What should our response be to human conflicts in the world today?

The following 8 centuries old prayer comes to mind as the answer:

Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi (Prayer for Peace)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

We are the instruments of love and peace in the world.

The Victorian Interfaith Networks response to the Sydney Events:

To view or download .pdf file, Click one of the two pages below

click on the link –> Victoria Multifaith Statement of Unity & Solidarity 2025-12-17

 MIG Inc 2026 INTERFAITH EVENTS CALENDAR

Sunday 26th April 2026

HARMONY DAY PRACTICE

Contact:    Mrs.  Anisa Cumberbatch 

Mobile:       04 11 138 004

Location:   Mount St. Neighbourhood House,  6 Mount St., Glen Waverley, Vic 3150

Cost:            Free

Saturday 9th MAY 2026 

HARMONY DAY CELEBRATION

      UNITY IN DIVERSITY

Booking: Click on Picture                  or on link below

BOOKING EESSENTIAL, link ->: Harmony Day Celebration Tickets, Mulgrave Community Centre, Mulgrave | TryBooking Australia

Enquiries: Sithy Marikkar  mob: 04 33 325 798

Harmony Day Celebration Unity in Diversity

Renowned Guest Speaker: Heather Yelland

Saturday 16th May 2026

CELEBRATE CULTURE

through MUSIC & DANCE!

Where: at Bunjil Place

Time: 6.30 pm- 9.30 pm

See Sri Lankan Australian dance production ‘Ranga Bera Mihira & Garaa’– a fusion of Sri Lankan drumming, rhythm and storytelling.

Features traditional Sri Lankan percussion and the legend of Garaa – The Scar Faced Prince, a modern production based on an ancient ritual that continues in Sri Lanka today,

produced by Sri Lankan Australian Dance Academy, Thaala Asapuwa. Ranga Bera Mihira & Garaa | Bunjil Place

Exclusive Offer for MIG members:

The first four people to book $50 seats

will receive a 50% discount!

For discounted tickets, please call Daleena at 0423 485 511 before 3pm on Thursday 29 January.

Offer open only while good seats are available, so please hurry!

Saturday 4th JULY 2026

     NAIDOC Week Event

Where: Wheelers Hill Library Hall,  at  860 Ferntree Gully Road, Wheelers Hill, 3150

Time: 10.00 pm- 2.00 pm     Cost: Free

Thursday 23rd JULY 2026

      MIG Inc  AGM

Where:  To be advised

Time: 7.30 pm- 9.30 pm          Cost: Free

Friday 31st JULY 2026

MONASH SCHOOLS PROGRAM

Where: Huntingtower Secondary School, 

                77 Waimarie Drive, Mount Waverley, 3149

Time: 10.00 pm- 12.30 pm          Cost: Free

MIG Inc encourages you to share these events with friends, family, and colleagues who might be interested.

The more diverse voices we bring together, the richer our conversations and connections become. 

If you haven’t already, we’d love to have you join our community and participate in our regular gatherings and activities. We look forward to seeing you at these wonderful events!

Warm regards, Jan Clear, Secretary Email: secretary@monashinterfaith.org.au Monash Interfaith Gathering Inc .

Saturday, 18th April 2026

Celebration of the Festival of Riḍván

         INVITATION

Event Details

Date: Saturday, 18th April 2026

Time: 12:45 pm – 3:15 pm

Location: Wheelers Hill Library – 860 Ferntree Gully Rd, Wheelers Hill 3150

Schedule: Informative session followed by light refreshment

The Significance of Riḍván in April 1863, Baha’u’llah, the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, proclaimed His mission and vision for the future of humanity in the Garden of Riḍván situated on the banks of the Tigris River in Baghdad. The Festival of Riḍván spans the twelve days He spent in that garden beginning annually on the evening of April 20th.

Purpose of the Event

The purpose of this special gathering is to celebrate this momentous occasion in history and to foster deeper understanding, communication and friendship between the Monash Bahá’i Community and like-minded individuals and institutions in our community.

