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ACMRO News June 2024

Registration Closes Soon – 7th ACMRO National Conference 2024

The 7th ACMRO National Conference will be staged at the Australian Catholic University campus in Melbourne, on July 18-19.

The theme of the conference is “Welcoming seasonal workers in Australia: Gift and Responsibility.”

The conference will address issues faced by seasonal and migrant workers in Australia, emphasising their contributions to Australian society beyond their labour.

Seasonal workers come from overseas, specifically from nine Pacific islands and Timor-Leste, and travel and work temporarily in Australia. Not only do they come to Australia to support their families – they also bring rich cultural experiences, traditions, language, and faith.

The conference will explore how faith communities in Australia and Australian society can welcome and learn from these gifts, fostering positive change.

This event is a collaboration between the ACMRO, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace and Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans (ACRATH).

The Gospel values and Catholic social teaching emphasised the moral responsibility to ensure that seasonal workers are treated justly and with respect while working in Australia.

The conference will provide formation on these teachings and encourage people across the country to actively support seasonal and migrant workers, particularly those from the Pacific islands and Timor-Leste.

Please visit the ACMRO website to obtain more information and to register.

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Day 2 Discussion Forum Speakers for the Upcoming 7th ACMRO National Conference 2024

The practical, grassroots experiences of ministering with seasonal workers as well as reflecting on the question and challenge “Where to from here?” will be the main themes of the second day of the 7th ACMRO National Conference 2024 (Friday, 19 July 2024). We are blessed to have speakers who will share insights on these themes related to migrant workers, with a focus on seasonal workers, in light of Catholic social teaching.

(In order of the second day presentation)
• Fr Peter O’Neill, the Regional Director of Oceania of the St Columbans Mission Society and ACRATH's representative on the PALM Scheme Agriculture Committee, will share his grassroots experiences with seasonal workers via video messaging.
• Ms Denise Talbot, a lay parish advocate for seasonal workers in Kings Meadows Parish, Tasmania, will reflect on her grassroots experiences in her pastoral ministry with seasonal workers.
• Sr Helen Nolen rsm, a religious parish advocate for seasonal workers who is now based in WA, will also share about her grassroots experiences in her pastoral ministry with seasonal workers.

Also, the conference attendees will have the opportunity participate in small groups discussion to share their thoughts and hopes. (Click here for the conference program.)

Please visit the ACMRO website to obtain more information and to register.

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God Walks with His people: Message of Pope Francis for the WDMR 2024

“God walks with His people” is the title chosen by Pope Francis for his Message for the upcoming World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR), which will be celebrated on Sunday, 29 September.

In this message, the Holy Father reminds us that all of us, God’s people, are migrants on this earth, on our way to the “true homeland”, the Kingdom of Heaven. Migrants are a contemporary icon of this people on a journey, of the Church on a journey, and at the same time, it is in them and in all our vulnerable brothers and sisters that we can encounter the Lord who walks with us.

To reflect on and amplify the Holy Father’s WDMR message this year, the ACMRO is preparing a resource page, which will be launched in August.

This article is drawn from the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development's (DPIHD) article on its website.

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Have a story to share?

Submit your stories and photos from events and we will consider publishing in future newsletters at info@acmro.catholic.org.au

Our mailing address is:
Australian Catholic Migrant & Refugee Office
GPO Box 2720
Canberra ACT 2601

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