Our Kildare Ministries Living Justice Living Peace Charter reminds us:
“The life and teachings of Jesus challenge us to be just and to live in peace.”
Inspired and guided by this call, and by the enduring stories of our founding Brigidine and Presentation Sisters, we commit to walking in solidarity with First Nations peoples.
We stand with First Nations communities in their call for inclusion, justice, truth-telling and self-determination. For more than 65,000 years, First Nations peoples have nurtured this land, its stories, languages and sacred traditions. Sovereignty of this land has never been ceded. We continue to acknowledge the enduring injustice and trauma experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since colonisation.
In the spirit of reconciliation, justice and hope, the Trustees of Kildare Ministries:
- Affirm the inherent dignity of First Nations
- Accept, with gratitude, the continuing invitation expressed in the Uluru Statement of the Heart towards a fair, respectful and truthful relationship with the First Nations peoples of
- Hold precious and celebrate the First Nations peoples of Australia, and their culture as the oldest continuing civilisation on Earth.
We support the principle that “nothing about us without us” must guide all policies and actions affecting
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Therefore, we encourage our educational and community works to:
- Champion genuine partnerships that prioritise deep listening, consultation and co-
- Deepen understanding through engagement, dialogue and education with Elders and local
- Stand firmly against racism in all its forms, recognising that justice for First Nations peoples is justice for all.
We invite all our ministries to consider what actions they can take to amplify First Nations voices to foster Reconciliation – in their daily work practices, education spaces, gathering spaces and partnerships with local communities.
The Trustees of Kildare Ministries affirm that the wisdom and resilience of the oldest continuous culture in the world is a gift to all. Let us continue to build inclusive communities where every person is respected, every culture is honoured, and every voice is heard.