Interfaith Symposium on Death and Dying

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Interfaith Symposium on Death and Dying

• 7-9 April 2010
• Hosted by the Ecumenical and Interfaith
  Commission of the Catholic Archdiocese of
  Melbourne

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Session One Welcome

• Very Rev Denis Stanley
• Episcopal Vicar for Ecumenical and Interfaith
  Relations, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne

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Session One Welcome

• Professor Anne Hunt
• Dean of Faculty of Theology and Philosophy,
  Australian Catholic University

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Session One Opening

• Hon. James Merlino, MP
• Minister Assisting the Premier on Multicultural
  Affairs

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Session One 1st Keynote speaker

• Most Rev Christopher Prowse
• Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sale

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Session One 2nd Keynote Speaker

• Mr Julian Gardner
• Lawyer
• Victorian Public Advocate from 2000-07

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10.30am-11am Morning Tea

• Served in the foyer

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Office of the Public Advocate

• www.opa.vic.gov.au
• Information and forms about enduring powers of
  attorney etc

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Session Two The cycle of life, death and
afterlife (Part One)

• Rev. Merrill Kitchen OAM
• Principal Churches of Christ Theological College
  2000-2010

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Session Two The cycle of life, death and
afterlife (Part One)

• Rabbi Philip Heilbrunn
• Chief Minister of the St Kilda Shule

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Session Two The cycle of life, death and
afterlife (Part One)

• Professor Abdullah Saeed
• Director of Asia Institute, The University of
  Melbourne

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Session Three The cycle of life, death and
afterlife (Part Two)

• Indigenous Speaker
• Mr Djon Mundine OAM
• Indigenous Curator Contemporary Art at
  Cambelltown Art Centre

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Session Three The cycle of life, death and
afterlife (Part Two)

• Hindu Speaker
• Dr Navaratnam Shanmuganathan
• Speaker and Educator in Hinduism

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Session Three The cycle of life, death and
afterlife (Part Two)

• Buddhist Speaker
• Venerable Thich Phuoc Tan OAM
• Abbot of Quang Minh Temple in Braybrook

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Session One Political Issues surrounding Death
and Dying facing Religious Communities

• Keynote Speaker
• Mrs Inga Peulich MLC
• State Liberal Member for the South Eastern
  Metropolitan region

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Session two Rites of passage for the dying - the
role of the Funeral (Part One)

• Jewish Speaker
• Mr Ephraim Finch
• Executive Director of the Melbourne Chevra Kadisha

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Session two Rites of passage for the dying - the
role of the Funeral (Part One)

• Secular Speaker
• Ms Trish Goullet
• Director of White Lady Funerals

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Session two Rites of passage for the dying - the
role of the Funeral (Part One)

• Indigenous speaker
• Ms Vicki Clarke
• Aboriginal Catholic Ministry Melbourne

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Session three Rites of passage for the dying and
the role of the Funeral (Part Two)

• Hindu Speaker
• Dr Jayant Bapat
• Hindu Priest

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Session three Rites of passage for the dying and
the role of the Funeral (Part Two)

• Christian Speaker
• Dr Margaret Smith SGS
• Lecturer at Yarra Theological Union and Catholic
  Theological College

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Session three Rites of passage for the dying and
the role of the Funeral (Part Two)

• Muslim Speaker
• Sheikh Riad Galil
• Imam of the West Heidelberg Mosque

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Jewish Christian Muslim ConfernceJuly 1-4,
2010WarburtonA four day live in conference
for anyone who belongs t o these three religious
traditionscontact David at ecum_at_cam.org.au for
more information
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Friday, 9 April The process of dying

• Two book titles
• Given as gifts to all the speakers at this
  conferenceDeath and Religion in a Changing
  World, edited by Kathleen Garces-Foley (2006 M.
  E. Sharpe)
• Recommended by Ephraim Finch yesterdayThe
  Jewish Way in Death and Mourning, by Maurice
  Lamm (1969,2000 Jonathan David Publishers)

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Session One The Value of Life and the Value of
Death A Christian / Buddhist / Rationalist
Dialogue

• Christian Speaker Rev. Dr John DupucheChair of
  the Catholic Interfaith Committee
• Buddhist SpeakerMs Di CousensMelbourne Sakya
  Centre
• Rationalist Speaker Ms Lyn AllisonDemocrat
  Senator for Victoria 1996-2008, Committee member
  of Rationalist Society of Victoria

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10.15am-10.35am Morning Tea

• Morning tea is served in the room next door (turn
  right and down the corridor)

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10.35-12pm Second session The Role of Faith or
Non-faith in Palliative Care

• Keynote SpeakerDr Michelle GoldHead of the
  Palliative Care Unit at the Alfred Hospital

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10.35-12pm Second session The Role of Faith or
Non-faith in Palliative Care

• Buddhist ResponseVenerable Beom HyonSocial
  Worker with integrated Palliative Care Unit at
  Northern Hospital, Epping

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10.35-12pm Second session The Role of Faith or
Non-faith in Palliative Care

• Muslim ResponseDr Salih YucelLecturer, School
  of Philosophical, Historical and International
  Studies, Centre for Studies in Religion and
  Theology, Monash University

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12noon-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• (Time available for those wishing to attend
  Fitzroy Mosque for Friday Noon Prayer)
• 12.45-1.30pm Lunch Break

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• Leader Mrs Gwenda RaitCatholic Interfaith
  Committee

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• Christian Readings
• Patricia ChavesEast-West Meditation Foundation

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• Psalm 139 7-11
• Where can I go from Your spirit? Where can I
  flee from Your presence?If I ascend to heaven
  You are there and if I descend to Hell, You are
  there.And if I take the wings of the morning,
  And fly to the farthest side of the sea,even
  there will Your hand guide me, and Your right
  hand will hold me.And if I say, "Surely only
  darkness will cover me and the light be night
  around meEven the darkness is not dark for You,
  and the night shines like the day.The darkness
  and the light are both alike for You.

