Pastoral Care News
Richard Leider wrote “The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose” but how do we know what our purpose is in life? Is it an internal yearning to achieve something or does it come in a lightbulb moment? For each and everyone of us the purpose is unique; just as we are. Sometimes we go looking for a purpose and for others we simply discover our purpose as we make our journey through life.
Last week the CAT hosted a successful “Pancake Day” to acknowledge Shrove Tuesday and promote the launch of our annual Caritas “Project Compassion” charity drive. All funds raised on the day will be donated and due to the hard work of the team and the generous support of the MCC students and staff we are now on our way to achieving our goal for 2019.
During the period of Lent we ask that students and staff donate what they can to their homeroom mission box; donations can be loose coins, change from a lunch purchase, or once a week instead of buying that drink or treat, donate the value to the mission box.
Our first collection of water bottles for 2019 will take place next week and it is exciting to see how the school has embraced the routine of placing the bottles into the baskets. Like all changes it was not without its issues and we still have some logistics to refine however we have come such a huge way from when we first launched the concept during last year. The bottles will be collected and processed by CAREVAN volunteers and the funds used to provide hot meals to up to 120 people each week.
Next Wednesday will be our first cooking commitment for CAREVAN for 2019. Volunteer students give up their time at lunch and/or recess to help out however none of this would be possible without the support of Mrs Shannon, Miss McMahon and Mrs Davidson from the TAS Staff. They rearrange their busy schedules and classes to accommodate our needs and are the unsung heroes. We always welcome new volunteers, no experience is required and the atmosphere provides a wonderful opportunity to meet other community minded people within our school.
Part of our teachings at Marian is to promote "Stewardship" and in particular looking after the resources and environment that we have been given. As mentioned we have implemented a water bottle recycling program and recently the students have taken an interest in the impact of the drought on communities as well as our river systems; particularly after the media coverage regarding the fish kill on the Darling River. During our C.A.T meeting we discussed the obvious implications of the issue of lack of water but also discussed the emotional impact it has on the community, therefore significantly increasing the chance of poor mental health or worse still; suicide. Water is truly the lifeline because without it the community can not exist.
I shared the story of a friends’ connection to one such community, Louth NSW with the students and his stories of how years of significant drought and mismanagement of the river system is slowly killing a community. Following the St Vincent dePaul philosophy of SEE, THINK and DO we researched about this small, isolated community and thought about some ideas of how we could help. Louth is 99 kilometres south west of Bourke and 132 kilometres north west of Cobar. It is miniscule; a dot on the map with a population of only 43 people. It draws its water directly from the river however the river is dry so this community is having to purchase, import and account for every drop they use. The impact of the drought means that their income is minimal so it is a vicious cycle which can break the strongest of characters. Some have left their homes and walked away from the community they belonged to and yet others have faith that with each new dawn they are a day closer to rain; they live in hope.
The students could identify that here at school and to some extent, at home; we have the luxury of accessing water whenever we want. We are not particularly water wise and unfortunately tend to waste such a huge amount that on reflection the students will now look at their personal practice and see how they can reduce the amount of water they waste both at school and within their home environments. Perhaps the most poignant moment was when the students could identify that this crisis was not occurring in a third world country; it is happening at our doorstep.
The team unanimously decided that they would like to support the town of Louth therefore before the end of term will be looking at holding a cake and bake stall with all funds raised being used to purchase water for the people of Louth which will be delivered during early April. The students will also be writing personal messages so that those living in Louth know that they are supported and are of value. Their town may be small but it is definitely not forgotten.
I had also asked my friend if there was anything else that the community required and all suggestions were extremely practical including dry dog food, chook food, bulk washing detergent and large rigger gloves. These people are not asking for handouts or charity; they could just use a bit of help at the present moment. If you or your business would like to help us support Louth please don’t hesitate to contact me via the front office. As a small group we can help start the ripple of kindness but as a large community we can turn the ripple to a wave.
Our wonderful students who each year continue to volunteer to be a member of C.A.T are finding their purpose in life and I am confident that when they leave MCC they will continue to find other opportunities to help make the world a better place through their acts of kindness.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Regards Sue Hone (Pastoral Care Worker)