Religious Education

Faith Life Inquiry

Hello everyone,

The beautiful Melbourne weather, well, mostly beautiful…it is Melbourne after all... is certainly a great reminder that after winter comes great hope and new life, a beautiful natural cycle of life created by God, our Creator. The Global Ecumenical Church is celebrating the annual Season of Creation from September 1st until October 4th. October 4th is the Feast of one of our most beloved saints, St Francis of Assisi, who really exemplified how to live life, in love with all of Creation.

The theme for the Season of Creation is:

Prophet Amos cries out: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5: 24) and so we are called to join the river of justice and peace, to take up climate and ecological justice, and to speak out with and for communities most impacted by climate injustice and the loss of biodiversity. 

As the people of God, we must work together on behalf of all Creation, as part of that mighty river of peace and justice.

PRAYER FOR OUR EARTH

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.  

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists. Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one. 

O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. 

Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction. 

Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth. Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. 

We thank you for being with us each day. 

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace. 

Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 2015.

Staff Spirituality Day 2023

Last week our staff took part in our annual Staff Spirituality Day. As a Catholic School it is really important that we spend time reflecting on our Catholic Identity and how we live out our faith in our everyday life. It was a wonderful day of sharing, fun, prayer as we focussed on our Core Value of  'Belonging' and we drilled down into ways we can operationalise this value throughout our programs, lessons, interactions and policies to make sure we are walking the walk!

Throughout the day we focussed on the following scripture passage from Isaiah and we used the beautiful imagery of a tent to describe our school community. We drew on Church teachings to help us understand that we need to keep enlarging the space of our tent to welcome people into our community. As the Synod states, there is room for everyone in our Church. Pope Francis echoed this statement in his closing speech at WYD by stating, “The Church is for everyone, everyone, everyone, everyone! "How are we enlarging the space of our tent to allow everyone and in fact the whole of creation, to truly experience belonging?

Isaiah 54: 2-3 Enlarge the space of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will settle the desolate towns. 

Stay tuned for more news on Operationalising Belonging next term!

FLI NEWS 

FLI planning for Term 4 is shaping up to be another wonderful learning experience for our school community! “Geographic inquiry involves the ability and willingness to ask and answer questions about geospatial phenomena. The key geographic questions ask: Where is it located? Why is it there?What is the significance of the location? As students pose additional questions, they seek responses that help to organize spatial understandings: What is this place like? With what is it associated? What are the consequences of its location and associations?” (National Geographic). Here are the Big Questions we have come up with as a school. We are all looking forward to seeing how this Inquiry unfolds and the wonderful learning that will take place! 

Prep/Foundation- What makes this place unique?

Year 1-What makes our place unique?

Year 2- What makes our city worth celebrating?

Years 3/4- How and why are places similar and different?

Years 5/6- How and why do places, people & culture differ across the world? 

We look forward to sharing this learning journey in partnership with you next term. As Kath Murdoch says in her book 'The Power of Inquiry, inquiry is about what learners do​.' It involves numerous connected skills, dispositions and processes. It is a fluid, sometimes messy and complex process. The intention of 'TheCycle of Inquiry' is to guide the Teachers and learners thinking beyond simply coming up with activities and towards a more thoughtful process that assists students to move from the known into the unknown and to engage in fruitful dialogue (Murdoch, 2017). I would like to thank you for continuing to support your children in their learning journey as we work together to educate our young people in the best way possible. Perhaps if you get a free moment you may like to try this prayer idea together during the break. 

Prayer Space

Communing with creation: Listen, Linger, Love.

Here is a prayer to invite you to contemplate creation. It can be done inside or outside.

Linger: Walk or look around you slowly. Notice if some member of creation attracts your attention, a cloud, a tree, a plant indoors. Allow yourself to linger, to pause at whatever attracts your attention and be present to what is there. Use your senses to take in the wonder of this creature: the colours, shapes, smells, textures.

Listen: What might this being be trying to tell you? What mightGod be saying to you through this element of creation? Consider entering into dialogue with this member of creation, calling to mind St. Francis talking to the birds and calling Brother Sun and Sister Moon. You might ask a question. Then listen. Just be open to what might arise.

Love: When you are ready to leave, find a way to offer love, by saying thanks, offering a prayer to God for this encounter, wishing your new friend well. Find a way to acknowledge the gift you have received and your desire to give something in return.“To contemplate creation is to hear a message, to listen to a paradoxical and silent voice”.(Pope Francis Laudato Si).

Have a blessed, safe and happy holiday, God bless,

Caith Malone REL and FLI Leader 'Acting Deputy Principal'