Communities in Western Sydney showcase their care for our common home.
From May 16 to 24, Catholic communities around the world are celebrating Laudato Si’ Week.
Laudato Si’ Week – which marks the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical – is sponsored by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and is meant to encourage Catholic communities to take bolder actions for creation during the week-long initiative.
Ahead of Laudato Si’ Week, Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv, Bishop of Parramatta and Chair of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice – Mission and Service, recorded a video message, encouraging the faithful to “have the courage to align ourselves with God’s plan for the world.”
To commemorate Laudato Si’ Week, Catholic Outlook has reached out to parishes, schools and faith movements to share how they are caring for our common home.
Cerdon College, Merrylands
Living in a society where the world is constantly changing, many individuals are developing a growing concern for the wellbeing of our earth. The issue of not doing enough for our environment is a challenge that has highlighted itself through numerous protests and a call to faith initiated by the encyclical Laudato Si.
I have the privilege to be involved in a school community where we work with this call of faith and enthusiasm brought by students and staff members. I am proud to say the efforts that were brought forward has allowed us to initiate such programs to ensure our work towards the environment will start and bring a positive change.
The initiatives in place at Cerdon College are aimed towards adapting a sustainable waste approach that is set across a broad range. We have altered each classroom by adding an additional bin that is primarily for the purpose of paper to ensure its recyclability is at a maximum.
On top of that, the school has implemented newly assigned leadership roles, that is, the Enviro Squad and new criteria assigned for the Social Justice Group with the purpose to improve how the school manages their waste. Their main role is to go through the bins and organise items according to their assigned categories.
Along with this, the Social Justice Group has set a challenge for the whole school called ‘Plastic Free Wednesday’ where the students and teachers are challenged to bring no plastic on this day. Additionally, there is an incentive for all students to stay environmentally friendly as we have the ‘Greenest Person of the Week Award’ that enables any student from any year to be rewarded for their consideration towards the environment.
Ariona Haxhijaj is a student at Cerdon College, Merrylands.
Keep an eye on Catholic Outlook and on the Diocese of Parramatta’s Facebook and Instagram social media channels throughout this week as we share stories to mark Laudato Si’ Week.
