The Annual Faith Service “stands as a visible reminder that the work of the law is not undertaken in isolation”, Reverend Bruce Moore of the Uniting Church told the congregation at the recent service for the legal profession and the judiciary.
This year’s theme was Walking Together in Justice and Equality and the 2026 service was held at St Andrew’s, Ann Street, Brisbane, on Thursday.
Reverend Moore warmly welcomed the Chief Justice, judges and magistrates, and members of the legal profession “who serve our community through the courts, the law and public service” after the traditional procession into the church.
“We truly are honoured by your presence. The pursuit of justice and the upholding of dignity and the careful way of truth and mercy are concerns shared across our faith traditions and deeply embedded in the moral fabric of our society,” he said.
“This gathering provides to us all a time to pause, to reflect, to pray, to hold silence according to conscience, and to re-commit ourselves to the values that sustain a just and compassionate community.”
Her Honour Chief Justice Bowskill, who led the procession from Ann Street, said the service was an adaptation of a tradition that used to be called the Opening of the Law Year Church Service.
“We no longer associate this service with the Opening of the Law Year because there is no contemporary concept of a Law Year,” Her Honour said.
“The law is open all year round and it is no longer a church service. The use of the phrase faith service is deliberate.
“As you can see from the Order of Proceedings, this is a true inter-faith service, aiming to bring together people of diverse religious and spiritual beliefs, for the shared purpose of acknowledging the important contribution made by legal practitioners and the judiciary, and the connection between us and the community that we faithfully serve.”
The Chief Justice said there were common themes drawn from all speakers.
“The importance of compassion, kindness, respect, understanding, and identity to the cohesion of our society generally, and its justice system in particular,” she said.
“As His Holiness Pope Leo the Fourteenth has said, ‘Justice is not merely a legal function, but a cardinal virtue that shapes conscience and society. It encompasses the dignity of the individual, their relationships with others, and the communal dimension of co-existence’.
“At the heart of the Oath of the Office for lawyers and the judges is the solemn promise to do our part to ensure equal justice for all, to the best of our ability, fearlessly, independently, impartially, and with the utmost integrity.
“The stress and burden of respective roles weighed heavily upon us.
“Taking a moment to reflect and remind ourselves of the significance of our professional commitment may help to relieve that burden even slightly by refocusing our perspective.”
The Chief Justice thanked St Andrew’s United Church for hosting the service, the Crown Law Choir for its “beautiful singing”, and to all of those who participated and attended including police and army representatives.
“We should not take for granted that we are very lucky in Queensland to be able to enjoy a service such as this, a multi-faith, inter-faith service,” she said.
“From what I understand from my counterparts in other states and territories, this does not happen.
“There will be five, six, up to 10 separate services that are held, and I think that is something that we must all celebrate and value for how important that is in terms of the diversity and equity in our society.”
Justice Debra Mullins, President of the Court of Appeal, gave one of the readings at the service while the sermon reflection was made by Rabbi Adi Cohen from the Gold Coast Temple Shalom.
Rabbie Cohen said his faith began with the concept that every human being was created in the divine image.
“This serves as the ultimate equalizer,” he said. “If every individual possesses inherent instant dignity, then as our Saviour has taught, no person’s blood is greater than the other.
“In a contemporary Australian context, this is our foundational rejection of any hierarchy of personhood.
“It ensures that every litigant, regardless of their background, wealth or status, stands on the same level of ground before the bench.”
Rabbi Cohen said perhaps the most famous legal injunction in his faith was “Justice, justice, shall you pursue”.
“For a judge or a petitioner, the repetition of the word justice is not poetic. It is an important legal instruction,” he said.
“Our Saviour offers two vital interpretations for this repetition that speak directly to your profession.
“The first, the means and the ends. You must pursue justice through just means.
“A correct result obtained through procedural unfairness or biased evidence is not justice at all.
“The process must be as unintended as the verdict.
“The duty of persistence is the second one. The word trust you implies that justice is not a static destination. It is often insight. It requires an active, restless chase.
“For you, this means looking beyond the surface of a case to ensure that the small litigants is not outpaced by a great one.
“By repeating the word, the text warns us that good enough is the enemy of the law.
“We are commanded to be obsessive about equity.”
He said the central tenet of the Westminster tradition was that no one was above the law – “a Jewish concept long before the Magna Carta“.
“While other ancient monarchs were seen as the source of the law, a Jewish king was commanded to carry the Torah scroll with him at all times,” he said.
“He was the law of his servant, not his master.
“In Queensland, as we refer the independence to the judiciary and the accountability of the executive, we are upholding these hints to our principle, that sovereignty is always subordinate to justice.
“As practitioners, you deal with the one law every day. But we know that application is harder than theory. Jewish tradition teaches that the world stands on three pillars: truth, justice, and peace.
“It notes a crucial sequence. If you achieve true justice, the natural result is peace.
“There can be no gospel peace in a society where a citizen feels the law is a tool for some and a weapon against others.
“As you return to your chambers and your podiums, remember that you are the guardian of this one law.
“When you treat every individual with the same effective standards of respect, you are fulfilling the highest goal of our shared legal heritage.
“Thank you for keeping the fabric of society as beautiful as it is in Queensland.”
The Queensland Law Society was represented at the service by President Peter Jolly, CEO Matt Dunn and several Councillors.
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