There are over 130,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics in Australia. 11,000 of these are located within the Diocese of Darwin. With the bounds of the Diocese encompassing so much of the Northern Territory, all the way from the tropical Tiwi Islands down to the arid desert of central Australia, the communities and the people within them are very different. However, many are united by their
Catholic faith.
The community of Catholic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders is one of the youngest, fasting growing religious demographics in Australia. In our diocese, one third of parishioners are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and 20% of Indigenous Australians in the Territory are Catholic.
There are many agencies across Australia and our Diocese supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholics. Two of these include the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) and Nungalinya College. These and other initiatives ensure Indigenous Australians are able to better connect with their faith.
