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Dear Parents,

Season of Creation - To hope and act with creation 

Every year, Catholics around the world, commit the month of September as a season to celebrate God’s beautiful Earth and our shared commitment to restoring that beauty. This time in September is liturgically called the Season of Creation. This celebration calls us together to listen and care for our common home. 

The Season of Creation begins on September 1st, the Feast of Creation, and concludes on October 4th, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. He is a saint loved by many around the world. St Francis of Assisi served and followed Christ religiously, being a man who never forgot his purpose and was willing to sacrifice his time for creation. 

This year, the theme of the season is Hope and Act with creation, providing us with time to reflect and pursue justice and peace, for a collective river of change that aligns with God’s desire and design for the flourishing of all his creation. 

Romans 8:19-25   

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. 

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope, we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 

The symbol of the season this year is inspired by Romans 8:19-25, where creation and all of us are called to work together for a future of hope and action. The children of God, represented by hands, are those who stretch up towards the Creator, recognising themselves as humble creatures, praising and respecting God as well as simultaneously loving, respecting and learning from God’s creation. Creation is not given to humanity to use and abuse, but rather humanity is created to be a part of creation. 

You are invited to join with thousands of other Catholics during the Season of Creation to celebrate and take action together in hope.

Pope Francis Primary Award

St Francis Xavier has 12 wonderful students from Year 6 who have volunteered their time in this Sydney Catholic Schools initiative, providing them with a unique faith-based experience in our school and parish. Inspired by Pope Francis, they are learning how to become leaders who are willing to ‘get off the couch and leave their mark’. The purpose of this program is to promote community involvement and foster a love of service, linking to our school motto - ‘Serviam’. The Pope Francis students have been meeting on Fridays at lunchtime to discuss school initiatives and ideas that contribute to a community that authentically experiences God in their lives and continues the mission of Jesus. The students have implemented the following: 

• Return and earn initiative - Any plastic bottles, juice poppers or milk from the canteen are to be collected and thrown into the blue bin to raise money for the Charitable Works Fund, an Archdiocesan charity. 
• Playground clean up - Pope Francis students are rostered to tidy up the playgrounds using rubbish-collecting tools and cleaning kits. 
• Canteen helpers - The Pope Francis students have been volunteering their time to help Mrs Lina in the canteen to carry heavy tubs of lunch orders to all classes across the school. 

Ms Perera and Mrs Hannigan have worked with these students to connect with their faith in prayer and service. Pope Francis students have had the time to review who Pope Francis is, what it means to belong to a school and Parish community and how we are many people, who are part of one body, the Catholic Church community.

We look forward to continuing our journey with the Pope Francis students in Year 6 for the remainder of the year.