Māori visitors enjoy Australian Indigenous Catholic assembly

Auckland Diocese Vicar for Social Impact Loraine Elliot and Justice and Peace Commission executive secretary Kathleen Card, who are Māori, were honorary indigenous delegates of Aotearoa New Zealand, joining more than 200 delegates at the gathering in the New South Wales Hunter Valley.

At the opening Mass, “female elders from each mob (whanau) walked forward carrying a bottle of water taken from their billabong and rivers, each pouring a little of their water into a coolamon and saying the prayers over the water, first in their own language, then incorporated in Catholic tradition by the presiding priests and bishops. The women then carried the blessed water and using tea tree branches, blessed those gathered through water and song.”

During the gathering, clapping, performing and singing the Catholic hymns and songs in a variety of indigenous languages were a common sight and sound.

In acknowledgment of an indigenous history that once held over 250 languages and up to 800 dialects, the use of a handful of translations was seen as testament to reclaiming faith, language and identity once lost or stolen.

It was noted that bishops present joined in the songs with actions, too.

The two Aotearoa delegates were called up three times and were given a welcome in Te Reo Māori, which they greatly appreciated. Other features of the gathering included a smoking ceremony, yarning circles and the telling of many stories.

“In our ‘yarning circles’, a tradition with historical roots thousands of years in practice, we came to understand deep listening, truth-telling and a process of speaking that held glimmers of synodal processes within its practice,” the Aotearoa delegates said.

“We could not help but notice the similarities between indigenous faith stories from country and our lived experience as missionary-converted Tangata Whenua Katorika, . . . the need to heal from generations of colonialisation and displacement.”

Looking back on their experience, the Aotearoa delegates said that “the Assembly had its own heartbeat, its own tempo and rhythm that was not forced or pressured but simply continued to beat to its own hypnotic pulse”.

“We discovered that the symbiosis of indigenous identity, faith and justice cannot be separated, forced or hurried. It too must be experienced.” 

It is hoped that the hospitality extended to the Aotearoa delegates could be reciprocated next year.

FULL STORY

The Travel Journal of NATSICC Assembly 2025: Pilgrims of Hope Across the Ditch (Catholic Diocese of Auckland)

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