We also look forward to sharing and consulting on the primary principles and perspectives of the Baha’i Faith regarding the advancement of social cohesion and unity within Australian society and the world – a subject close to the hearts and minds of all Australians.

RSVP (by March 30^th) We hope you can join us for what promises to be an informative and inspiring program.  Please confirm your attendance by email to forough009@gmail.com which will assist us in making appropriate arrangements and to send you further information if necessary.

        Wednesday 25 March 2026.   

Back Your Neighbour – MIG Bi Monthly Meeting

a photo of those present.

WHEN: 7:30 pm on Wednesday 25 March 2026.

WHERE: Swedenborg Community Victoria, 3/20 Duerdin Street, Clayton VIC 3168

We very much enjoyed the presentation from Ann Ly, PhD, Mayoral and Councillor Taskforce Supporting People Seeking Asylum, on Wednesday 25 March.

You can help make a difference by:

   . Liking and following the campaign on social media: @backyourneighbour

    . Sending a message of support: Click here Read more at Back Your Neighbour Campaign www.backyourneighbour.com.au.

Our speaker was Ann Ly, PhD, Mayoral and Councillor Taskforce Supporting People Seeking Asylum.

We have joined the Mayoral and Councillor Taskforce Supporting People Seeking Asylum, as a community partner.

The Taskforce is made up of over 40 Councils across Australia and advocate to the Federal Government for fairness, compassion and dignity for people seeking asylum. We are dedicated to fostering a culture of welcome, respect, and inclusion. We celebrate the valuable contributions and the richness, people from refugee and asylum backgrounds bring to our community. Join us in building a community that is inclusive, welcoming, and supportive of all.

NOTE:

We welcomed Ann Ly, from the Back Your Neighbour campaign to our recent Bi-Monthly Meeting. If you didn’t get a chance to hear her, you can so using this link. 

https://share.descript.com/view/5L74FJio5S6

PLEASE NOTE: it won’t be published to YouTube or our website.

Saturday 12 December 2025

MIG 20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

To view or Download MIG President Rev. David Moffat address, .pdf file about “MIG Inc future ” ;  click on the picture above or  click on link –>   MIG Inc 2025-12-06 President speech MIG 20th Anniversary

Thursday 24 July 2025

ELECTIONS OF NEW EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 2025 – 2027

 Congratulations to the newly elected committee for 2025-27.

2024 MIG and Members’ Contribution to the Community Recognised

On Wednesday 11 September, members of the MIG management committee attended the Sir John Monash Community Awards held at the Wheeler’s Hill Library.

Awards presented in front of a full house, representing many and diverse community groups, included: Mrs Kamla Reddy,

MIG committee member, and Mr Udaybir Kohli, MIG member, who were nominated for the Volunteer of the Year.

MIG President, Mrs. Forough Derakshan, was awarded first prize in the Inspirational Women’s Leadership category, for her work with MIG. 

And MIG was awarded first prize as Multicultural Champions. You’ll find some photos from the night, below.

MIG Inc: Out And About

I’m grateful for those members of our committee who are willing and able to step up, engaging with the wider community when our president is unavailable. Below, you’ll see a few photos – our hardworking secretary and treasurer, Jan and Michelle, at ZCK in Clayton, being addressed by Premier Jacinta Allan, and at USMAA’s Eid function. You might spot a few other familiar faces there, too!

                                  Have you considered membership of MIG?                                                                    

 If you have enjoyed our events, and would like to support our work, 

please don’t hesitate to get in touch and request a membership form.

Membership period: 1st July 2025 to 30 June 2026     Cost: only $ 15.00 annually.

Membership gives rights to: Vote and Eligibility to Management Committee.

Membership link –>:  Monash Interfaith Gathering (MIG INC.) – Membership 

  Contact MIG Inc Secretary directly: Email: secretary@monashinterfaith.org.au 

Visitors and Non Members 

Are all welcomed to attend our free gatherings, events and contribute to discussions at gatherings.

                  📢 Share and Join!

We encourage you to share these events with friends, family, and colleagues who might be interested.

The more diverse voices we bring together, the richer our conversations and connections become.

