Last Friday was the feast day of St Ignatious who is most famous for saying `Find God in all things’. In our Assembly on Friday we reflected on this challenge ‘to find God in this time of COVID-19’. COVID-19 is a hardship that our school has gone through together. Although each of the students and staff were in their own homes for our Assembly that was put together as a video link, the school came together to pray to God as one community. Thanks to all the student leaders that were involved and made the assembly so special.

This year Social Justice Sunday will be celebrated on 30 August 2020. 

The Australian Catholic Bishop Conference release their Social justice statement. This year's statement is titled, To Live Life to the Full: Mental health in Australia today. The statement encourages faith communities, governments and each one of us to make mental health a priority. It is a timely message in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic is affecting many members of our parishes, schools and communities.

Understanding mental health will help us to be aware of those who need our support. The Statement encourages us all to reject stigmatisation, to work for the transformation of social determinants of mental ill-health and to call for policies and service provision that meets the needs of the poorest and most marginalised members of our community.

Each year the Australian Catholic Bishop Statement is accompanied by a prayer. 

This year's prayer has a focus on mental health.

Jesus, you invite us all into the fullness of life.

May we support one another to flourish in body, mind and spirit.

Strengthen our commitment to ensure that nobody falls through gaps in our systems of care.

People called you mad.

Help us to recognise you in those who suffer mental ill-health today.

Show us how to eliminate stigmatisation of mental

Ill-health from our parishes, schools, communities and organisations.

You drew near to those who were suffering in body or mind.

May we too feel your nearness when we struggle with ment

al health challenges.

May we be one as members of Your Body.

You invite us to share in your ministry of love and true compassion.

May we be empowered by your Spirit to reach out to all people in need.

May we build communities of welcome and inclusion.

Amen

1000 paper cranes

Sadako Sasaki was 2 years old when a nuclear bomb was dropped on her city Hiroshima, towards the end of the Second World War. In the years that followed, the children of her age would be called the 'ragged class' for the people and families who had been lost and homes destroyed.

Sadako herself would develop Leukemia at 12 years old and in an act of hope and defiance, began making paper cranes in her hospital bed so that she may be granted a wish once she had made 1000. In Japanese folklore the crane is a mythical being who lives for 1000 years, thus a 1000 cranes will give you good health/grant you 1 wish.

While Sadako sadly lost her battle with Leukemia, her courage and hope inspired a global movement that advocates for peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons, with the Peace Park in Hiroshima receiving more than 10 million cranes were made by children from across the world every year.

This year Catholic Regional College St Albans students and staff have made 1000 paper cranes as a community, in our own time of challenge and adversity. While we do not for a second compare Sadako's time and experience with our own, we have never the less created a symbol of unity and hope in times of trouble.

Students and staff are currently responding to 2 questions, 

What is one thing that always gives you hope?

What is your one wish for the world?

The responses will be added to our own peace shrine at school. It will stand as a visual record of our hope for the future and dreams of a better tomorrow.

Some of our students' responses so far:

What is one thing that always gives you hope?

• My family and friends
• When I see the sun especially when we have had grey skies for a long time
• The goodness and kindness of young people
• My faith and belief
• When I listen to music, I always feel better
• When I know that others are helping me and I know I have a team behind backing me up
• My students
• 1 thing that gives me hope is all the teachers doing their best to educate each and every student, it gives me hope because I see that everyone is still trying their best to get through this pandemic
• The positivity of the student leaders at CRC St Albans
• The memories and people that led me here
• One thing that always gives me hope is the thought of the future. I always believe that no matter what happens, the future will still be ahead and that everything that is happening right now will be over eventually

What is your one wish for the world?

• One wish that I have for the world is equality especially with times like this, it is very important to appreciate and accept people for who they are and give the same trust to everyone
• Peace
• That there may be peace and unity and that all mankind be humble, that there may no longer be greed, selfishness, pride and violence
• All I wish for is everyone to be safe and have a good life
• For the world to have peace
• That COVID-19 can be stopped
• That people learn positive things from COVID-19 and that the positivity stays with them post COVID-19
• I wish that everyone, no matter the gender, race or sexuality, can all get along and make the world peaceful
• True equality
• That every person believes in the common good.
• Peace and love