An issue whose time has come

One of the organisers of the assembly programme, Fr NOEL CONNOLLY SSC, continues to update preparations for the assembly ...

On Saturday, May 5, about 55 Religious attended the joint meeting with the Australian Bishops' Conference in North Sydney. We had a surprisingly vigorous morning's discussion on the theme, The Australian Multicultural Church, Gift and Challenge. There was a lot of energy around the topic and I can only guess that that is because it is an issue whose time has come; one we are aware of and concerned about, but as yet do not have answers.

In preparation for that meeting and for our CRA National Assembly I have been doing some research.

 

I have learnt from Father John Murphy of the Australian Catholic Migration and Refugee Office that in the three years and three months to March 2008, 410 visas were granted to overseas-born priests and religious. Approximately 50 per cent of the applications were made by Religious Congregations and 50 per cent by Dioceses. They were sponsored by 60 congregations and 26 dioceses.

 

Four hundred and ten in three years is a large number of priests and religious, and these figures do not include student visas. Most Dioceses and Congregations do not have the resources to welcome, orient and enable these newcomers so there was a lot of interest in ways we can cooperate.

But not only are our clergy and religious becoming more multicultural, so are our parishes and many of our ministries.

 

Our church is multicultural in membership but it is a long way from being multicultural in the way it welcomes migrants, respects their culture, communicates with them, provides pastoral care addressed to their needs, builds on their culture and spirituality and develops structures to enable them to participate.

 

I believe one of the obstacles to becoming a truly multicultural church is that Australians on the whole do not have an understanding and appreciation for what culture is so we continue on our predetermined ways and expect newcomers to fit in.

Culture at its deepest level is a set of assumptions that determines what we think important and relevant. It even makes certain things unthinkable.

 

It also determines how we feel about things and events and provides us with a sense of belonging.  No wonder people feel culture shock and retreat to their rooms or their ethnic groups when they are without a sense of belonging, misunderstand so much and feel their meanings are being ignored and perhaps insulted.

 

During my research it struck me that the medical system must have similar issues with their overseas trained doctors and nurses so I have been asking some how they deal with it.

 

A friend is helping train medical people at Royal Brisbane Hospital to communicate cross cultures. She shared with me a presentation highlighting that people from different cultures have quite different attitudes to sickness, to healing, to the link between mind and body and how they are to be treated, to the role of families in healing.

 

When you think about it, it is the same in religion, with quite different ideas to ritual, celebration, devotions, community, family, sexuality, feasting and fasting. Communication is difficult enough at the best of times but it is near impossible when we do not appreciate that cultural factors are also involved.

 

Preparations are progressing well for the Assembly.

 

Professor Des Cahill of RMIT has agreed to speak on the reality of the Multicultural Australian Church and on Cross Cultural Communication. Most of the other speakers will be CRA members.

 

We have planned for people from the Small is Beautiful group of small ethnically-based congregations to speak and for talks and workshops on formation, parish, school, migrant chaplaincy, refugee ministry, welfare, health and community life.

 

The conference will be an opportunity to share experiences, form networks, cooperate, learn some of the reality, reflect and plan for the future.

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