Service Outreach Ministry Update

RAP Workshop:

Our Parish was pleased to welcome an enthusiastic group of parishioners who gathered last Saturday for the Reconciliation Action Plan Workshop. We were especially blessed by the presence of local elder Kerry Jones, a Kabi Kabi man from the Sunshine Coast and Director of the Bunya Bunya Country Aboriginal Corporation, who led our opening session. Kerry’s inspiring presentation on Indigenous culture and the history of our local region was insightful, educational, and deeply rewarding. His reflections on the Indigenous understanding of Care for Creation – their close, reverent, and intricate relationship with the land – felt particularly fitting as the Catholic Church celebrates the Jubilee Year of St Francis, the Patron Saint of Ecology. He even shared a few local insights grounded in the Indigenous way of reading Country – how the flowering of certain plants in our region reveals when particular fish are running (which Fr Gerard is no doubt eager to test).

We were also grateful to welcome RAP team leaders from across the Archdiocese, with leaders from Cleveland, Stafford and Albany Creek parishes sharing their wisdom and practical insights from their own parish journeys. The day concluded with a session led by the wonderful Joni Mitchell and Ravina Waldern, leaders of the Archdiocesan RAP and Murri Ministry teams, who guided us through how to implement meaningful and achievable RAP actions within our parish context.

A key reflection from the day came from one participant, who shared:

“What struck me most from today’s workshop was the call to look past the political noise and disagreements that can overshadow Reconciliation. Instead, we were invited to focus on a much simpler and more human question – How can we deliberately make our parish a place where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel genuinely safe, welcomed, and included when they enter our Church and community? How can we be a community that loves them better and become better allies and friends?”

Our parish is now forming a Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group, which will help guide and implement meaningful steps forward. If you would like to be part of this team and contribute to shaping our parish’s commitment to Reconciliation, we would love to hear from you.

Please email cp.serviceandoutreach@bne.catholic.net.au

Community Cooking:

Our Parish Community Cooking team has also been hard at work and was excited to launch our first cook‑ups for 2026 this week in partnership with Unity College. Students, teachers, and parishioners joined together to prepare another round of delicious meals for our Parish Community Cooking stocks. It was a joyful and collaborative start to the year, strengthening our shared commitment to practical service and hospitality for those in need. Additionally, our Parish Outreach BBQ continues to operate on Friday evenings, providing food and connection to those in our community who need it most. The Share‑a‑Meal Thursday night outreach is also preparing to restart after a short pause. We are always looking for additional volunteers to support these initiatives, so please reach out if you would like to join the team.