RE Seminar

RE COURSE

What a way to kick the year off.  Today we attended the seminar related to The Social Justice paper we are doing for RE this year.  After a long break- it was a bit hard to get my head back into the space required for such a day.  The room was hot and there were a lot of us there and if I am honest, at times I was a bit uncomfortable.  Now I have sat down to blog about this while it is fresh in my mind and I am surprised to see I have taken so many notes.  The reason for this I think is because there were so many things today that were worth noting.

We were very lucky to hear Father John Adams speak firstly.  He was inspiring and the main thing I took from his talk was regarding the work that St Joseph’s parish (lead by Father John) to the Phillipines each year in March.  He showed a video of their trip and the different ways they provided practical help and opportunity to the communities less wealthy than our own.  He talked about how we are all created in God’s Image and that doesn’t mean we look like God but more that we are strong at the roots with a local response to the poor.  In the future I would like to think that I could be involved in some sort of work with the poor abroad to help and to feel like I had helped make a difference or live in the image of God.

The main key note speakers of the day were Michael Stewart and Julianne Hickey from Caritas.  They clearly defined the vast and far reaching role of Caritas and gave a very powerful presentation highlighting some of the many great works they do at both a local and global level. 

Social Justice was the theme of the day- Social is defined as relating to society or organisation.  Justice is fair and reasonable behaviour or treatment.    

Social Justice is the promotion of just societies and the fair treatment of individuals and communities.  God has made the earth and all it contains for everyone to share.  It is the right of everyone on this planet to share fairly in these riches.

Social Justice includes ensuring everyone has their basic needs  (education and health included) provided, Peace instead of violence, Discrimination free living,

As Catholics we have a duty to see, judge and act.  It is important that we open our eyes and be aware of the “problems” facing many our community members.  This involves looking at the here and now.  We need to form a judgement on the situations before us and in light of these same principles we need to decide what can be done to implement change( See, judge, act.)

It is our challenge to actually make up our minds to open our eyes – Don’t be unaware, then judge effectively- become grounded and finally to encourage action and become responsive.  We have a duty to scrutinize the sign of the times and interpret them in the light of the Gospel.

Some of the issues we face that we need to be opening our eyes to in 2018 include climate change, homelessness, refugees, consumerism, the effects of social media, capitalism, addiction, the effects of technology and how we use it and obesity.  This involves seeing and looking out for social issues and talking about them and ultimately being proactive.

This has got me thinking about ways in which our school can be involved in living the values supported by Caratis.  I wonder if we should start locally in own school and community and maybe raise money for children to get stationery at the start of the year, or school uniforms for those families that might struggle.  I wonder about the rubbish issue- taking the challenge to have a rubbish free school, building and planting a vege garden so that it could provide food for those in need- the options are endless.  I wonder if we can begin to achieve some of these things through Young Vinnies (if I am involved in this in 2018)

Laudito Si On Care for Our Common Home (Laudato Si') is the new appeal from Pope Francis addressed to "every person living on this planet" for an inclusive dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. Pope Francis calls the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and to join him in embarking on a new path. This encyclical is written with both hope and resolve, looking to our common future with candor and humility.

The 10 components

# Praise –how can we praise God and creation?  Laudato si means – praise be to you.

# Waste- take the challenge to clean up rubbish in the community- reduce, reuse, recycle.

#Climate Change-Share stories to gain understanding of the seriousness of climate change.

#Ecological Education- Encourage and discuss small changes children can make to care for creation ( eg using power more carefully)

#Thinking Beyond Ourselves- Putting others needs before ours.

#Holding onto Joy- Reminding children to always remain joyful (give thanks in all circumstances).  Have opportunities for students to share why they are thankful.

# The Excluded- Open students eyes to global poverty and the inequality of the world.

Standing up for the Poorest- Foster the “generous” spirit.  Think of ways to help the poor.

# Technology – Our Friend? – Reflect on our reliance on technology and the benefits/ issues.  Maximise benefits- but keep life simple- fo back to old ways at times.

# Stopping to Listen- Make time for children to be reflective- to listen to play.

I got a lot out of today and I look forward to doing the assignment.