First Nations students are advised that this page may contain images, videos and names of people who have died.
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Torres Strait Islanders celebrate the "Coming of Light" festival on July 1 each year, celebrating the arrival of Christianity on Erub (Darnley) Island, Thursday Island, in Cairns and Townsville. The date commemorates 1 July 1871 when missionaries from the London Missionary Society arrived, introducing Christianity. This is one example of how Australian First Nations people have integrated Christianity with their traditional beliefs.
Vicki reads a letter she has written for her grandchildren expressing her hopes for what the 2023 referendum on the Voice to Parliament will achieve.
“Many Aboriginal people easily mix Christian concepts with beliefs about the Dreaming, allowing them to reconcile two different viewpoints. They use their deep spirituality to comprehend Christianity.
Stan Grant, a Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi author, broadcaster and journalist, describes the impact of Christianity on his family as "enormous", but in a positive way. "They embraced it. It was a wonderful adaptation and innovation on our traditional society. It allowed them to regather a spiritual sense of themselves after the devastation of the frontier [wars]... It also gave them a strong moral compass and a survival mechanism."
[Source: Aboriginal Christians & Christianity - Creative Spirits, retrieved from https://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/aboriginal-christians-christianity]
Vicki Clark began the FIRE Carrier program, which Mater Christi is part of, and which works across over 100 Catholic schools in Victoria to embed the spirit of Reconciliation across Catholic Schools.
