Vicar General & Moderator of the Curia
Diocese of Parramatta
Bethany Centre, 470 Church St, Parramatta NSW 2150, Australia
PO Box 3066, North Parramatta NSW 1750, Australia
T: 02 8838 3400 F: 02 9630 4813
E: peter.williams@parracatholic.org
W: parracatholic.org
9 September 2021
Dear Friends,
The Curia of the Diocese of Parramatta is pleased to announce the launch of The Parramatta Way, a new commitment to Safeguarding developed for our Catholic community. The statement will be launched this Safeguarding Sunday 12 September 2021 when it appears on the Diocese of Parramatta Safeguarding website.
In 2022, when lockdowns have been lifted, we will create a plaque of the statement for the Bethany Centre. The Parramatta Way encapsulates the principles providing the approach we take to keeping our faith community safe in the Diocese, particularly the vulnerable.
It starts from a place of love and accompaniment, following the verse from Micah 6:8 “This is what the Lord asks of you: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.”
Members of our parish and school communities worked together to develop the concepts behind the wording. The members were representative of the diversity we find in our Diocese on factors such as age, ethnicity, and school and parish community membership. There was a very strong feeling of the need to highlight our zero tolerance to abuse, as well as the notion of justice for those who have been harmed in the past.
The community representatives also felt the importance of reassuring everyone in the Diocese of a sense of belonging. Particular effort was made to highlight the diversity in our Diocese, including the different gifts and talents each member of our Church brings to our faith. Aboriginal people are also acknowledged as traditional custodians of the land in which the Diocese sits.
The Parramatta Way will work in tandem with our new Diocesan Safeguarding Policy which will be released imminently. I am pleased to enclose the artwork for The Parramatta Way with this letter. It was created by an Indigenous artist who grew up and now resides in the Diocese. The art represents our Diocese, its parishes, its spectacular geography and its people, who are connected through God’s love.
I encourage you to reflect on the words of The Parramatta Way, and to share with your parishioners. Links will be created on websites hosted by the Diocese over the coming days, and social media assets will become available.
The Parramatta Way of Safeguarding is built on the foundation of Christian faith. We mirror the way of Jesus who came to empower all to live life to the full. May we help create and facilitate safe, caring and nurturing environments for our children, the vulnerable and all members of our community to thrive.
Very Rev Peter G. Williams
Vicar General & Moderator of the Curia
