Especean

Faith, Justice and Formation 

SPC Lenten Appeal – Justice Partner in Focus

With one week left in our Lenten Appeal, I share with you some words from the Director of our major Lenten Partner, the Edmund Rice Centre (ERC) for Justice. I thank you for your generosity thus far and hope for one final push in helping to create a better world for many. Advocacy is all about making changes for the better and the ERC certainly helps guide the way.

 

Gillian Daley

Director of Identity

Edmund Rice Centre Turns 25 

For 25 years Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education (ERC), based in Homebush, has worked to support some of the most vulnerable and marginalised peoples on the planet. From Afghanistan to Rwanda to Kiribati and Latin America, the Centre and its partners have been on the ground striving to assist people facing injustice, poverty and human rights abuses to overcome their difficulties and realise their potential.  

The Centre was established by the Christian Brothers in 1996 - the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty, and 2021-2022 marks the Centre’s 25th anniversary. The Centre focusses on 3 main groups in its work:

  • Indigenous people in Australia and overseas; (the First Peoples)
  • Refugees and asylum seekers in Australia and internationally; (the Last to arrive)
  • Pacific peoples affected by climate change (the Next to come)

At the heart of ERC’s work lies a commitment to the values of the Gospel, the spirit of Edmund Rice and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in order to promote the full and effective participation of all people in all matters that concern them. 

 

First Nations

ERC supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait people in a number of ways. These include conducting regular Immersion Programs in Aboriginal communities in North Western NSW as part of the Let’s Talk Reconciliation program; and working to provide a voice and space for First Nations Australians to engage with Government and influence policy makers, by supporting the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

 

ERC has an office in Darwin that focusses on working with communities in the Northern Territory to improve opportunities for Indigenous people, especially for young people.

 

Refugees and People Seeking Asylum

In 2022, as part of the Centre’s 25th anniversary, a particular focus will be on Afghanistan. ERC seeks to provide assistance for partners in Afghanistan who are still seeking safety and security from the Taliban. ERC has been working in Afghanistan since 2003 and holds deep fears for those who have worked with western Governments, media and NGO’s and who have been left behind to face the Taliban. This work simply is about saving peoples’ lives. 

 

In addition, ERC researches what happens to asylum seekers and refugees who have been returned to Afghanistan as part of our Deported to Danger program. This urgent work will be continuing throughout 2022. 

 

In NSW ERC Centre facilitates pro-bono legal and migration assistance to asylum seekers, and helps refugees find employment and integrate successfully into life in Australia. 

ERC also advocates for policies to improve the conditions and treatment of asylum seekers and refugees in Australia and produces an annual educational resource for schools and community groups.

 

The Pacific and Climate

Finally, in 2022 the Centre’s Pacific Calling Partnership (PCP) will continue to respond to Pacific Islander calls for solidarity in the face of climate change.

 

Science tells us that atolls such as Kiribati and Tuvalu and many islands in the Torres Strait will become uninhabitable within the next 30 years due to the impacts of climate change.

ERC helps strengthen the capacity of Pacific Islander communities to advocate for climate action and climate justice through training and mentoring programs conducted in Australia and in the Pacific. Along with Pacific partners, ERC also supports Pacific Islander participation at international conferences such as the recent COP26 in Glasgow. 

 

Put simply, the work of the Edmund Rice Centre seeks to enable those who have been excluded for too long to live their lives in safety and security, on a sustainable and flourishing planet.

 

ERC deeply values its partnership with St Patrick’s College Strathfield, a partnership that simply makes much of this vital work possible.

 

Phil Glendenning AM

Director | Edmund Rice Centre for Justice

St Patrick's College Adult Immersion to Papua New Guinea

While we are still unable to take students on immersion internationally, the College is able to host an adult immersion experience to Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, to stay with our friends at the Edmund Rice Life Training Centre.

It is open to anyone connected to the College over 18 years of age. It will run for a minimum of seven days and cost approximately $2,500 each. The immersion will take place in June/July or September school holidays (TBC).

 

We are currently looking for expressions of interest so if you are keen, please email me at gillian.daley@spc.nsw.edu.au indicating your preference for July or September. Expressions of interest are needed by Wednesday 6 April.

Follow up on Earth Hour

Last Friday, the College participated in Earth Hour, bringing greater peace across the College. Thanks to Mr Meleca from EPT Global, with whom we are running an environmental engineering program, we received some firm data on our carbon usage. In the exact hour we turned off the lights and more in our offices and classrooms, the College managed a 39% reduction in energy consumption compared to any ordinary day. Imagine if we all cut back a little bit across our lives all the time!!

 

#saveourplanet #ourcommonhome

 

Gillian Daley

Director of Identity

Mothers’ Day Mass

All mothers of the College are warmly invited with their sons, to the College’s Mothers’ Day Mass on Friday 6 May. It will be a wonderful celebration of the relationship between mother and son, modelled on our relationship with God. Following Mass all mothers are invited to Morning Tea provided by the Parents’ and Friends’ Committee.

 

Venue:                   Rosehill Gardens, Grand Pavilion, Level 2 (enter via Gate 1 off Grand Ave)

Time:                     8:15 AM for 8:30 AM start

Morning Tea:      10:00 AM approximately - in the Garden area next to the Pavilion 

 

ALL students will be transported by bus back to the College for the remainder of the day. No boy will be permitted to leave with his mother after the Mass.

 

There will be just one Mass this year; not divided into House Masses. As such we require firm numbers for planning. Please note the following with regard to tickets/rsvp. We request you read the instructions carefully, so we do not need to spend time adjusting many bookings. The Mass is for students and their mother/mother figure ONLY.

  • You must get a ticket for you and for each of your sons, including those in the Band and Choir.
  • Please indicate if you will stay for morning tea – this is crucial for catering purposes.
  • You are only to organise your own family’s tickets (as numbers per booking are limited).
  • Unfortunately, we are unable to fit grandmothers, aunties and others this year so please note it is just for one mother/mother figure.
  • Siblings not from the College will not be able to attend (apart from babies who do not require a seat).
  • Excess tickets from any one family will be cancelled and therefore not be honoured.
  • If there is still room, we will open ticketing for grandmothers in the first week of next term.
  • Parking will be available on site – Members Reserve Carpark.
  • Only boys attending the Mass with their mother will be at the Mass. All other boys will arrive at school as per the normal school day and be supervised by teachers.
  • The RSVP (ticketing) ‘window’ will be Wednesday 30 March at 6:00 PM to Thursday 7 April at 12:00 PM.
  • This is the link for booking tickets -  SPC Mothers' Day Mass 2022 Bookings Link  

We look forward to this celebration of our faith which is central to our being as a Catholic school. We also look forward to honouring the role of all mothers and mother figures in the life of the College and more importantly in the lives of the boys and young men we teach.

 

Gillian Daley

(Director of Identity) on behalf of Dr Lavorato and St Patrick’s College