Pilgrims of Hope - Look Beyond
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday is celebrated on the first Sunday in July at the beginning of NAIDOC week. With 130,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people identifying as Catholics, this is a significant day in the life of the Australian church.
NAIDOC week and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Around the country, many of our Marist communities recognise this occasion through student art, dance and storytelling.
A Culture of Hospitality and Welcome
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a culture of hospitality. Protocols for welcoming visitors to ancestral lands have been in place for hundreds of generations. When a Traditional Owner delivers a Welcome to Country, they are not welcoming people to Australia, they are welcoming people to the land within their cultural boundaries, which their ancestors have cared for, and lived on, for millennia.
Abraham’s Story of Pilgrimage, and the Promised Land
In reflecting upon Aboriginal history and culture, we can be drawn to the Judeo-Christian story of Abraham. Abraham’s story is one of pilgrimage: he leaves his homeland and trusts in God’s promise, walking into the unknown. Aboriginal people also understand life as a journey, deeply connected to land and ancestors. For Abraham, the Promised Land was not just a physical inheritance but a divine promise, a place where God's covenant would unfold. The land was sacred, given not for possession alone, but to be lived on, in right relationship with God and others.
“Land is more than territory – it is spiritually alive and deeply relational”
Similarly, in Aboriginal spirituality, land is sacred. It is not owned but belongs to the people, and the people belong to the land. It holds the stories of the ancestors and is central to identity, culture, and spiritual life. In both traditions, the land is more than territory – it is spiritually alive and deeply relational.
The Sacredness of Land
Our First Nations brothers and sisters are people who know how to look beyond and be Pilgrims of Hope. The story of Abraham and the Promised Land and Aboriginal spirituality, teach that land is sacred, given by the Creator; that the spiritual journey is central to identity and faith, and all people are called to live in right relationship with the land, others, and the divine.
This shared wisdom invites all people to reflect upon how we honour the land, listen to its stories, and walk gently upon it in faith and reverence.
Prayer Resource
This Marist Prayer Resource is available on the Mission and Life Formation Spirituality Hub website:
2025 NAIDOC Week and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday
Paul Harris
Mission and Life Formation Team