At St John’s we have a very clear focus on peaceful and just relationships and central to our focus are the catholic social teachings of the Life and Dignity of the Human Person.

The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution or society is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.

Whilst we focus on upskilling our young people in how to build relationships based on peaceful and right interactions we engage our young people with social justice to heighten their awareness of ‘right’ relationships. As a Christian community we embed our actions in those of Jesus. In the face of violence and abuse, Jesus instinctually sees, judges and acts in a way that we can aspire to. 

His actions include:

• intervention into a situation that is unjust and risky
• solidarity with the victim as he stands beside them
• confrontation and challenge towards those holding power at the time
• kindness and forgiveness to the victim

Here at St John’s our staff and students are very active in their authentic engagement with social justice. They have long established groups such as Vinnies and PAX which meet each week and work to both raise awareness and funds for suitable causes. There are also many focus campaigns that they engage the whole school with. Over the last term they have been raising funds and goods for Vinnies with hot chocolate sales in the morning and ‘Bring a Can’ food collection. They have also collected goods for SAHSSI Shoalhaven for the women’s shelter. 

Social Justice Sunday is this coming Sunday 28 August.

The Australian Bishops' Social Justice Statement is launched on the last Sunday in August each year. The theme of this statement for 2022-23 is RESPECT: Confronting Violence and Abuse.

The President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB outlines the premise for the statement in his forward as we continue as a Catholic community to respond to the signs of the times.

“In recent years we have witnessed a new wave of campaigns to confront violence and abuse. We have heard new calls for respect in relationships. Many have spoken out to highlight the extent of abuse throughout society – in the home, in the workplace, and in various groups in the community, including the Church. Those who suffer such abuse are most frequently women and children while the perpetrators are most frequently men. But no matter who suffers such violence, and who perpetrates it, the damage to the lives of the victims and survivors of such abuse is real, destructive, and long-lasting.

The virtue of solidarity challenges us to support those who are seeking justice in the face of such widespread violence. The teaching of Christ urges us to promote relationships marked by respect and freedom rather than coercion and control. The message of the Gospel is not a message of domination of one person over another but a message of mutual esteem and kindness.”

The link to the Statement and other resources can be found here. 

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