Sr Liz Wiemers SGS receives her NATSICC Service to Community award. PHOTO: St Teresa’s College Abergowrie Facebook page.

Good Samaritan Sister Liz Wiemers’ dedication to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ministry and her commitment to foster understanding and respect have been recognised with a National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Service to Community Award.

The citation for the award said that through her more than 40 years in ministry, Liz had immersed herself in the Eastern Arrernte culture and language, building deep connections and mutual understanding.

“Her willingness to live alongside the Aboriginal people and her respect for their traditions reflect her genuine desire for reconciliation,” it said.

“Sister Liz’s work as a parish assistant, facilitator of immersion groups, and coordinator of the spirituality centre and parish accommodation demonstrate her unwavering compassion and commitment to bridging cultural divides.”

Sr Liz spent 12 years living and ministering at Santa Teresa in Central Australia and prior to that worked at St Teresa’s College Abergowrie in the Diocese of Townsville, a school with 97 per cent Aboriginal population.

This article is drawn from an announcement on NATSICC’s Facebook page.

To read more about Sr Liz’s ministry visit this 2020 article from The Catholic Leader or this 2021 article from The Good Oil, the e-publication of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan.