Religious Education News

Saints Among Us

The beginning of November had me thinking about two important events that occur early on in the month and how they are related. 1st of November is all Saints Day and I was reflecting on the homily Fr Justel gave during All Saints Day Mass.  He said that Saints are everyday people, like grandparents, who have died and are in heaven. 

When we think about saints we imagine men and women who did extraordinary things in their life but we forget that we are all born equal.  Pope Francis says “Saints are not “Supermen” who are “Born Perfect,” but rather are ordinary people who followed God “with all their heart.”  Many stories of saints tell us that they were ‘called’ to serve God in some way. Some were not Catholics but converted after a life a sin, vices, crime, etc.. This calling was so strong that they left their old lives behind, some of sin, others of comfort and prestige to do God’s work and care for others. They suffered hardship, ridicule and obstructions while following their mission. For example, Mary MacKillop was excommunicated by Bishop Sheil for insubordination but was reinstated a year later. She and her sisterhood only had one goal — to feed and educate poor children, and they never game up. 

Blessed Carlo Acutis is the youngest person, a millennial who is on the path to sainthood. Carlo was born in Italy in England 3 May 1991 and died of leukemia in Italy on 12 October 2006. He is known for spreading church teachings on the internet. He brought those passions together by designing websites for his parish and school, before pursuing an even bigger project: documenting the reported Eucharistic miracles around the world.

The second event in November is Remembrance Day, an important day throughout the world where countries think of fallen soldiers who gave up their lives for the pursuit of justice so we could live the privileged life we have in Australia. 

These two events focus on the dead and acknowledge them so that we keep their memory alive. 

This leads me to think about the students we teach. Everyone has the potential of being a saint, following Jesus’ footsteps and answering a call to serve others. Who among them could be the next saint? 

Vicky Pejic

Religious Education Leader