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Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Saint Ignatius College Geelong
Article by Ms Alicia Deak
Term 3 has proven to be a busy term for Social Justice opportunities in our College for staff and students.
The White Rose Mass and Forum
On Wednesday 22nd August Alexander Henry, Kerry Kingsbury and Sophie Thorley travelled to Melbourne to attend the White Rose Mass and Forum at Xavier College with social justice student representatives from eleven Catholic Schools.
The mass commemorated the 75th anniversary of the executions of the members of the White Rose Society who inspired the foundation of organisations such as Amnesty International and the Benenson Society.
Alexander, Kerry and Sophie delivered a presentation on the faith backgrounds of the members of the White Rose Society identifying the pivotal role that Christian faith, courage and hope played in informing their moral conscience, and subsequently in motivating and inspiring the White Rose Society to stand up for injustices.
The White Rose Society (die Weisse Rose) was a group of five students and one professor from the University of Munich. From June 1942 to February 1943 the White Rose was responsible for the leaflet campaign that comprised of six leaflets. These leaflets opposed the unethical and immoral acts committed by Hitler and called for citizens to follow their moral conscience and actively oppose Nazi regime. The White Rose were executed for their resistant and remembered by hundreds of Social Justice groups around the world.
The Benenson Society was founded by Fr Christ Middleton S.J., the Rector of Xavier College, in 2007. It was named after Peter Benenson the Catholic Lawyer who founded Amnesty International. Saint Ignatius College is a Chapter of this Society that provides students with the opportunity to promote human rights and lobby governments on behalf of prisons of conscience through letter writing campaigns.
Photos in the attached gallery of the Benenson Mass and our students delivering their presentation courtesy of Ashoka Peiris.
The Winter Sleepout
On Thursday 23rd August, 31 students and 4 staff participated in the Saint Ignatius Vinnies Winter Sleepout to support and raise awareness for homelessness in Australia, as well as raise funds for the Drysdale St Vincent de Paul branch. Students have been fundraising individually for the Sleepout and the College has a fundraising page and is welcoming online donations via the page until the end of the term: https://vinniesschoolsleepout.gofundraise.com.au/page/SICG2018 .
The evening commenced with prayer followed by key statistics about the 116,000 Australians facing homelessness every day. Students watched an episode of the SBS documentary Filthy Rich and Homeless before reflecting on society’s perception of homelessness and how Catholic Social Teaching can inform our thoughts, words and actions when personally responding to homelessness. Students ate a simple meal of soup and a bread roll, kindly made by the VCAL students, before preparing a poster and small presentation that they were to deliver to Year 7, 8 and 9 students during our planned action of Homerooms for Homelessness. Students and staff warmed themselves by a fire and enjoyed a few marshmallows before sleeping out overnight on the VCAL Deck in cardboard boxes and sleeping bags.
Overall, the experience was very rewarding and offered an opportunity to express solidarity for those facing homelessness and provide an insight into the everyday challenges and struggles that is a reality of 116,000 people in Australia.
The Meals Program
This term the Christ Church Meals Program has been expanded to two nights a month due to student demand. Two junior and two senior students, accompanied by a staff member, attend the Christ Church Meals Program after school and assist in the preparation and serving of meals to 70-120 clients who attend the program. This program is also run over the term holidays. The Meals Program is a popular program with all places for the entire year being filled within the first few weeks of publishing the roster.
We hope that we will be able to expand this program again next year to provide more opportunities for students to personally meet and serve those facing homelessness in our local community.
The Refugee Holiday Program
The Refugee Holiday Program runs over a single day in each school holidays and is an opportunity for students to learn more about the Global Refugee Crisis by hearing personal stories and interacting with young refugees in Geelong. The program has been hosted by Clonard College and St Joseph’s College in the previous two school holidays and we look forward to participating in the third program that will be hosted by Sacred Heart College on Tuesday 25th September.
