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16 CatholicOutlook October 2011Living in a multifaithcommunityPeter HerbornThe Catholic Diocese of Parramattacovers a diverse region physicallyand socially. It extends from theurban heart of Parramatta to WorldHeritage wilderness in the BlueMountains. For many thousandsof years it was the home of theDharug, Gangandara, Darkingjungand Guringai people.It was one of the first areas ofsettlement in colonial NSW. Todayit is a rapidly growing, multiculturalregion in Australia’s largestand most cosmopolitan city. It isthe home of many recent migrants,refugees, Indigenous people andAustralians with ancestry goingback to colonial times.In August this year, theAustralian Government conductedits five-yearly Census ofPopulation and Housing. Whenthe figures become available it willbe interesting to examine trends inreligious affiliation.An analysis of the 10-year periodfrom 1996 to 2006 reveals somefascinating trends in the geographyof religion in Sydney. In overallterms Sydney did not becomemore secular. There was a verysmall increase in the number ofpeople declaring “no religion” inSydney, which has a smaller percentageof non-believers than theaverage for Australia.Secularisation has advanced in afew specific areas in the inner westbut there has been little changeoverall. The bigger changes havebeen in the declining proportionsof Christians and the growingproportions of non-Christianreligions. This has been mostpronounced in the outer westernsuburbs, which have becomeincreasingly multi-faith, ratherthan increasingly secular.The epicentre of change in themove from dominantly Christian tomulti-faith has been the local governmentarea of Auburn. In 1996,more than half of the populationin Auburn was Christian, but by2006 Islam was the largest religiousgroup and non-Christians outnumberedChristians.In every local governmentarea in Sydney the percentage ofnon-Christians grew in the period1996-2006. This growth wasmost marked in Sydney’s westwith increases greater than 8%in Bankstown, Holroyd, Fairfield,Auburn, Strathfield, Parramattaand Liverpool.Christians are in the majorityin every local government areaexcept Auburn but the mix haschanged and the movement hasbeen in the direction of the multifaithcommunity.Within our Diocese there areinteresting patterns of religiousaffiliation. St Patrick’s Cathedral,Parramatta, is located in the postcodewith the lowest proportion ofChristians and highest proportionsof Hindus and Buddhists.Islam finds many adherentsWe are all travelling on a spiritual journey. Photo: Hamilton Lundaround Granville, Guildfordand Merrylands.The proportion of Christians ishighest in the Hills District, thenorth west growth sector and in thesuburbs along the Nepean River.The Blue Mountains has the highestproportions of people professingno religion.One response to a multiculturaland multi-faith society is to buildwalls and retreat to the old andfamiliar social network and worldview.Behind the walls fear andignorance grow.A more constructive response isto build bridges. Cultural differencewith mutual respect is a signof a healthy and resilient society.One way of building bridges is bybeing inclusive in the workplace,neighbourhood and family. Insteadof making assumptions about whatothers think and believe we can listendeeply and engage in dialogue.Within the Diocese there are agrowing number of opportunitiesto engage in multi-faith prayer,social justice and education. We areall travelling on a spiritual journeyand we have much to learn fromliving in a multi-faith community.Peter Herborn is a member of theCommission for Ecumenism andInterfaith Dialogue in the CatholicDiocese of ParramattaHAWKESBURY DISTRICT HEALTH SERVICEWindsorPastoral Care WorkerPermanent Part Time‘pilgrims of truth,pilgrims of peace’An Ecumenical and Interfaith ConversationSunday 23 October 2011, 3.30pm-6pmSt Patrick’s Cathedral Hall, 1 Marist Place, ParramattaRemembering and celebratingWorld Day of Prayer for Peaceat Assisi in 1986We are all pilgrims of truth and peace regardless of our beliefs.We are all seekers of the truth and are conscious of a shared responsibilityfor the cause of justice and peace in this world of ours.Program3.30pm: Begin with afternoon tea4.30-6pm: Ecumenical and Interfaith conversationRSVP: Thursday 20 October tel (02) 9683 6277Hosted by the Catholic Diocese of ParramattaCommission for Ecumenism & Interfaith DialogueThe person we seek will have a deep sense of the Christian spiritual tradition anda desire to build relationships which add life and meaning to people’s lives.ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:• At least one unit of Clinical Pastoral education;• Recognised training in Theology (preferably Tertiary or working towards);• Previous experience in Pastoral Care;• Commitment to and demonstrated understanding of the Pastoralneeds of patients in a general hospital setting;• Willingness to support the Mission of CHCS (Catholic Healthcare);• Willingness to undertake further training and development;• Demonstrated knowledge of and commitment to confidentiality;• Ability to work as a member of a multidisciplinary team; and• Basic counselling skills training.DESIRABLE CRITERIA:• Experience and / or training in bereavement counselling; and• Experience in preparing and supporting worship services or other appropriate rituals.HOURS OF DUTY:Two days – 16 hours per week.SALARY: $26.50 per hour – HDHS Contract.ENQUIRIES: Steve Blunden tel (02) 4560 5731.CLOSING DATE: 14 October 2011.For an information pack which outlines the full selection criteria please contactRobyn Knowles tel (02) 4560 5664 or email: rknowles@chcs.com.au