Twenty-four children and young people across the Diocese of Parramatta were named winners of the Diocese’s first-ever Kids Voices Art Competition, and were presented with their awards at a special ceremony held at St Patrick’s Church, Mary Queen of the Family Parish in Blacktown earlier this month.
The inaugural competition ran from June to August 2024 and provided an opportunity for children and young people aged between 5 and 19 to share their voices using their artistic skills in response to Standard 2 of the National Catholic Safeguarding Standards, which state that “children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.”
Artworks by participants for the 2024 Kids Voices Art Competition. Image: Jazz Chalouhi/threetwoone Photography /Diocese of Parramatta.
The theme of the competition was: ‘My Church community is a safe place for me’, and children were encouraged to convey how the church makes them feel safe.
Around 115 artworks were submitted from 13 parishes; showcasing the creativity and passion of children across the Diocese.
The winning artworks were judged by a panel of parishioners, and the People’s Choice category received nearly 1000 votes online.
Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv chatting with participants of the 2024 Kids Voices Art Competition. Image: Jazz Chalouhi/threetwoone Photography /Diocese of Parramatta.
Bishop of Parramatta, Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv greeted the children and their families as they browsed the art exhibition prior to the awards presentation. He also enjoyed a light supper with families following the ceremony.
In his address during the ceremony, Bishop Vincent said the competition aimed to elicit ideas from the children as to what makes the church a safe place “where they can feel at home, where they can feel protected and are able to flourish”.
“I’m grateful to this collaboration of our schools, our parishes, our agencies, and especially the families where the children were encouraged to participate in this art competition,” Bishop Vincent said.
“There’s so many creative and talented artists among us as the winners of the competition, but also the array of unique artworks that the children produced are really inspiring,” he said.
(L-R) Fr Wim Hoekstra, Parish Priest of Mary, Queen of the Family Parish, Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta, Fr Robert Riedling, Parish Priest of St Patrick’s Cathedral and Episcopal Vicar For Education with the The Parramatta Way Award recipient. Image: Jazz Chalouhi/threetwoone Photography /Diocese of Parramatta.
“We’ll draw on those ideas and contributions to make our Church – our environment – an even more conducive place for them.
“I hope we really shone a light in the Church and wider society as to what we ought to do to create a safe place for our children,” he said.
One of the judges, Lita Picart, said it was tough to pick the winning artworks, as there were so many wonderful submissions.
“It was a bit challenging for all, because we found that most of the artworks are really showing the creativity of the students, especially the little ones,” Lita said.
Members of the judging panel, Office for Safeguarding, and art workshop facilitators. Image: Jazz Chalouhi/threetwoone Photography /Diocese of Parramatta.
Tui, aged 10, was delighted to be named one of this year’s winners.
“I felt surprised I didn’t know I was actually gonna win.”
Angela, aged 16, said “My faith inspired me.”
Diya, aged 10, said “I drew hands holding a church because I always feel that God is holding my church and protecting us.”
Congratulations to all winners and participants.
Visit our website to view the full list of winners, their artworks and descriptions, as well as a short video of the night. Check out the photos from the ceremony below.
