Faith, Justice and Formation 

St Patrick’s College Winter Appeal 2022

Winter is upon us once again, and as the days get shorter and the nights get colder, we must remember what our College is all about and help those who do not have a place to sleep this winter. We are so fortunate to have a home to go to and hopefully warmth through blankets, as well as food and hygiene. In order to help those who are sleeping rough and to show them the dignity they deserve as human beings through our love and care, we will be holding our Annual SPC Winter Appeal this Thursday 26 and Friday 27 May. All donations will be distributed between SVDP (St Vincent De Paul), The House of Welcome and Catholic Care in order to spread our reach across the city and state.

It would be greatly appreciated if every student brings the following:

• A blanket or sleeping bag (the simple ones from Kmart and the like are great or the blankets/sleeping bags can be used ones if they have been cleaned),
• A toiletry item (all small in size so they are easy to carry when on the streets) allocated by House below.

Optional extras for people to bring in are: NEW beanie, scarf, socks, underwear (in packet), men’s singlets. Please DO NOT bring any clothes. (Anything outside the requested items will be sent back home, sorry.)

Please help us by following the directions for donation below. This assists us with the large numbers and the organisation we need to undertake.

ALL boys in Berg, Coghlan and Crichton are to bring their donations in on Thursday 26 May.

ALL boys in Hanrahan, Hickey and Rice are to bring their donations in on Friday 27 May.

All items will be collected in homeroom on the allocated day. This should assist families by having all sons bring in on the one day. All items should be brand new. 

As people in this privileged position, our generosity is vital in order to help those who cannot afford these luxuries. In the words of Edmund Rice, we need to remember to ‘give to the poor in handfuls’. Then in follow up we need to go beyond this action and try to engage in advocacy which ultimately leads to addressing problems at the source. Homelessness is an enormous issue, but we can act. We won’t fix it straight away but our contribution to this appeal can lighten the load for many in the process.

The Winter Appeal will be followed up by the optional Winter Sleep Out for students in early Term 3. Details regarding this will be placed in the Especean later this term. Also look out for a possible Parent Winter Sleep Out.

Thank-you in advance for your support.

Paul Akle                                                     Gillian Daley

Social Justice Prefect                           Director of Identity

Social Justice Issues in the Upcoming Election

In follow up to my article about “a better kind of politics” (Pope Francis) from a couple of weeks ago in the Especean, I have not been able to get a clear table of comparison as hoped and promised, but below are two links I found to give some comparison on some major justice issues (along with other areas). Take a moment if you can to look at how the major parties address some of the things that speak to us a people of justice, compassion and love.

Federal election 2022: Where do the major parties stand on policy issues? - ABC News

antar-2022_fed_election_scorecard.pdf

Gillian Daley

Director of Identity