MERCY Sister Wendy Flannery and Bracken Ridge parish priest Fr Gerry Hefferan took part in Brisbane’s inaugural multi-faith White Ribbon Day March on November 25.
Sr Flannery said the march was a joint initiative between Believing Women for a Culture of Peace, The Centre for Interfaith and Cultural Dialogue at Griffith University and the Multicultural Development Association.
White Ribbon Day is a national day working to help prevent men’s violence against women.
“We began in Queens Park, behind the casino where I read an opening prayer then participants walked down George Street to the QE2 Law courts,” Sr Flannery said.
She said Believing Women for a Culture of Peace had in the past staged a number of public events in support of the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
“In 2012 we also produced a booklet called Flying with Two Wings which was a multi-faith tool kit addressing violence against women and we used the opportunity on Wednesday to pass out some of these booklets,” she said.
Sr Flannery said while the inaugural group was small it included representatives from Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hari Krishna communities.
She said the multi-faith White Ribbon Day walk would become an annual event.
Meanwhile, a group of Dalby men attended the Blokes Big Breakfast at the Dalby cattle sale day where many of the 200 people attending pledged to stand up against family violence.
The sale fell on the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 25 and Dalby parish priest Fr Michael Cooney said there were Catholics present that would have taken the pledge.
“I know it was on but I wasn’t there unfortunately, but we do try to keep abreast of the issues of domestic violence,” he said.
