Students at many Catholic schools these days have ample opportunity to experience social justice in action. ROBIN WILLIAMS reports on some shining examples
THEY may be in the middle of the NAPLAN test, QCS practice and the general busyness of the middle of a school year but Brisbane Catholic students haven’t forgotten Jesus’ message to “love one another as I have loved you”.
Not only haven’t they forgotten the message they are actively seeking ways to live it out.
Students from All Hallows’ School are busy raising funds to build a health clinic for 600 fellow students at Yarapos in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea.
The project is the School’s major fundraising objective for 2010 and will help girls from many of the poor and isolated regions in the area where it is never easy to be a woman.
The project has a personal significance for All Hallows’ as students from the all girls Mercy school visited the Brisbane school during World Youth Day.
“Project Yarapossible” as it is known at All Hallows’ will allow sick students to be treated on site and negate the need for lengthy trips to the hospital.
Angela O’Malley, All Hallows’ director of mission said one of the school’s social justice captains Tue Nguyen designed a special logo for the project.
“(It) captures the ideal that we have in the power of our hands the ability as All Hallows’ students to act in a way that will allow students at another Mercy school to have a better opportunity to access health care.
She said during a presentation to launch the Yarrapossible project student were keen to make a concrete contribution to the Year of Sustainability.
The presentation pointed out that ‘Our world is sustainable for some but not for all.”
And asked the question “Why have so many taken so much with the result that others are condemned to live lives of suffering and poverty and starvation?”
At Mount Maria College, students are practicing Jesus call closer to home.
Campus minister Ashley Higgins recently took six students to aboriginal communities in central Australia.
Mr Higgins along with two other staff members took the students from the Mitchelton and Enoggera campuses to Uluru, Alice Springs and Santa Teresa.
“Four of these students are currently in Year 12 and the remaining two are from Year 10.
“It is impressive that amidst the pressures of Year 12 our students can give their time willingly…. to such an emotionally and physically challenging experience.”
Mr Higgins said the greatest impact and purpose for the students was drawn from their week at Santa Teresa.
“At Santa Teresa we were involved with the local primary school, facilitating sporting activities, tutoring and leading students in maths, literacy, prayer and music (drumming and singing).
“We were invited by the local women to participate in a number of local traditions, including both a Smoking Ceremony with the community’s ‘traditional healer’ and an evening ‘out bush’ at Orchid Creek cooking Kangaroo tail in the ground and listening to the stories of the four local women whom we joined.”
He said the week long ‘solidarity immersion’ wasn’t a one off event.
“A crucial outcome of the Solidarity Immersion is the ongoing process of awareness we raise and an ongoing commitment to the relationship we have developed with the community at Santa Teresa.”
Students at Mt Alvernia College, Kedron have embraced the missionary spirit of their founders by “walking for need”
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the arrival of the first Missionary Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception (MFIC) in Kedron and St Alvernia students celebrated the occasion by concentrating on the global projects of the Order.
They walked five and a half kilometres to raise money for eight projects from various locations around the world.
Mt Alvernia deputy principal mission and outreach, Alison Stone said the walking passed eight special stations commemorating a different MFIC global mission project.
“Students raised funds for buy eight dollar tokens which they then ‘donated’ to the projects they chose to support.”
She said MFIC sisters from the eight projects had provided the school with detailed information and photographs of their projects and students were provided with that information before they walk.
“We had Sisters come to talk to us on assembles and we have raised close to $8,000 so far.”
She said the most popular projects with students were the Wewak Project, PNG that minister to the needy women of the urban area by providing a safe place which collected $1200, the Bolivian projects of Carmen Pampa in rural Bolivia that supports the Pastoral Ministry Program that provides young people (ages 17-25) the opportunity to develop and strengthen their personal faith and relationship with God through a variety of activities, as well as gain leadership opportunities and the Cochura school farm expansion and local reforestation in Cochuna that collected $1375.
Also popular was the Family support project in Haiti that garnered $1200 in donation.
“All of the other projects have received over $800 in donations to date so it was a very successful walk.”
It is however not just secondary students putting their love of their fellow man into practice.
With winter fast approaching students in many Catholic primary schools are looking towards helping the less fortunate in their own city of Brisbane.
At Holy Spirit School Bray Park, Year three students are collecting good second hand blankets to hand over to Rosies youth outreach for the homeless.
It’s the second year the school has made such a collection with last years efforts resulting in around 300 blankets to help keep young homeless people warm.
Holy Spirit teacher Janine Williams said the children were concerned about the homeless people feeling cold.
“This is reflected on more deeply when they are tucked into their warm beds at night.
“It is especially touching when a child brings in a much loved blanket from their earlier childhood that hold many valued memories and for the children is can be tough letting go of these precious items.
“This type of giving is the very essence of Christ and the value of ‘loving one another.”
” The children do not stand to judge or ask why people are homeless, it is for them about making things better for someone less fortunate.
At St Martin’s primary school, Carina, the upper school students are busy with their own project to help the homeless, knitting woollen scarves.
St Martin’s staff Paula Morley and Christine Hackett have been organising the knitting effort for several years now.
Paula Morley said finished scarves were handed to the Ecumenical Coffee Brigade in Springhill that ministered on the streets year round.
“They have a van that goes out every day 365 days a year and in winter we give them scarves for their patrons.”
Ms Morley said at the moment about 30 students from Years five, six and seven were busy knitting with many learning the craft as they went along.
“Our school’s Dominican heritage encourages helping those less fortunate than ourselves.
“Some of the students have never knitted before so this is a considerable challenge for them and also a huge investment of their personal time and effort!
“Many of our staff members are involved in helping to teach the students to knit, knitting scarves themselves to donate and being available during our Thursday lunch session to pick up dropped stitches, mend holes and untangle knots.”
The ‘Who’s coming to school today’ survey released earlier this year had already highlighted the practical Christianity within Brisbane Catholic schools.
It found faith was important to the vast majority of student who also had unified Catholic values.
In discussing the survey finding Brisbane Catholic Education administrative services director Dr Paul McQuillan paid tribute to Catholic school students saying the greatest thing in Catholic schools was that they practiced Christian values, had a strong social awareness and were genuinely trying to make the world a better place”.
