“NOT black enough to be black … not white enough to be white” was the bureaucratic labelling that Pattie Lees faced when she was taken from her mother as a child. She tells the story in her recently published autobiography A Matter of Colour: My Journey to Belonging, which she co-wrote with her son Adam Lees. Pattie, whose husband Terry ... Read More »
MANY indigenous Queenslanders hold grave concerns about voluntary assisted dying (VAD), finding it frightening and at odds with their culture, according to Church leaders. If Queensland politicians pass VAD laws, Townsville Bishop Harris has warned fear of euthanasia would weaken cultural ties and “lead to indigenous people shying away from medical help when it’s needed, particularly in remote regions”. After ... Read More »
HER grandmother, a cattle property and a bishop all played key roles in Sr Liz Wiemers’ life-changing journey to the heart of Australia. “My greatest mentor in life was my grandmother, and she used to say, ‘Never be the person who walks by on the other side of the road …’,” Sr Liz said as she explained why the Sisters ... Read More »
A BRISBANE Catholic indigenous leader has described the Black Lives Matter rallies as “a wonderful experience of humanity”. Cynthia Rowan was among the crowd of up to 30,000 that packed inner city Brisbane on June 6, to protest police brutality against Indigenous Australians and call for justice for those who have died in custody. “We call ourselves Australian and we ... Read More »
MOUNT Isa parish priest Fr Mick Lowcock is a Queensland Great. But most people already knew that. For some it was because of his ministry achievements like accompanying young people to World Youth Day, for others it was his social work supporting employment opportunities in Indigenous communities, and for everyone else it was just how far he travelled to bring ... Read More »
NATIONAL Reconciliation Week goes to the heart of what God calls Australia to be, Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge said at the 8am livestreamed Mass from St Stephen’s Cathedral on May 26. Archbishop Coleridge prayed on National Sorry Day – the eve of National Reconciliation Week – for the Indigenous peoples of Australia and entrusted them to the mercy and justice ... Read More »
ABORIGINAL educator Cynthia Rowan has taken on the important task of raising Indigenous awareness and introducing a reconciliation action plan (RAP) into the Archdiocese of Brisbane. “The concept of reconciliation is to build a respectful relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the broader Australian community – in this case the Catholic community,” 68-year-old Ms Rowan, a parishioner ... Read More »
FREE speech in Australia is increasingly under threat with public-servant whistleblowers and journalists unfairly targeted by the government under the guise of national security, according to an annual report released by Human Rights Watch. Refugee rights, Indigenous rights and aged care are among other issues raising concerns in the 30th edition of The World Report, released on January 14. In ... Read More »
FRIENDS and colleagues remember Indigenous elder and activist Sam Watson as down to earth, courageous and deeply committed to his people. “I can’t remember a time when Sam Watson wasn’t in the public eye – all my life,” Catholic social justice advocate Peter Arndt said. “I cannot remember a time when he wasn’t there at the forefront speaking up for ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
