Greetings of peace!
This week, in Australia, we have been celebrating NAIDOC Week. NAIDOC stands for National Aboriginals and Islanders Day Observance Committee. The National Executive of Religions for Peace Australia has decided on the advice of Senator Pat Dodson to support the Yes vote in the Referendum on the First Nations’ Voice to Parliament.
Greetings of peace! We hope you, your families and communities are safe, well and warm heading into the cooler months. We are now approaching Reconciliation Week and I’d like to draw special attention to the program on 3 June, Understanding the Uluru Statement from the Heart and The Voice to Parliament. You can find the details for this at 4) below. It will be an opportunity to ask questions and understand some of the issues surrounding the coming Referendum. The event will be held both in person and online and we hope to see you there.
Greetings of peace!
We hope everything is going peacefully for you, your families and your communities as we enter another season of holy days to end the old year (where did that year go?) and begin a new one full of possibilities.
We have entered the holy month of April in 2022 when all major faiths have special festivals as you will see below.
The month has come at a time of extraordinary conflict in the world and gives us an opportunity to pause and reflect on what peace means to us personally and in our faith traditions. This time is a blessed opportunity to make peace firstly within ourselves and then with all others as our faiths encourage us to do. If not us, as they say, then who?
Palm Sunday is also a time when refugees are remembered. The Melbourne Anglican community are going to make their Palm Sunday procession a reminder of the fate of refugees who have sought and are seeking asylum in Australia. But the support for this cause in Hobart is no less.
We know the thoughts and prayers of all of you are going out to everyone who is suffering in our wounded world just now, both internationally and here in Australia. The power of interfaith prayer is needed as much as ever to support all those facing loss and difficulties. Religions for Peace will be conducting online prayer in the near future.
Greetings of Peace! We hope that everyone is taking special care for their wellbeing as we move into wintry weather and we’d like to pass on an encouraging reminder to book your COVID vaccination (1800 671 738) to ensure that we all stay safe, as far as we can. Faith leaders have been encouraging their communities to do this.
Greetings of peace!
Many good wishes for the holy days coming up for many faith traditions: Hanukkah (Jewish Festival of Lights), the Summer Solstice, Christmas, including the Orthodox celebrations and the many different New Years.
This is always a special time of the year, partly because it brings families together (and our blessing is that we can come together at this time) and partly because of the opportunity it gives us for quietness and reflection.
May you, your families and your communities stay safe and well, happy and prosperous over these next few weeks and enjoy a peaceful, healthy and happy start to 2021.
Greetings of peace! A group of interested people have begun to investigate the possibility of Hobart signing on to the Charter for Compassion and thereby taking up the challenge of becoming a Compassionate City. Australia signed on to the Charter in 2010. The aim of Charter for Compassion Australia is for Australia to become a Continent for Compassion by 21 September 21, but before that, there is the hope that interested capital cities will commit to the initiative.
Religions for Peace Tasmania Branch is taking part in the investigation of whether Hobart should become a compassionate city: https://charterforcompassion.org/charter-for-compassion-australia
Greetings of peace! Hoping you are all keeping well and warm and absorbed in the task of sending thoughts of peace to the troubled world.!
Friday 5 June 2020 is UN World Environment Day. To honour the day and to create an opportunity to practise dadirri (deep listening to Country), Kris Schaffer has very kindly invited us to Potter’s Hill at South Arm.
Greetings of peace!
Many good wishes for a peaceful, happy and successful new year in 2018!
UN World Interfaith Harmony Week will occur in the first week of February 2018. As part of honouring the week, Religions for Peace Tas and the Multicultural Council of Tasmania have combined resources to bring a young couple from Melbourne to share their experience and their expertise with us. Nivy Balachandran, Regional Coordinator of United Religions Initiative and Executive Member of Religions for Peace Australia, is a recognised young leader of interfaith and intercultural affairs and works in the area of conflict transformation and cross cultural communication. She will be joined by her husband, Tal Meretz. Nivy belongs to the Hindu faith and her husband is from the Jewish faith tradition.
In October, members of Religions for Peace Tas are invited to join the Australian Walk Together event: https://www.walktogether.com.au/ In Hobart, Walk Together will be held at Parliament House lawns at 11am on Saturday 21 October 2017. We will meet at the venue.
Greetings of peace! Religions for Peace Tasmania Branch will be participating in the Tamar Peace Festival and the extraordinary vigil for peace on Hiroshima day.
