpetuated disadvantage.
His experience with young homeless Aboriginal men and women over the past ten years revealed that few had gone past Year 6, and none past Year 8.
Not one came from a stable family and not one was raised in a family where the father was present.
“Family stability is beyond the power of governments, but governments could provide conditions that made it more likely,” Archbishop Hickey said.