Director of Faith & Mission

Living responsibly in relationship to all Creation

Welcome everyone to the new school year.  This year our Presentation value of ‘living responsibly in relationship to all creation’ requires us to understand the meaning and richness of the universe story. The universe story is the divine story, the creation story, the human story.

The universe story is grounded in three intertwined relationships: with God, with each other and with the earth itself. Our relationship with God can never be detached from our relationship with each other and with our environment.

As we come together for a new year  let us be mindful that the God who calls us to live in loving relationship with creation invites us to connect, care and share our common home. This means care for the poor, care for the planet, care for nature, care for the communities, care for people — care for God’s creation.

Caring for the Earth is inseparable from social justice. As a Presentation community we believe that a true ecological approach to our mission always becomes a social approach where we hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.

Caring for Creation has long been a part of our Presentation tradition and mission. Now we need to make it a lived experience. At this crucial time for people and our planet, we are called to become people who live responsibly in relationship to all creation. This means that we must make integral ecological changes to our personal and communal lives. The challenge is ahead of us!

Josie Dilettoso

Director of Faith and Mission 

Prayer

God, source of all life,

We thank you for the great gift of our Earth.

You blessed us with an abundant and life-giving natural world,

And gave us the capacity to nurture it for generations to come.

 Inspired by the example of Pope Francis, grant us the humility to remember

That we are but one part of a vast ecosystem, all of which is precious in your eyes.

Enriched as we are by faith, nourished as we are through the Eucharist,

Grant us the strength we need to be steadfast advocates for the voiceless,

mindful of the importance of every living thing on Earth.

Endowed with a renewed understanding and appreciation of the Earth, we now have a responsibility to act.

Empower us, O Lord,  that we may recognise social and ecological injustice in our community, and act decisively to create meaningful change.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, 

Amen