FAITH MATTERS

Season of Creation (September 1st- October 4th 2023) 

September 1st launched the ‘Season of Creation’ across Christian churches. During this time, humanity is invited to consider how we can care for the environment in a more passionate way. This year, the theme for the Season of Creation is “Let Justice and Peace Flow '' taken from the book of Amos in the Old Testament. The prophet Amos cries out, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream!” (Amos 5:24). His call encourages humankind to join the river of ecological justice and be aware of our impacts on the environment. Although we might not first consider it, our wellbeing is interconnected with the wellbeing of earth. 

The Season of Creation also takes inspiration from St Francis of Assisi, who is the patron Saint of the environment and ecology. Having just visited Assisi, I can attest that there’s a special sacredness of the earth felt there. Being surrounded by lush green forests and the rolling hills of Perugia really made myself and my group feel the presence of God in creation. It’s a place that truly does ground people to consider how blessed we are to be amongst creation. 

An art piece which took me by surprise was in front of the Church of San Damiano in Assisi. The bronze sculpture has St Francis’ back facing out from the mountains, overlooking the cliff. Francis is poised crossed legged and barefoot, appearing to be meditating. There’s something quite raw and surprising about seeing this statue amidst the grassed area as one approaches the church. One might wonder why the artist, Fiorenzo Bacci would place such a statue not in the church or near the entrance, but on the rough path walking towards the church. Perhaps it was because Francis was someone who was not only concerned about the structures and culture in the church, but the health of the environment which is also the church. 

On July 26th, Pope Francis mentioned at his private audience with pilgrims in Rome, that there would be a second part to his encyclical, Laudato Si. In the last couple weeks, Pope Francis has announced to the public, that it will be an update on current environmental issues. It will be published on October 4 2023, on the feast of St Francis of Assisi which concludes the season of creation. Recently Pope Francis addressed attorneys, speaking that, “We must never forget that the younger generations have the right to receive a beautiful and livable world from us, and that this implies that we have a grave responsibility towards creation which we have received from the generous hands of God.”

As spring emerges, here are some practical ways we can live out Laudato Si in our lives: 

• Donate any unused clothes or kitchen utensils to the local op-shops in town
• Purchase reusable bags for your next grocery shop
• Have a look at ways you can cut down on water and electricity costs at home
• Share your local produce with your neighbours
• Plant some new shrubs over the school holidays

For more information, please see https://seasonofcreation.org/about/. 

Fr James’ 10 Years: 

On Sunday 10th September, Holy Family Parish North-East Mallee celebrated Fr James Kerr’s 10 Year Jubilee Anniversary of priesthood. It was a fantastic celebration, and I am so grateful to the staff, students and families who helped contribute to this event. 

There were many kind messages of thanks, gifts and speeches which followed Sunday’s 10:30am Mass. Staff member Kim Mai and the Vietnamese community elevated the Parish Function Centre through their beautiful decorations. Some families from St Mary MacKillop College cooked up and served a feast of a delicious shared lunch, with cuisines from Nigeria, Italy, Mauritius, India and more being represented. We have a fabulously diverse parish! Special thanks to the students who also stayed back to assist with packing up. 

We are very grateful to Fr James for his continued support and service to St Mary MacKillop College Swan Hill, through leading our liturgies, Masses and staff professional development. Our College would not be able to facilitate these spaces to embrace the Catholic faith without him. His reverence, mentorship and down-to-earth nature are very admirable qualities to have in our Parish Priest. We wish him all the best for the continued celebrations, and the years of priesthood ahead.

CatholicCare Presentation:

Kalma Rathouski from CatholicCare Victoria visited St Mary MacKillop College this week, to share about the work CatholicCare does to promote Catholic Social Teaching. Some of our Religious Education classes in Years 7-10 had the opportunity to learn about how CatholicCare (formally known as Centacare) reaches out to the marginalised, particularly refugees, those of low socio-economic status and the homeless. It demonstrated how close to home many of these issues are. CatholicCare has an office in town, and we are hoping that as Term 4 approaches, our students and staff can support them in their endeavours to bring about social change.