The 2026 Stockton Conversation – Speaker: Aunty Evelyn Parkin
SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF EVELYN PARKIN MA (Theology) AND TITLE OF CONVERSATION.
Nurturing an Australian Spirituality:
Pre-Colonisation, Colonisation and Walking Together
Evelyn Parkin is an Australian Aboriginal Quandamooka woman, born and raised at One Mile Community near Dunwich on Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island, QLD.
She is known for her work exploring the convergence of Christian and Aboriginal spirituality. She has spoken publicly about finding her spirituality in moments of silence, both in churches and in nature. In 2021 she served as the Inaugural Presenter of the Laurel Blow Speaker Series where she discussed these themes.
She has contributed to academic and liturgical discussions on Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander theology with published work appearing in liturgy news and other sources. She is actively involved in the liturgical development of the “Feast of Creation” and “Healing of the Land” to be observed on Creation Day in September.
Evelyn is a member of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) and a Consultant for the National Liturgical Council.
PUBLIC TALK
Nurturing an Australian Spirituality
Pre-Colonisation, Colonisation and Walking Together
with Evelyn Parkin
Sunday, 1 November 2026 • 2.00 pm
Mavis Wood Hall
Mid-Mountains Community Centre
7 New Street, Lawson
About the Series
This presentation is part of a series titled the Stockton Conversation, named after the late Fr Eugene Stockton, STD, LSS, who was its inspiration and patron.
About the Speaker
Evelyn Parkin is an Australian Aboriginal Quandamooka woman, born and raised at One Mile Community near Dunwich on Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island, Queensland.
Evelyn is well known for her exploration of the meeting points between Aboriginal and Christian spirituality, drawing particularly on the importance of silence, connection to Country, the natural world and Christian faith.
Experience and Contribution
Evelyn has contributed to academic, theological and liturgical discussions concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander spirituality and theology. Her published work has appeared in Liturgy News and other publications.
In 2021, she was the inaugural presenter in the Laurel Blow Speaker Series, where she reflected on Aboriginal and Christian spirituality and her own experience of encountering the sacred in silence, in churches and in the natural world.
Evelyn is actively involved in the liturgical development of the “Feast of Creation” and “Healing of the Land” for observance on Creation Day in September.
She is a member of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) and a Consultant to the National Liturgical Council.
The Talk
Nurturing an Australian Spirituality:
Pre-Colonisation, Colonisation and Walking Together
In this public presentation, Evelyn will explore the deep spiritual heritage of this land, the impact of colonisation, and the possibilities that emerge when Aboriginal and Christian spiritual traditions encounter one another.
She will invite us to consider what it might mean to develop an authentically Australian spirituality—one that listens to the ancient wisdom of First Nations peoples, acknowledges the realities of our history, and seeks a way forward through respectful listening, encounter and walking together.
Sunday, 1 November 2026 • 2.00 pm
Mavis Wood Hall
Mid-Mountains Community Centre, 7 New Street, Lawson.
ALL WELCOME
‘Weaving an Australian Spirituality – Deep Time, Deep Silence, Deep Spirit’
‘Weaving an Australian Spirituality: Deep Time, Deep Silence, Deep Spirit‘ - Dr Sally Longley, 19 October, 2025, 2pm
Mid Mountains Community Centre, Lawson.
Blue Mountain Education and Research Trust
Sacred Geography
BMERT – Promoting local research and writing, especially in religious, environmental and Aboriginal studies.
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