serving the faith communities of the Goulburn Valley
In the wake of the Sydney siege and its potential backlash against Muslims, Shepparton academic and retired priest Frank Purcell remained positive and pointed to the lessons of history.
‘‘Australia has a long tradition of tolerance — and Shepparton is 50 years ahead of the rest of the country when it comes to accepting people from different religions and cultures,’’ Mr Purcell said.
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Shepparton Interfaith Network extends compassion and prayers to all involved in the recent Sydney siege. Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley have been touched to the core by the recent events in Sydney. Members of Shepparton Interfaith Network are involved with the Victorian Council of Churches and the Faith Communities Council of Victoria. A press release from Faith Victoria is given below.
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Carols by Candlelight
Carols by Candlelight for 2014 will be take place on the evening of 21 December 2014. Goulburn Murray Credit Union are sponsoring the fireworks display on the evening.
Christmas for those alone will take place at the McIntosh Centre, Shepparton Showgrounds, from 11:00AM on Christmas Day.
ISIS is not the only option being taken in Islamic countries. An article in the German website, Qantara de, reports that, in spite of numerous setbacks over the last three years, the Arab Spring is bearing fruit. According to Egyptian journalist and professor Khalil al-Anani, the Tunisian experiment once again proves that Tunisia is a long way ahead of the other Arab countries undergoing transformation
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In recent years, the Scarboro Missions Interfaith Department in Toronto, Canada has committed itself to building a website featuring curriculum and useful educational resources for interfaith work. These resources include online courses, toolkits, best practices, do-it-yourself workshops, activities, multifaith prayer services, guidelines, games, meditations, Powerpoint, etc.
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Meji Singh did not grow up in the Sikh diaspora but in the religion’s homeland, India’s Punjab, in a family spiritually grounded in daily Sikh practice. But he has spent more than two-thirds of his life in the United States preoccupied with children and young adults, learning, and how to create mentally healthy communities. In this article, Meji Singh talks about Growing Up Sikh.
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UN World Day of Tolerance was celebrated at SPC Ardmona Kidstown on 14 September with students from Sirius College and St Georges Road School, along with representatives of the community. In all, approximately 250 people were in attendance.
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UN World Day of Tolerance is celebrated worldwide each year on 16 November. This year, the World Day of Tolerance will be observed in Shepparton at Kidstown on Friday, 14 November commencing at 12:00PM. Schools and Community Organisations around Shepparton will be participating, and the event is supported jointly by Shepparton Interfaith Network and Ethnic Communities of Shepparton and District.
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The official opening of Shepparton’s new St Paul’s African House took place on Thursday, 30 October at Poplar Ave, Shepparton. A large crowd of Shepparton's African community joined Jeanette Powell MP, Member for Shepparton and other dinitaries for the opening.
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A celebration of Tibetan music and culture with internationally renowned Tibetan singer-songwriter Tenzin Choegyal will be conducted at Kialla, on 30 November, 2104. The event proceeds will go to support the Childrens' Village at Dharamsala, India, where the Tibetan children reside and are educated.
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UN World Day of Tolerance is celebrated worldwide each year on 16 November. This year, the World Day of Tolerance will be observed in Shepparton at Kidstown on Friday, 14 November commencing at 12:00PM
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The Faith Communities Council of Victoria has issued a press release focussed on promoting harmony. Shepparton Interfaith Network fully supports and endorses all efforts to maintain harmony in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria and in urban and regional Australia.
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North East Health in conjunction with North East Multicultural Aged Care Connections will conduct a Multifaith Forum on Health and end-of-life-care in Wangaratta, on Wednesday, 12 November 2014.
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Islamist extremists are seeking to radicalize disaffected people on the fringes of society. Yet, in a land of social cohesion, peaceful coexistence and cultural diversity, such things seem far away. It is meet and fitting that Islam be understood as a religion tolerant of ambiguity and the ability to adapt to local conditions without force. We bring you one thoughtful, simple article from a german scholar who makes this point succintly.
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A informative session was enjoyed at St Augustine's Hall, Shepparton on the evening of Monday, 29 September when speakers gave talks about pilgrimages in the many religions of humanity.
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The Tibetan Buddhist Nun, Ven. Robina Courtis gave a talk on Courageous Compassion at Mooroopna Community Hub on Monday 23rd September 2014.
Report Racism aims to create an environment where you can feel confident and safe to report any cases of racism you experience or witness (including racial discrimination and vilification).
Report Racism is a third party reporting initiative which means that people can report racism online or at a local community organisation as well as directly to Victoria Police or the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.
Report Racism is trialling this initiative with the Aboriginal community. The Commission has partnered with the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and Victoria Police. Report Racism is being trialled in two locations – Northern Melbourne (City of Yarra, Darebin and Whittlesea) and Shepparton.
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Shepparton Interfaith Network presents an evening on Pilgrimages with guest speakers from different religions describing the experience of pilgrimage in their faith tradition.
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Approx. 260 persons attended the Bendgio EID Dinner which was a most wonderful opportunity with members of both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities along with locals from Bendigo and guests from Melbourne coming together. There were a total of 15 guest speakers representing different groups and communities demonstrating that Bendigo is a “prosperous multicultural community of people living together in peace and freedom”.
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