If you haven’t already, we’d love to have you join our community and participate in our regular gatherings and activities.

We look forward to seeing you at these wonderful events! Warm regards, Jan Clear, Secretary.

From the  Faith Communities Council of Victoria (FCCV) – February 2026 Newsletter

To view or download as pdf click on image of the link -> Helen Heath 2026-01-24 DIN a Voice for mutual respect

Helen Heath OAM has been remembered as a friend and support to many in Greater Dandenong. (City of Greater Dandenong).

by Cam Lucadou-Wells

Greater Dandenong Interfaith Network leader and Living Treasure Helen Heath OAM has been remembered for bringing together our diverse community.

Helen Heath died on 24 January 2026 after a two-year battle with cancer.

After her diagnosis, she resigned as the IFN’s inaugural executive officer after more than 25 years with the network.

Greater Dandenong mayor Sophie Tan led tributes at a 27 January council meeting, stating Heath had been the IFN’s “cornerstone” since first volunteering in 2000.

“Helen was a calm, strong, deeply empathetic voice for dialogue and mutual respect.

“For those who know her, Helen’s true legacy lives in the relationships she built, the doors she opened for others and the sense of belonging she built across our extended and diverse communities.”

Heath had worked tirelessly to bring people together across “faiths, cultures and differences”, exhibiting “humility, patience and an unwavering sense of fairness”, Cr Tan said.

Cr Tan would fondly remember Heath’s “gentle humour, mindfulness to bring joy, hope and connection to others”.

Heath has been recognised for her community service, including as Greater Dandenong’s Citizen of the Year in 2006, an Order of Australia medallist (OAM) in 2011 and a Greater Dandenong Living Treasure in 2024.

Cr Tan noted Heath’s work across a variety of groups as testament to her “lifelong commitment to peace, understanding and inclusion”.
“Her work extended nationally and internationally through the Parliament of the World’s Religions, the Faith Communities of Victoria and the Jewish Christian Muslim Association of Australia.”

Cr Jim Memeti said Heath was a “dear friend” to him and the community.

“She was very passionate about our community.

“Her work and her support to different faith members really went down to the roots of this community.”

Her death would touch many thousands in Greater Dandenong, he said.

“May she rest in peace. We’ve definitely lost a Living Treasure.”

Cr Rhonda Garad said Heath was an “extraordinary person” who could bring people together.

“There was so much joy, dedication and commitment to what she did. It’s a great loss to our community.”

When Covid lockdowns struck in 2020, Ms Heath founded the regular Star Journal column, Message of Hope as a “glimmer of light”. The column features a different faith leader each week.

“It struck me that people couldn’t communicate with each other. Because of Covid, we were isolated,” she told Star Journal.

“I still think that’s important in this area. There are a lot of mental health problems, a lot of differences, family violence…”

Heath herself wrote some of the columns. While troubled by the world’s conflicts, Heath penned a Plea For Peace.

She wrote of how to overcome “soul destroying times”, to focus on the good things being achieved.

“Seizing a minute to breathe, meditate, send good wishes or offer a prayer, caring and loving those right next to you, and trying to look for moments of joy in the ordinary every day.

“A quiet moment’s pause, perhaps over a cuppa with a friend, can provide, even briefly, a space to experience compassion for others – indeed for us – and so lift our spirits.”

Brought up in a Christian faith, she told Star Journal that she had come to sit across “all traditions”.

She trained in theology not to be pious but in order to explore – which was good grounding for her IFN role.

““There’s a core in us – we all have good – but how do we reach that sacred ground and we connect with each other.

“Honouring the differences without letting them get in the way.”

Over the past decade, she had been occasionally called to defend interfaith – which she regarded as a form of education, to quell race hate and violence.

She also argued to retain the traditional prayer, meditation or reflection by various faith leaders at the beginning of council meetings.

“I guess it is a symbol. You can’t solve the problem, but how do we get on here?”

                                                     THANK YOU HELEN                                                

   For your help to the MIG Inc, in the beginning taking us to many places of worship,

   so that we could learn to accept and respect each other as we are.  RIP .