Happy NAIDOC Week 2023!
From 2 – 9 July communities across these lands celebrate NAIDOC Week as an important week for all peoples of all cultures across these lands to come together to celebrate and recognise the contributions and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
This NAIDOC Week, as we focus on the theme For Our Elders, we are excited to celebrate and honour our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders for being our cultural knowledge holders, community builders, teachers, leaders, advocates, and trailblazers paving the way through their love, strength, wisdom, courage, knowledge and guidance.
We invite you to watch a beautiful message from our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people for their Elders below.
Safina Stewart, Common Grace’s Relationships and Storytelling Coordinator, has also shared a special message as we come together to celebrate NAIDOC Week 2023. Watch this here.
Common Grace has developed key resources to help you engage children and young people around this year’s NAIDOC Week theme ‘For Our Elders’, including creative activities and video resources. Explore further resources here.
NAIDOC Week is your perfect opportunity to get out in your local community and celebrate together. Many local communities, big and small, have NAIDOC Week celebrations. Support and attend NAIDOC Week events in your local area. Find out about NAIDOC Week community events in every capital city here.
Join us in prayer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice this NAIDOC Week. Explore prayer resources here.
We would love to hear how you’re celebrating NAIDOC Week 2023. Share your photos and stores with us at info@commongrace.org.au or tag us @commongraceaus
Thank you for joining us as we celebrate NAIDOC Week 2023!
Yours in friendship,
Bianca, Safina and the Common Grace team
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National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday), to celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth. You can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country.
National NAIDOC Week Awards Ceremony
National NAIDOC Week’s premiere event is the National NAIDOC Week Awards Ceremony which showcases Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander excellence. Every year, a different focus city is chosen to host the National NAIDOC Awards Ceremony.
Previous National NAIDOC Week Award Winners come from many different communities within Australia and have different backgrounds, however they are all part of NAIDOC history and share remarkable achievements. We encourage you to read more about previous NAIDOC Week Award Winners and learn more about their excellence.
Each year you can get involved in the National NAIDOC Week Awards by nominating someone you know who has excelled in one or more of the Award categories. Find out more about the nominations process.
National NAIDOC Week Poster Competition
The National NAIDOC Poster competition has become an iconic feature of National NAIDOC Week and has a rich and significant history beginning in 1967 when the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) first began producing posters. NAIDOC posters have been exhibited by various Australian cultural institutions such as the National Museum of Australia and reflect not only the many significant social changes that have occurred since 1967 but also evolution of art over the last 54 years.
Each year the National NAIDOC Week Poster Competition encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists aged 13 years and over to submit their artwork which reflects that year’s National NAIDOC Week Theme.
In recent years, the National NAIDOC Week Poster competition winning artists have been afforded numerous opportunities to work with organisations such as the Australian Open, Microsoft, The Project television show and various state travel authorities that have wrapped public transport vehicles in the winning artwork.
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A new life in Christ……
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday Resources
2 July 2023
Every year, on the first Sunday in July, Catholics come together across Australia to acknowledge and celebrate the gifts of Australia’s First Peoples in the Catholic Church. As we approach the Indigenous Voice to Parliament , it has never been more important for Catholics to come together and listen to Australia;s First Peoples.
In Australia we are blessed to be home to the world’s oldest continuing Culture and the resources that we have created and collated will assist you to celebrate this very important day on our Liturgical Calendar.
Artwork
Jesus the Living Water by Troy Mardigan (Daly River)
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday Resource Booklet
The 24 page, full colour booklet for 2023 has been designed to help Schools, Parishes and organisations celebrate the gifts of First Australian Catholics.
The NATSICC Liturgy team has compiled prayers, Liturgy suggestions, homily notes and statistics that will enhance and enrich your celebration.
Additionally, there is a practical activity that calls for Catholics around Australia to knit / crochet blankets for the NATSICC Palliative Care package program.
Booklet download – Web Version | Print Ready
Poster
Click on the image (left) to download a high resolution version of the 2023 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday Poster featuring artwork by Troy Mardigan (Daly River)
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday is the first Sunday in July. NAIDOC Week follows because it is always celebrated in the first full week of July. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, there will be an online Mass for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sunday steamed live from the Adelaide Cathedral.
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) is producing materials to help parishes organisations and schools to celebrate this special Sunday in an appropriate manner. Check out this page on their website for videos and images that you can use in your own liturgical celebrations, whether face to face or streamed.
Find out more about NATSICC’s concerns for First Nations communities facing COVID-19 and the ways in which NATSICC is responding here.
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