Catholic Identity & Mission News

Reflection Days

This past Monday (CRA) and Tuesday (CLN), our Year 11 students participated in their annual Reflection Days. The day was centred around Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti and had a focus on his assertion that, ‘we were created for a fulfilment that can only be found in love’ (FT #68). The sentiment of this statement is considered to be the crux of this encyclical which also uses Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10: 25-37) as a reference point to explore how we can respond to the challenges of our world today.

Students spent personal time and collaborative time in activities centred around their own temperaments and how they can bring out the best in themselves and others. They were invited to consider the question, ‘Who is my neighbour?’ and challenged to move beyond the natural disposition of loving only those who love us in return and broaden their affection to love their ‘enemy’ also. 

The Reflection Days also featured half day sessions by an organisation called ‘Courage to Care’. Courage to Care deliver programs designed to encourage people to be ‘upstanders’ (not bystanders) in the face of prejudice, intolerance, bullying and discrimination. Their programs are delivered by volunteers who share their stories and facilitate discussion about how we learn from the past to create a better future. 

The contributions of these volunteers, mostly of more senior years, aptly coincides with our ‘Pope Francis Tweet of the Week’ this week which states, ‘Where this is no honour for the elderly, there is no future for the young’. As much as we need to move with the times and respond to the needs of our young people in this modern world, we should also prize the wisdom and experience of all older generations. Only last week, Pope Francis revisited this theme when he explored the vital role the elderly can play in handing on life’s true and sustaining values to younger generations. 

And what future do our young people want? On our Reflection Days they expressed a desire for a world of peace, prosperity, friendships, and hope. In their journeys of faith, it is my hope that our loving God also continues to be a source of inspiration and guidance for them, and that they continue to love, listen to, and value all generations.

Fiona McKenna

Deputy Principal - Catholic Identity & Mission