Year 9 Reflection Day and McAuley Sleepout

Last week our Year 9 students participated in their Reflection Day. Taking place via a series of sessions held over two days, the focus for the event was on the issue of homelessness. This is an issue that our faith teaches us is a grave social concern. Homelessness strips people of their dignity, and robs them of the opportunity to live life to the full. We take hope in the knowledge that real and lasting changes can occur when we engage in education, prayer, conversation and action in response to this issue.

Our care for the homeless is neither incidental nor accidental. It goes to the very core of our faith. The Christian story has always been a story of homelessness and hospitality. In the Hebrew scriptures, we hear the repeated declaration that we must welcome the stranger, and take care of the lost. From our Jewish heritage, we learn that “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and will be repaid in full” (Proverbs 19:17). In the Gospels, we hear Jesus declare that he has “no place to lay his head”, as his radical vulnerability promotes radical hospitality.

Over the course of the two days, our Year 9s:

• heard from Sammy, as he shared his own experience of homelessness

• spent time with Hayley, who spoke about the work of McAuley Services for Women and Children

• watched the recent documentary “Under Cover”, exploring the stories of Australian women experiencing homelessness

• took part in a liturgy, where our shared prayers for justice were voiced.

A small group of Year 9s also took part in the annual McAuley Sleepout, and they are to be commended for their participation in this solidarity action.

If you would like to watch the documentary “Under Cover”, you can access it on iView via this link.