Alexander Henry (Social Justice Captain) and Alicia Deak (Social Justice Coordinator)
Feature
Events
Our News // 30 August 2018
Article by Ms Alicia Deak
Term 3 has proven to be a busy term for Social Justice opportunities in our College for staff and students.
The White Rose Mass and Forum
On Wednesday 22nd August Alexander Henry, Kerry Kingsbury and Sophie Thorley travelled to Melbourne to attend the White Rose Mass and Forum at Xavier College with social justice student representatives from eleven Catholic Schools.
The mass commemorated the 75th anniversary of the executions of the members of the White Rose Society who inspired the foundation of organisations such as Amnesty International and the Benenson Society.
Alexander, Kerry and Sophie delivered a presentation on the faith backgrounds of the members of the White Rose Society identifying the pivotal role that Christian faith, courage and hope played in informing their moral conscience, and subsequently in motivating and inspiring the White Rose Society to stand up for injustices.
The White Rose Society (die Weisse Rose) was a group of five students and one professor from the University of Munich. From June 1942 to February 1943 the White Rose was responsible for the leaflet campaign that comprised of six leaflets. These leaflets opposed the unethical and immoral acts committed by Hitler and called for citizens to follow their moral conscience and actively oppose Nazi regime. The White Rose were executed for their resistant and remembered by hundreds of Social Justice groups around the world.
The Benenson Society was founded by Fr Christ Middleton S.J., the Rector of Xavier College, in 2007. It was named after Peter Benenson the Catholic Lawyer who founded Amnesty International. Saint Ignatius College is a Chapter of this Society that provides students with the opportunity to promote human rights and lobby governments on behalf of prisons of conscience through letter writing campaigns.
Photos in the attached gallery of the Benenson Mass and our students delivering their presentation courtesy of Ashoka Peiris.
The Winter Sleepout
On Thursday 23rd August, 31 students and 4 staff participated in the Saint Ignatius Vinnies Winter Sleepout to support and raise awareness for homelessness in Australia, as well as raise funds for the Drysdale St Vincent de Paul branch. Students have been fundraising individually for the Sleepout and the College has a fundraising page and is welcoming online donations via the page until the end of the term: https://vinniesschoolsleepout.gofundraise.com.au/page/SICG2018 .
The evening commenced with prayer followed by key statistics about the 116,000 Australians facing homelessness every day. Students watched an episode of the SBS documentary Filthy Rich and Homeless before reflecting on society’s perception of homelessness and how Catholic Social Teaching can inform our thoughts, words and actions when personally responding to homelessness. Students ate a simple meal of soup and a bread roll, kindly made by the VCAL students, before preparing a poster and small presentation that they were to deliver to Year 7, 8 and 9 students during our planned action of Homerooms for Homelessness. Students and staff warmed themselves by a fire and enjoyed a few marshmallows before sleeping out overnight on the VCAL Deck in cardboard boxes and sleeping bags.
Overall, the experience was very rewarding and offered an opportunity to express solidarity for those facing homelessness and provide an insight into the everyday challenges and struggles that is a reality of 116,000 people in Australia.
The Meals Program
This term the Christ Church Meals Program has been expanded to two nights a month due to student demand. Two junior and two senior students, accompanied by a staff member, attend the Christ Church Meals Program after school and assist in the preparation and serving of meals to 70-120 clients who attend the program. This program is also run over the term holidays. The Meals Program is a popular program with all places for the entire year being filled within the first few weeks of publishing the roster.
We hope that we will be able to expand this program again next year to provide more opportunities for students to personally meet and serve those facing homelessness in our local community.
The Refugee Holiday Program
The Refugee Holiday Program runs over a single day in each school holidays and is an opportunity for students to learn more about the Global Refugee Crisis by hearing personal stories and interacting with young refugees in Geelong. The program has been hosted by Clonard College and St Joseph’s College in the previous two school holidays and we look forward to participating in the third program that will be hosted by Sacred Heart College on Tuesday 25th September.
Alexander Henry (Social Justice Captain) and Alicia Deak (Social Justice Coordinator)
