Editorial

Earworms for Justice.

Some earworms we love, and others annoy us to distraction. You know, that tune or song that gets in your head and just will not go away some days?

Many are the times when I look at the Kildare Ministries Principles of Living Justice poster on my office wall, read the words from Micah, “Living Justly, Loving Tenderly and Walking Humbly with our God”, and straight away that great song from years ago is in my head; sometimes for hours.

“Hear then what our God asks of you

To live justly

To love tenderly,

And to walk humbly with our God.

is the chorus line, and one of the verses is

“I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full”,

followed again by

“Hear then what………”

Recently I invited Paul Spence to do some work with our Leadership Team here at St. Joseph’s College, Echuca to help us to continue our journey towards embedding the Principles of Living Justice into the culture of our school. Paul is a Spiritual Director (2019 KM Pilgrimage to Ireland) and also provides professional supervision. He has worked with Kildare Ministries in the development of the Principles of Living Justice.

Paul chose to base his work around that well known line from John’s Gospel (Jn 10:10) “I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full” and led us to reflect on the Kildare Ministries core principle of Justice – making the needs of the vulnerable paramount.

What does it mean to have life to the full?

What is our role in helping others to have life to the full?

What does it look like when those in our schools, community works, and the wider world have life to the full?

Obviously, in 90 minutes or so we did not have all the answers to these questions. What I, personally was left with though, was firstly a nagging earworm that still has not gone away but more importantly a deeper understanding of the words from both Micah and John.

Perhaps one way of actioning our Kildare Ministries call to make the needs of the vulnerable paramount, could be to become earworms?

Earworms to those who want to remove mobile phones from those in detention centres.
Earworms to those who perpetuate policies that don’t do enough to eliminate domestic violence; particularly against women.
Earworms to those who support policies that enable modern day slavery and trafficking in persons.
Earworms to those who seek to widen the gap between the haves and the have nots.
Earworms to anyone who does not allow others to have life and have it to the full.
Earworms for climate change and sustainability.

We can all make a difference. Every day, in our own individual worlds, in small ways and collectively as Kildare Ministries schools and community works by working together.

Here at St. Joseph’s, in recent months we have tried to be earworms by:-

Holding a Pyjama Day for students on World day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Continuing to implement our School Wide Positive Behaviour Supports which are based around Respect, Commitment and Gratitude with the intent to allow learners to learn and teachers to teach in our classrooms.
Focusing on climate change and sustainability by celebrating the current Season of Creation.
Participating in the Diocese of Sandhurst’s Justice Together for the Environment Online seminar.
Reviewing our procurement procedures to try to eliminate any support for modern day slavery.
Placing a high priority on environmental sustainability measures in the design of our new campus.
Increasing our focus on sustainability practices within our school grounds.
Holding a Footy Fever Day which will support the Opening the Doors Foundation. Opening the Doors supports Aboriginal students to undertake studies in Catholic Schools across Victoria with the intention to help 'close the gap'.

Hopefully, by experiencing these things at school, our students become earworms for change in the future.

“Hear then what our God asks of you …………….

Best wishes.

God bless.

Michael Delaney

Principal St. Joseph’s College, Echuca.