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• From the Letter of St Paul to the Ephesians
  3.14-19.
• This, then, is what I pray, kneeling before the
  Father, from whom every fatherhood, in heaven or
  on earth, takes its name. In the abundance of his
  glory may he, through his Spirit, enable you to
  grow firm in power with regard to your inner
  self, so that Christ may live in your hearts
  through faith, and then, planted in love and
  built on love, with all God's holy people you
  will have the strength to grasp the breadth and
  the length, the height and the depth so that,
  knowing the love of Christ, which is beyond
  knowledge, you may be filled with the utter
  fullness of God.

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• Celtic harp, played by Cath Connelly
• Silence
• Ring of the bell

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• Buddhist Reading
• Di CousensSpiritual Director of Sakya Choekhor
  Lhunpo

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• The Mangala Sutta 
• Thus have I heard At one time the Blessed One
  was dwelling near Savatthi in the Jetavana
  monastery built by Anathapindika (a wealthy
  merchant of Savatthi). Then a certain deity at
  midnight, having illuminated the whole Jetavana
  grove with surpassing splendour, came to the
  presence of the Blessed One. Having worshipped
  the Blessed One, he respectfully stood at one
  side and addressed the Blessed One in verse   

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• The Mangala Sutta 
• 1. Many gods and men Have pondered on auspicious
  signs Wishing for blessings. Please tell us
  the most auspicious signs2. Not to associate
  with fools But to associate with the wise And
  to honour those worthy of honour, This is the
  most auspicious sign.3. Living in a suitable
  locality And good deeds done in the past, To
  set oneself in the right course, This is the
  most auspicious sign.

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• The Mangala Sutta 
• 4. Great learning and skill in work A highly
  trained discipline And well-spoken speech, This
  is the most auspicious sign.5. Looking after
  ones mother and father Caring for ones wife
  and children And unconfused actions, This is
  the most auspicious sign.6. Generosity and a
  righteous life, Caring for ones relatives And
  blameless actions, This is the most auspicious
  sign.

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• The Mangala Sutta 
• 7. To abhor and avoid all evil, Abstention from
  intoxicants And diligence in righteousness, This
  is the most auspicious sign.8. Reverence,
  humility, Contentment and gratitude. Hearing
  the Dhamma at the right time, This is the most
  auspicious sign.9. Patience and compliance And
  seeing the monks. Opportune discussion of the
  Dhamma, This is the most auspicious sign.

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• The Mangala Sutta 
• 10. Self-restraint and a holy life, Seeing the
  Four Noble Truths And realising nirvana, This
  is the most auspicious sign.11. When affected by
  worldly conditions, If ones mind remains
  unshaken Sorrowless, stainless and
  secure, This is the most auspicious
  sign.12. Those who perform such auspicious
  deeds Are undefeated by all enemies And gain
  happiness everywhere. These are the most
  auspicious signs.

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• Celtic harp, played by Cath Connelly
• Silence
• Ring of the bell

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• Sikh ReadingHarbhinder SinghBlackburn Gurdwara

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• Celtic harp, played by Cath Connelly
• Silence
• Ring of the bell

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12pm-12.45pm Joint Reflection Session

• Thanks and break for Lunch
• From Promoting interfaith Relations (Catholic
  Archdiocese of Melbourne 2009)
• The sacred texts of each others faith are heard
  with deep respect, acknowledging that in them,
  somehow, God has spoken. ...
• In this way we manifest our respect for the
  prayer of others and for the attitude of others
  before the Divinity
• As a result of such listening we sense their
  faith and observe that Gods Word is also at work
  in them. And so we are caught up in the Word of
  God together.

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3rd Session Experiences of Death stories from
those who have faced the experience of dying

• Keynote Speaker Dr Bruce RumboldProfessor of
  the School of Public Health, La Trobe University

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3rd Session Experiences of Death stories from
those who have faced the experience of dying

• Sikh RespondentsMr Harbhinder SinghCommunity
  Worker Blackburn Gurdwara
• Mr Sukhwinder RakhraOccupational Therapist,
  Royal Melbourne Hospital

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3rd Session Experiences of Death stories from
those who have faced the experience of dying

• Jewish Respondent Ms Deborah MaselAuthor,
  editor and teacher with a special interest in the
  Jewish mystical tradition.

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4th Session Future Challenges Facing the Life
and Dying Debate

• Keynote Speaker
• Mr Mehmet Osalp
• CEO of ISRA Australia (Islamic Sciences and
  Research Academy of Australia)
• Responses and comments from the Audience

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4.45pm Closing Thanks

• Very Rev. Denis StanleyEpiscopal Vicar for
  Ecumenical and Interfaith Relationsand Chair of
  the Ecumenical and Interfaith CommmissionCatholic
  Archdiocese of Melbourne