The Archdiocese of Melbourne is based in a region originally inhabited by Indigenous communities whose history extends for tens of thousands of years. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of the Kulin Nation who have walked upon and cared for this country for thousands of years. We pay our respect to them and their cultures and to Elders past, present and emerging.
We deeply respect the strong connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to the Australian landscape and treasure the many gifts they bring to our Catholic community as well as the wider community. As Pope John Paul II so eloquently expressed in his 1986 visit to Australia, the Church in Australia will not be fully the Church that Jesus wants her to be, until Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have made their contribution to the life of the Church and until that contribution is joyfully received by others. (Address to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, 1986)
Since its beginnings in the 1980s, Aboriginal Catholic Ministry for Victoria (ACM) has been a vibrant ministry committed to ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples hold their rightful place in the Church and the wider community. The ministry’s work is vast and includes providing support, pastoral and spiritual care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, educating the wider community and working towards achieving real and lasting reconciliation. Inspired by the Gospel, ACM is committed to the dignity of each person, to open hospitality, to truth-telling about dispossession, to be a place of connection—working for reconciliation in partnership with those who believe that there can be an alternative to the present order.
Aboriginal Catholic Ministry is based at 434 St Georges Road, Thornbury. You can contact ACM at (03) 9401 6380 or sherry.balcombe@cam.org.au.
Image: Stations of the Cross by Aboriginal artist John Dunn. Image provided by Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Victoria.