Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Liturgy Resources

We invite you to begin your time of prayer with an Acknowledgement of Country. An Acknowledgement of Country can be done by any person, and in this context serves as a powerful recognition of the value of all Aboriginal peoples who have been placed on these lands by our Almighty God. Below is standard wording, but as you are moved by heart and mind let your words be led by the Spirit.

"We would like to acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather today. We would also like to pay our respects to the Elders past, present and future."

Learn more about Acknowledgement of Country here.

Today we reflect and pray for the ongoing injustice that is Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and lament the 8-year anniversary of Wiradjuri, Kookatha and Wirangu man Wayne Fella Morrison’s death in custody.

This year marks 33 years since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. 339 recommendations were made, yet the implementation of these recommendations was not prioritised - then or now. Since this time, there have been over 560 Aboriginal deaths in custody. These are sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunties, uncles, grandparents. It is an injustice that breaks the heart of God, and an injustice that compels us, as followers of Jesus, to prayer and action.

Wayne Fella Morrison died in custody on 26th September 2016 at just 29 years old. Wayne died at the Royal Adelaide hospital after being restrained at the wrists and ankles, placed in a spit-hood and positioned face down in the back of a van as he was transported to prison. After less than two minutes in the van, Wayne could not be revived and died in hospital three days later. He had not been convicted of any crime and was being held on remand at the time of his death. No CCTV video exists capturing what took place inside the prison transport van. This year the coroner concluded that there were a 'litany of serious failings and short-comings' related to Wayne's death in custody.

We pray for and honour Wayne's family. We also stand in solidarity and support with Wayne's mum Aunty Caroline Anderson and his sister Latoya Rule, who despite having been through such a horrific loss, have advocated powerfully for justice and successfully led the campaign to ban the use of spit hoods in South Australia. Latoya is now leading a coalition to ban spit hoods in every Australian State and Territory. 

Like Wayne's family, many Aboriginal families and communities are leading the way, showing incredible strength in the midst of this unjust system, they have the solutions, display such courage and are raising their voices powerfully.

With the heaviness of Aboriginal deaths in custody on our minds and in our hearts, we bring our grieving spirits to Jesus and pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done.

Please light a candle and spend some time in silent prayer.

¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

This prayer was written collectively by the Common Grace movement during the 2022 Prayer Vigil for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody.

Lord God the Almighty One, the Redeemer, the Creator, our Saviour, this is our prayer to you, as we sit with the injustice of Aboriginal deaths in custody.

We lament, and feel deep despair, sadness and grief. Be in our hearts as we hear the stories, listen to your Word, imagine change, ache for justice, and yearn for truth and hope, for our First Nations peoples.

Lord, it hurts to hear and feel the depth and breadth of this injustice, the pain it causes, the lives that are lost, the freedom that is deprived.
May we not turn away. May we feel the pain. May it go deep and change us. May we work with you and your people. May we see the change you yearn for. May justice roll like a river.

We pray for an end to Aboriginal deaths in custody, and the end of suffering for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities. We pray for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to be safe, free and flourishing and to have strength and courage to be warriors of faith and justice.

Come, Lord Jesus. Bring justice and newness of life. Bring an end to all evil. Bring your Kingdom where the first will be last, and the last will be first.

Lord, we pray the ears of those who cannot hear be opened, that cries for justice will be fully and clearly heard. Help us to raise and voice our indignation and despair, to roar and speak our hope and trust in you as Saviour of all.

Lord, we pray that you will change minds and hearts at all levels of authority to change from punitive justice to restorative justice. Let lives, young and old, be restored.

We pray for all families that mourn a loved one who has died in custody, heal their sore hearts and give them consolation in their mourning. Fill the families with hope. Hope that does not disappoint. Hope for safety, freedom and change.

Lord, we pray for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. May they have every opportunity to flourish and fulfil the destiny you have planned for them.

Please God may we continue to spread the strong spirit of action and justice amongst all peoples, giving voice to the marginalised and voiceless. May all hidden acts of violence and persecution of our First Peoples continue to be brought to light and the call for justice be heard.

Give us wisdom and courage to act now.

Please strengthen us to stand with survivors and to help those filled with hate to learn how to love.

Fire of God, light of life, flame of love. Compel our world to righteousness. Move us all towards love and justice. Bring peace, exuberant liberty, overflowing joy at your goodness. Remind us who we are - we have been made in your image to do your work: bringing life.

