This weekend the Church reflected on Social Justice Sunday. Social Justice Sunday falls on the last Sunday of August each year. It is a day to centre the Church’s social mission and encourage parishes and communities to reflect on the social, political, economic and environmental issues that face our society. Each year, in the lead up to Social Justice Sunday, the Australian Catholic Bishops release a Social Justice Statement in a tradition dating back to the 1940s. The statement reflects on a current and pressing issue of justice in Australia and beyond, and is foundational in establishing focus on the Church’s social mission of the time.

2024-2025 Social Justice Statement, Truth and Peace: A Gospel Word in a Violent World

The 2024-25 Social Justice Statement, Truth and Peace: A Gospel Word in a Violent World, is an urgent cry for peace amidst the worrying rise in violence, armed conflict and suffering around the world. The statement reflects on how our ‘post-truth’ society cannot foster peaceful dialogue, and therefore trust, which is a pillar for building global peace. It tells that the erosion of truth, brought on by new technologies and algorithms, loss of faith in generally accepted authorities, a well-resourced persuasion industry, and a generalised atmosphere of social distrust, increases the risk of conflict, and more importantly, damages means of building peace.

With the ultimate goal of local and global peace, the bishops declare the importance of promoting a robust education system so that children may better navigate the world they find themselves in. They also provide a list of simple, but meaningful, actions that anyone can partake in, from inviting the true God to nurture peace in your heart, to making your concerns known to your local Member of Parliament or reaching out to a local reconciliation or refugee support group.

The Church, and everyone within it, has a responsibility to be an agent of positive change for peace, and to respond to conflict by supporting the disadvantaged, vulnerable and voiceless.

Prayer for Social Justice Sunday

Adapted from Pope Francis’ Fratelli Tutti

God, Trinity of love,
from the profound communion of your divine life,
pour out upon us a torrent of sisterly and brotherly love.
Grant us the love reflected in the actions of Jesus,
in his family of Nazareth,
and in the early Christian community.

Grant that we Christians may live the Gospel,
discovering Christ in each human being,
recognising him crucified
in the sufferings of the abandoned
and forgotten of our world,
and risen in each sister or brother
who makes a new start.

Come, Holy Spirit, show us your beauty,
reflected in all the peoples of the earth,
so that we may discover anew
that all are important and all are necessary,
different faces of the one humanity
that God so loves.

AMEN.

At Damascus our promotion of social justice and care for one another is the key tenet in which we work. Embedding our Mercy Values of respect, courage, compassion, hospitality, justice and service we continue to foster strategies to build peace, understanding and respect.

Damascus College is pleased to announce we have recently become a member of the Communities of Respect and Equality (CoRE) Alliance. The CoRE Alliance is a region-wide approach to prevent violence against women and their children in the Central Highlands, Grampians Pyrenees and Wimmera areas of Victoria. The CoRE Plan sets a vision for “A safe, equal and respectful society for everyone” and invites all organisations, businesses, clubs and networks in the region, who share this vision, to become members of the Alliance and start working collectively, with mutually reinforcing actions towards that vision.

We will commence planning the actions we will take as part of our commitment over the next few weeks. Please let Sharon Lehtonen or Mitch Jolly know if you would like to be involved in the planning process.

Last week we were blessed to have our Catholic Primary Schools join us for the Annual Secondary Education Experience Day (SEED), the students participated in many activities and were able to experience the joy and energetic learning here at Damascus. I’d like to thank the many staff who organised the events and our primary schools who paused their learning and teaching program to join us at the College.

With every blessing.