吃瓜不打烊

3 November 2022

Students and staff at Our Lady’s School, Craigieburn, have participated in World Mission Month in October by learning about the concept of Catholic mission and raising funds to support a farming project in rural Ethiopia, where families grapple with the issues of food insecurity and malnutrition.

Teachers worked with Mark Clarke from global mission agency Catholic Mission, who shared his wisdom regarding World Mission Month through the lens of Catholic social teaching.

With their teachers, students explored the notion of mission and what it means for each person who belongs to the Catholic Church, identifying and reflecting on the different missions people have in line with Catholic social teaching, and the different gifts they have.

To take action, the school community participated in on Friday 21 October.

An initiative of Catholic Mission, Socktober raises awareness and funds for critical projects, supporting vulnerable children in developing countries. Students signed up online, and invited their families and friends to sponsor them by making donations.

To raise further funds in an engaging way, the Year 6 students organised a mini-fete which provided an opportunity for students to donate funds and have fun at the same time. Parish priests, Fr Varghese Kurisingal and Fr Toan Nguyen, along with families, joined in by kicking ‘goals for good’. Together, the school community raised more than $4,000.

Religious Education Leader, Marim Elia, said World Mission Month had been a great experience for the Our Lady’s School community.

‘We pray that our efforts and service have been a helpful contribution to the mission of bringing love, hope, faith and support to all our brothers and sisters around the world’, she said.