In Aboriginal culture, message sticks were used as a means of communication with other groups. They were made of wood and came in various sizes, shapes and markings and were not comprised of writing but of symbol. The messenger—usually a young man—conveyed the details. As the messenger displayed the message stick to the elders of the groups he passed through, he was granted safe passage.
On the 20th anniversary of the first National Aboriginal Mass celebrated in Melbourne at the time of the Eucharistic Congress in 1973, Aboriginal Catholic people once again travelled from the remotest parts of the land, as well as from the Torres Strait, to Melbourne, undertaking the journey to keep the story alive and to celebrate the second national Aboriginal Mass, held on the banks of the Yarra River to open the 1993 National Liturgical Music Convention.
In preparation for this ceremony, Agnes Palmer, an Arrente elder from Santa Teresa, Alice Springs, was asked to paint a message stick using symbols for each of the Aboriginal Catholic communities.
During the Gospel procession, this message stick was carried with great pride alongside the book containing the Christian Word—a powerful symbolic gesture representing the willingness of both cultures to accept the Word and the coming together of peoples of different cultures to worship the Creator.
At the close of this ceremony, before returning to their country, the Aboriginal Catholic elders requested that the message stick be kept in a sacred place. Their choice was St Patrick’s Cathedral. From 1994 to 1998, the members of the Aboriginal Catholic Ministry acted as the appointed custodians of this important artefact. On Aboriginal Sunday, 5 July 1998, it was installed in its rightful place in the Cathedral.
The message stick will continue to touch and heal the hearts of all who hear and believe the message of this story, becoming an authentic Australian icon. The Church, by accepting it, has taken an important step forward on our journey together towards reconciliation.