Dialogue, Respect and understanding help newcomers to the Goulburn Valley to feel part of the community, says Monsignor Peter Jeffery.
Monsignor Peter Jeffrey is the Parish Priest at St Brendan's, Shepparton and originally came from Bendigo.
The Goulburn Valley has a vast mix and diversity of cultural backgrounds. We must be ready to understand people's background and faiths in order respect the differences, to help people be respected and integrated into the community. We have a rich community which will benefit from open dialogue; we can enable people to speak about the struggles they have endured in order to take up a new life in the Goulburn Valley. We can help them to feel very much at home and part of the community life. Dialogue always involves this respect for the other and seeks to understand they cultural values they bring with them.
