The Catholic parish in the Northern Territory town of Alice Springs has offered prayer and sympathy to the Indigenous community after the murder of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.
The parish priest of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart parish, Fr Prakash Menezes SVD, told The Catholic Weekly that 50 to 70 people attended a vigil in the church on the day that her body was discovered so that they could pray and light candles.
Although the child and her immediate family are not Catholic, there are some Catholic connections in their extended family.
Darwin Bishop Charles Gauci said that the local community has been filled with “shock, grief, disappointment and confusion”.
The sisters of the Missionaries of Charity are connecting with and supporting some members of the family, he said.
Bishop Gauci reflected that the tragic death is part of “the whole challenging situation of ministry, of how we work in solidarity and companionship with our First Nations, our Aboriginal people. It’s a big part of our ministry here in this diocese.”
Destructive rioting in Alice Springs followed the news of the murder.
Bishop Gauci commented that “wherever there is grief, there is anger and frustration. But the local elders have been urging people to be proportionate of how they express that, not to go over the top. It’s fantastic that the elders have been doing that.”
In a Facebook post, the bishop called for calm. “We need to pause so that more harm will not take place. We hold in our hearts the family grieving the loss of a child, and all who are affected. May we choose peace over anger, compassion over division, and stand together as a community seeking healing.”
Catholic Social Services Australia also extended “deepest condolences” to Kumanjayi Little Baby’s mother, family, and community in a 1 May statement.
“We also rededicate ourselves as a social service community to walk alongside those who suffer, to advocate for justice, and to foster healing and hope.
“We know that evil exists in the world. We also know that systemic and entrenched disadvantage continue to devastate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lives – a reality we cannot ignore.”
The family has not announced a date for the funeral of Kumanjayi Little Baby. The community is currently observing sorry business in accordance with Warlpiri customs.
