STORY - Pieces of a religious mosaic
By Maureen Rak
Early in Term 4 some 60 teachers set out on an exciting pilgrimage in the company of personnel from the Religious Education Department of the Catholic Schools Office.

The pilgrimage would take only three days with destinations not so far afield.

However, it would take the teachers to horizons that might not be usually travelled and give many opportunities to add to their religious experiences in this multifaith society that is Australia.

The goals of the pilgrimage were –

• To encourage open conversation and understanding between religious traditions
• To stimulate interest in and understanding of other religious traditions
• To promote an attitude of celebrating diversity of religious traditions
• To promote thinking about how inter-religious dialogue might impact on the Religion syllabus and classroom
• To promote social and professional connectedness between the pilgrims themselves

The three days would indeed assist in the realisation of these goals.

Day One
The first stop was the Baha'i Temple in Ingleside, where all were friendly and informative. The pilgrims learned of the Baha'i Faith Principles: of the oneness of humankind, the elimination of prejudice of all kinds, and a spiritual solution to economic problems.

On to St Mary's Cathedral to experience this magnificent place of worship, prayer and quiet reflection in the middle of the city, seeing amongst other features, the six altars, the stained glass windows and the crypt wherein lie entombed the archbishops, bishops and pioneer priests.

At Mary Mackillop Place North Sydney Mary's life and times were presented to visitors so effectively in the interactive displays and museum. It's worth a visit to learn how Mary Mackillop grew in the love of God, established schools for the children of poor Catholic families living in the Australian bush and overcame great difficulties to begin the Australian Josephite Congregation with Julian Tenison Woods.

Day Two
After morning Mass, the pilgrims set off once again to visit three faith communities: the Great Synagogue, Sydney, the Maronite Catholic Church in Punchbowl, and the Nan Tien Buddhist Temple, Wollongong.

Again, we experienced hospitality and informative tours and gained knowledge of the different rituals that bring worshippers closer to God.

In addition, the peaceful setting of the Buddhist Temple offering the ritual of chanting, Tai Chi and meditation, helped to quieten and make restful the

pilgrims' inner selves.

Day Three
A visit to the Hindu Temple at Helensburgh, the Islam Gallipoli Mosque, Auburn and St Patrick's Cathedral Parramatta.

At each religious destination, there were questions and answers, stimulating experiences of the senses and opportunities to enter into dialogue with the guides and their communities.

The pilgrimage was a worthwhile and exciting adventure, memories of which will stay in the heart and minds of the teachers so fortunate to have experienced this initiative of the Catholic Schools Office.

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