Thursday, 1 August 2024

Syriac Catholic community

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (09:53): I also rise today to congratulate the Syriac Catholic community of Melbourne. It was very exciting last month to join the inauguration of the first ever Syriac Catholic church here in our state – in our country in fact. It was fantastic to be joined by the federal member for Calwell Maria Vamvakinou at this special occasion. The Syriac Catholic community is a community that has suffered great hardships, and it was inspiring to hear their story, as a new refugee community in this country, of coming together and building their place of worship. As was explained on the evening and was very visible from the stories, this church is more than just a place of faith – it is a place where they can come together and share their culture and religion not only for themselves but also for future generations growing up in a multicultural society like Australia. The new church is a new beginning for this community, a community that had to escape persecution in Iraq and Syria, and it was fantastic to hear of all the generous donations and contributions made by community members to bring this project to fruition.

On another note, I especially want to thank Father Fadhel Alqass Ashaq for his enduring leadership of this community, a community that in such a short time has grown to over 1300 families, and they continue to grow. To bring this vision to reality was fantastic. It was fantastic to be there with the community at that moment, and I look forward to their future success.