Parishes and schools across the Sandhurst Diocese, and the nation, will commemorate National Sorry Day with Masses and Liturgies to acknowledge the impact of Australian historical policies, practices and attitudes on First Nations people and to acknowledge the resilience and rich cultural heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Many schools, such as St Augustine’s College in Kyabram have chosen the day to commission FIRE Carriers who are entrusted to carry the flame of reconciliation with them by attending FIRE Carrier meetings, helping with reconciliation activities, acknowledging traditional custodians, and raising the Aboriginal flag, for example.   The FIRE (Friends Igniting Reconciliation through Education) Carrier project is an initiative of Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Victoria. It aims to embed Aboriginal enculturation in schools, bringing Aboriginal culture, history and spirituality into the classroom as a means for reconciliation.

It has been over 21 years since the Walk For Reconciliation across Sydney Harbour Bridge, and 12 years since Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s formal apology to members of the stolen generation, in which he stated, “The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia's history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.”

The 2022 theme for National Reconciliation Week: Be Brave.Make Change., calls us to move out of our comfort zone, to right wrongs, but also to make efforts to learn from the knowledge and wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  Reconciliation Week is a week for non-indigenous Australians to make a move, to find out what we can do in ways that matter to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.  

NAIDOC week (3-10 July) is to celebrate our 65,000 plus year culture and connection to this Country, Reconciliation Week aims to heal the damage created in the last 250 years.