Loving God, we pray for you to open eyes, soften hearts, comfort broken spirits - reconcile us to you and each other.

We hope for river gums to pump oxygen into lungs so that children may breathe again. We pray for wattle to brighten the darkest hours. We pray for the sun to shine new life.

Lord, we pray for healing and wholeness, that there will be no more death, that you will wipe every tear…

Lord, hear our cries in the midst of injustice. Let our prayers rise to you.

We pray these prayers to our suffering servant Jesus, in love, lament, solidarity and hope.

Ngawa, yes : amen

We encourage you to learn the names and stories of Aboriginal people who have died in custody. Some examples are below, and there is an extensive list of Aboriginal Deaths in Custody between 2008 -2021 documented in an online database called Deaths Inside by The Guardian.

• Wayne Fella Morrison
• Tanya Day
• Cleveland Dodd
• Kumanjayi Walker
• TJ Hickey
• David Dungay Ji
• Nathan Reynolds
• Veronica Walker
• Ms Dhu
• Cameron Doomadgee

³¹ For no one is cast off
    by the Lord forever.
³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
    so great is his unfailing love.
³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction
    or grief to anyone.

³⁴ To crush underfoot
    all prisoners in the land,
³⁵ to deny people their rights
    before the Most High,
³⁶ to deprive them of justice—
    would not the Lord see such things?

Listen to original song and video message by Aboriginal Christian Leader Uncle Vince Ross.

This video was first recorded for Common Grace's Online Prayer Vigil for Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 2022.

Uncle Vince Ross was born at Balranald NSW on the banks of the Murrumbidgee river and his clan group is the Madi-Madi/Wamba-Wamba people. He has had extensive experience in various workplaces and ministries, including twenty years with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress as State Director during which time he established Narana Creations in Geelong. Uncle Vince has also been the Chairperson of The Salvation Army National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group. Uncle Vince was awarded National NAIDOC Elder of the Year in 2006.

Take some time now to pray into the issues around Aboriginal Deaths in custody. If you would like direction on what to pray, here are some suggestions:

• Prayer for families affected by Aboriginal Deaths in Custody
• Prayer for court and prison chaplains
• Prayer for children and young people in watch houses and youth prisons, that they would receive the love, support and care they need to heal, and be free to go to school and be with their families and communities. 
• To see a society, and a justice system that pursues true justice - where all people are supported, valued and empowered.
• Prayer for correct training of Corrections Officers and Police
• Prayer for love and compassion in the police, prison and corrections systems.

We end this time with a prayer for the children across our nation impacted by the youth justice system, written by Gomeroi woman and Common Grace's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice Coordinator, Bianca Manning.

God of love, mercy and justice, 

We come before you with heavy hearts, knowing that you see all and your ears are attentive to the cries of those who are suffering. 

We pray for all children and young people who are in contact with the youth justice system. Please protect them, comfort them, and guide them into healing, safety, repentance and love.

We lift up their families to you, may they be supported, strengthened and cared for by the whole community. 

We pray for victims of crime, who have also suffered immensely. Please comfort, heal and provide for them. 

May the whole criminal justice system be transformed in your name Jesus, so that healing and rehabilitation will be prioritised and no more trauma will be inflicted, especially against our most vulnerable. Please raise up your Church to engage, to love and to support young people and their families in their local community.

We pray for all political leaders, decision-makers, and police officers, that you would grant them wisdom and compassion. We pray that all children will be released from adult watch houses, that the minimum age of criminal responsibility be raised to at least 14, racism will be exposed and ended, and that culturally safe solutions that promote the safety, freedom and flourishing of all will be supported. 

In Jesus name, Amen.

Thank you so much for praying with us today, may we continue to engage our hearts in this injustice, and be inspired to take action together. 

Here are some next steps you can take to join the Common Grace movement in advocating for justice for Abriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples:

• Make a donation to Common Grace's First Nations justice work.
• Join us at the Common Grace Conference: Let Justice Flow
• Sign up to watch our upcoming webinar titled #RaiseTheAge: Keeping Indigenous Children Safe, Free and Flourishing
• Make sure you are signed up with your email on the Common Grace website to stay up to date with future resources and actions including resources for your church to hold an Aboriginal Sunday service in January 2025.