Catholic Education Northern Territory: Sacred Journey Art Project

As you enter the Chapel at the Northern Territory Catholic Education Office, you cannot miss the stunning images on the windows. The paintings on these windows are representative of the five Aboriginal Catholic Community Schools (ACCS) and three homeland centres in remote communities within the Diocese of Darwin. The project to design, paint and install these windows aimed to:

• give witness to the teachings of Jesus through positive relationships
• provide opportunities for spiritual formation
• capture indigenous spirituality and connectedness to the environment
• embed respectful cultural understandings

URBAN SCHOOLS:

The painting represents the schools in the Diocese with the Catholic Education Office central and represented by the heart....life flowing to the schools.

The schools are represented by the indigenous symbol for meeting place.

NAUIYU

Daly River, Nauiyu Community is situated on the Daly River, 250km south west of Darwin.

Water (Kuri) is significant to the Nauiyu community.The circle represents the sun, with rays of spurting water....water, the giver of life. Waterlily, crocodile and barramundi live in this water.

The dilly bag symbolises strong women and their place in the universe.

The smoke from ironwood leaves represents spirituality.

Finy represents sweat and the Goanna tracks represent nature.

WADEYE

Wadeye is located 400km south west of Darwin.

The Sun, the bright yellow half circle at the top centre, represents God the father, the Creator. Below that are two white doves representing his Son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God created all this land, giving each clan their plants and animals.

The community is Salt Water and Fresh Water peoples. Peoples from the plains, the woodlands and the ranges. This is represented in the following ways:

The lowest part of the window is brown for the land – woodland, jungle and ranges. Just above this is a band of deep blue for the fresh water peoples of the inland lagoons, rivers, billabongs and plains. Then there is a strip of sand and this merges into the blue of the sea, representing the peoples on the coast.

Each clan now living in Wadeye come together as one people in Jesus, represented by the central circle. Each clan is represented by one of their totems, a plant or animal. This central large circle is a waterhole, the place of life. Within this waterhole are the seven waterholes of the life offered us in the seven Sacraments. The blue circle represents Baptism, and the small circles each of us who are baptised. The purple circle is the sacrament of Reconciliation which has five smaller circles, representing the five wounds of Jesus. It is through his wounds we are brought healing and reconciliation with God and one another. The white circle represents the Eucharist, in which Jesus feeds us with himself and sends us out to love one another. The red circle is Confirmation, which reminds us of the tongues of fire coming on the disciples at the first Pentecost. But now, we have God’s spirit, his flame of love burning in our hearts and are his disciples. The ochre circle representing marriage and the two circles of love between a wife and husband. The green circle is priesthood with a cross of circles – The priest is important now for us as the one who offers us the sacraments of life. Finally, the circle the colour of the earth, with a cross, reminds us of the anointing of the sick which strengthens us along the journey towards the final return to our country.

BATHURST ISLAND

Bathurst Island is one of the Tiwi Islands located 70km to the north of Darwin.

This painting represents community and personal faith and spirituality:

“…she threw the soil up to create the stars, moon and sun…”
‘…blind woman created the sea and all the animals…”

The composition incorporated the 4 skin groups within the community:

Takaringuwi – Mullet
Mantimapurla – Rock
Warntarringuwi – Sun
Miyartuwi – Pandanus

LTENTYE APURTE

Ltentye Apurte is a community located 80km southeast of Alice Springs.

This image represents Santa Teresa’s own spirituality and faith.

The painting represents the Santa Teresa landscape, with the Eucharist central while the community is overlooked by the Holy Spirit.

The rainbow comes from the dreaming and story of creation.

The rugged mountains are placed central with the cross indicating the very sacred place where the spring is to be found.

The footprints are leading to the Church.

KATHERINE

Matthew 13:47-50 is creatively represented in the Artwork ‘The Fishing Net’

47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Two figures: represent two angels and indigenous peoples.

Red Banner: The traditional head piece for Aboriginal people that symbolise the halos of each angel.

The fish: Unite in the centre of the painting to portray a gathering of every kind. Katherine is a meeting place for Aboriginal people: stingrays represent the salt water people, barramundi & long neck turtle represent fresh water people.

Blue: Water (in particular the Katherine River)
Brown: Land
Yellow: Sun and Kingdom of Heaven

Credits: Thank you to Sr Catherine Mead, Robyn Craig, Sherri Bryers and staff within Catholic Education Northern Territory for providing content and images.

*Images used with permission.

For further information about Catholic Education Northern Territory go to their website at Catholic Education Northern Territory