Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Alice Springs has been finding new common ground through regular sharing of the Eucharist among members of the Arrernte indigenous community and the broader parish.

Historically, the Arrernte Catholic community, or Ngkarte Mikwekenhe community, has celebrated Mass at South Terrace Community Centre, across town from the main parish church. But since Holy Week last year, the two communities have been sharing the Eucharist together once a month.

“The initial reason for the coming together was that the building where the Arrernte mob were worshipping was deteriorating,” says Fr Olivier Noclam SVD, District Superior for the Northern Territory.

“Some kids had broken in there a few times and in order for us to keep worshipping there we, together with the Missionaries of Charity, were doing a lot of pretty heavy clean-up work there on a regular basis. In the end it became too much.”

Fr Olivier says there was also a desire to bring the two worshipping communities together in a more inclusive way, while respecting the cultural differences that exist, maintaining the Arrernte form of Mass and the schedule every Sunday except the third Sunday when the combined Mass is celebrated.

“The Spirit moves in different ways, and last year, when we were celebrating the Year for Families here in the Darwin Diocese, it seemed like a good time to begin moving the two communities closer together,” he says.

“It wasn’t easy in the beginning, especially because some of the older members of the Arrernte community had a strong historical and emotional attachment to the Ngkarte Mikwekenhe community centre, and even though we started worshipping together in the big church, they didn’t always feel welcome.

“There was some resistance on both sides. There’s a lot of history to overcome, not just history within the church community but in the wider community of Alice Springs.”

But Fr Olivier says that after a year of regular monthly worship together at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart’s 9.30am Sunday Mass, things are slowly starting to change.

“We don’t hear so much any more that people aren’t feeling welcome,” he says.

“It’s not always easy trying to organise things together. But we are trying to form the communities so that we are together as one Church, one family.”

To assist in making the Arrernte community feel at home in the big church, the Second Reading is read in the Arrernte language and Arrernte hymns are also included.

“It’s still early days and we are trying to be sensitive to both groups. We want to be sensitive enough to allow both groups to grow together,” Fr Olivier says.

“It’s challenging, but it is possible. It’s a matter of taking small steps and finding common ground, and also, it’s a matter of time.”