20 May 2022
On Sunday, Pope Francis will invite Catholic communities around the world to participate in Laudato Si’ Week 2022.
The week-long global event will mark the seventh anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on creation care and unite the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics to listen and respond to the cry of God’s creation.
Catholics will rejoice in the progress we have made in bringing Laudato Si’ to life and intensify our efforts through the Vatican’s new Laudato Si’ Action Platform, which is empowering Catholic institutions, communities, and families to fully implement Laudato Si’.
Marcellin College has signed up to be part of the Laudato Si’ Platform. Led by our Sustainability Coordinator, Hugh Holliday, we will be using this platform to ensure that we are doing our part in ensuring that we are raising awareness of the challenges of the climate emergency and ecological crisis and further bring Laudato Si’ to life and care for the most vulnerable.
The theme for the week is Listening and Journeying Together. The eight-day global event will be guided by the following quote from Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’: “Bringing the human family together to protect our common home” (LS 13).
Laudato Si’ Week 2022 marks the fourth global Laudato Si’ Week celebration (2016, 2020, 2021). However, for the first time since 2016, the event will feature in-person events, an important milestone in the world’s efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marcellin College will host its annual Staff Formation Day on Friday, 20 May. The day is facilitated by the Marist Life and Formation Team and by our colleagues who will be running various forums throughout the day. The day explores the way Marist communities strive to be places where everyone, especially the least, lost and invisible are ‘known and loved’; places where each person’s voice is heard and respected, and where their dignity is recognised and honoured. The day will conclude with the celebration of the Eucharist in the Champagnat Chapel. A special thanks to the Monsignor Franco Cavarro for celebrating the mass with our College staff, the Marist Life and Formation Team, and forum facilitators who led forums on the following topics:
Gender
This forum brings awareness to the human experience of the complex issue of gender. We will acknowledge the voices of human beings who are gender diverse and those whose gender is discriminated against.
First Nations People
This forum will explore how the dignity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is being strengthened by such movements as the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We will hear the voices of First Nations people and discover a rich culture and history that spans many millennia.
Displaced Peoples
We will listen to the voices and stories of Migrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers who have been forced to flee their homeland and hence become Displaced Peoples. This forum will explore stories of people who fled war, violence, persecution, conflict, and violation of their human rights in search of safety.
Cry of the Earth
This forum invites us to listen to the cry of the earth and how we can restore dignity and sacredness to our environment. Responding to our impact on the natural world, also calls us to consider the impact we have on each other. Hearing the Cry of the Earth begins with our own deep listening.
Invisible in a Digital Age
This forum presents an opportunity to listen to the voices of people who are hyperconnected, switched on and accessible but who also report feelings of loneliness and isolation. We will reflect on ways to respond with dignity to those who are made invisible in a digital age.
Mental Health
This forum explores how we can see and hear people who are often overlooked and silent because of their mental wellbeing. Physical health is often evident at first glance: sharp eyes, good complexion as well as clear speech, but awareness of mental health depends on another level of being seen and heard.
Living in Poverty
This forum will provide an opportunity to encounter some of the 3 million Australians who live in poverty, to hear their stories as well as explore the hidden face of poverty and homelessness in Australia.