Religious Education
Marylene Douglas
All students attending St Louis de Montfort's Aspendale have the right to feel safe. The care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people is a fundamental responsibility of all within our school.
Year of Jubilee- Pilgrims of Hope.
On Wednesday, at our school closure day, all staff were involved in a faith development day focussed on next year's Year of Jubilee theme, Pilgrims of Hope.
We were so fortunate to have Gen Bryant, a very talented musician and inspiring young catholic, lead us on the day. We explored the themes of Hope and Kindness as we prepare for next year's Jubilee.
Jubilee years are a time of newness. They have been celebrated throughout the history of the Church, but their roots go back to the Old Testament, when the Israelites were commanded to celebrate a jubilee every 50 years. Beginning with the blowing of a ram’s horn—the yobel, from which the word jubilee comes—on the Day of Atonement, it was meant to be a kind of ‘reset’ or ‘refresh’ for their relationship with God and with each other. Debts would be forgiven, misappropriated land returned, slaves freed, and the land given rest. It was a stark and dramatic reminder for the ancient Israelites that nothing was absolutely theirs—not even the Promised Land.
The first jubilee was celebrated in 1300 AD at the initiative of Pope Boniface VIII. They are celebrated every 25 years in the Church—Pope Francis has proclaimed the theme for this Jubilee to be focussed around HOPE. He notes that we, as a pilgrim people, need ‘moments of greater intensity to encourage and sustain hope as the constant companion that guides our steps’ Jubilee years offer those moments of ‘greater intensity’, opportunities to reorient, refresh, and renew our relationship with the Lord and with our neighbours.
The coming Jubilee will thus be a Holy year marked by the hope that does not fade, our hope in God. May it help us to recover the confident trust that we require in the church and in society. In our interpersonal relationships, in international relationships and in our task of promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for the God's gift of all creation.
There is a special prayer written especially for next year's Year of Jubilee, perhaps families could dedicate a special time each day or week for household prayer, thanking God for the blessings received, and the challenges faced, and praying for renewal in your family life. You could use the Jubilee Prayer to pray together as a household.
