Spirituality in Pastoral Care Practice

This Sunday is Sea Sunday.

However your church is marking the day, thank you for standing alongside the seafarers who keep our world moving.

If you'd like to give, you can donate online using the link below.
🔗 https://www.missiontoseafarers.org/sea-sunday/donate

Happy NAIDOC Week 2026!

This year's theme is Fifty Years of Deadly. It’s a tribute to the people who built this movement. The Elders who stood firm, the organisers who made space, the artists who turned resistance into expression, and the communities who keep showing up, year after year.

At First Peoples Disability Network (FPDN), we proudly stand with our communities to celebrate this legacy. We recognise the vital role of First Nations people with disability as knowledge holders, change makers, and leaders of the next generation.

Image description (alt text): A teal tile with subtle Aboriginal artwork patterns in the background. At the top center, the First Peoples Disability Network logo appears inside a white rounded box. A large black circle in the center features the number “50” in yellow, surrounded by a festive, fireworks-like design made of red, yellow, teal, and blue dots. Curving around the top of the black circle is the white text “CELEBRATING,” and curving around the bottom is “NAIDOC WEEK.”

We truly appreciate this gorgeous bit of art work.

Every time we see it though, we think, "Yes, the system is set to measure structure height, but we are certain that this teacher can turn around and see that beautiful creation for what it is and understand that the rubric should not always be the same."

Such appreciation comes so naturally to some educators. We know. We support many who would share their wonder about that castle with the student and then ask detailed questions about its design. (And, Jac had many of these teachers in her classrooms throughout her schooling. Some of you know that many of Jac's teachers let her submit all of her writing assignments in rhyming verse 😍😍).

We also know that there are many educators get caught up in the "the old paradigm, the tried and true, the we've always done it this way..." but are willing to learn to think differently. It is our job to support them, to educate them, to help them appreciate different minds in different ways. To come alongside, to help them take the next step.

It is work we love to do! It's the work that needs to be done!

Shifting perspective to help support the creation understanding and trusting relationships! It can be life changing for both teachers and students. It is the work that will ensure that the young person standing beside his castle will be confident that their teacher is going to be amped to check out their design.

The metaphor here is bigger than school... we'd say our "school based comments" can apply to society and communities in general 🙂🙂

We're working on our 2026-2027 schedule now! If you want to work with us, reach out ❤️💛

This illustration was done by Lisa Aisato - a Norwegian artist who we learned today creates. beautiful, whimsical, relational art

originally posted October 2023

A Sunday service for 28th June 2026 - the 4th Sunday in the Trinity season - led by Kt Tupling , Sam, Emma Major , Fr Tom, Mia, and Tim



Click on this link to watch the service:
https://youtu.be/h1kdq8GFh0A

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

On the first Sunday of July each year, the Catholic Church in Australia celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday and the beginning of NAIDOC Week.

On this day, we gather as one to honour and celebrate the rich cultural heritage and spirituality of our First Nations peoples, and the contributions they make the life of the Church. We recognise that we are blessed to be home to the world's oldest continuing Culture and we join with our sisters and brothers in celebrating this very important day on our Liturgical Calendar.

This year marks 40 years since Pope John Paul II spoke to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Alice Springs, and the 50th anniversary of NAIDOC Week. These milestones are celebrated in this year's theme, 'Walking Together in Christ: 40 Years On!'. They speak of enduring faith and resilience and call us to continue that journey together with humility and hope - listening deeply, and walking side by side as one Body in Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit.

Creator,
You beautifully, wonderfully make us.
May we go your way of love.

Christ,
You lead us to reconciliation.
May we go your way of justice.

Spirit,
You move us on the journey.
May we go your way of breath.
Amen.

As we celebrate NAIDOC Week 2026, it's important to look at why this week is so important.

NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.

FPDN proudly stands with community to celebrate this legacy. We recognise mob with disability as knowledge holders and change-makers guiding the next generation.

Image description (alt text): A blue and white social media tile with the First Peoples Disability Network logo in a white box at the top right. The blue header contains a subtle Aboriginal artwork pattern and large white text that reads “WORDS MATTER.” The bottom half is white, featuring the heading “NAIDOC” underlined in black. Below, blue text explains: “NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

You are not alone... and you don't have to do it all alone.

Carers make a huge sacrifice to care for the ones they love and rarely do they ever ask for anything for themselves, not even a helping hand when they desperately need it.

At The Carers Foundation Australia, we make a point of connecting carers as a reminder they are not alone. Building lifelong bonds and feeling seen are key outcomes our carers share after attending our Wellbeing Programs.

And it's why we LOVE what we do!

We're heading to some new areas for Wellbeing Programs very soon - keep an eye out for the details.