Newsletter 13: 17 October 2023
Dear Colleagues,
At the end of last term Marist Schools Australia launched an Essay Writing Competition throughout schools inviting students to respond to the question "As a young Australian, what do you consider are the critical issues to be considered in relation to the upcoming referendum?" Submissions were due on Friday 6 October and were assessed in this past week. It is with enormous appreciation to note that the response from our students across the country was outstanding. In particular, the following schools are commended for the number and quality of the essays submitted - St Joseph's College Hunters Hill, Parramatta Marist High School, Lavalla Catholic College Traralgon and Marcellin College Bulleen.
With the democratic process of the Referendum now concluded, there remains a strong commitment from various political parties and many Australians for greater recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in the Constitution as well as constructive, sustained responses to the invitation to all Australians expressed in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
In this spirit, the following quotes from the excellent essays submitted are shared:
Australia holds diverse opinions on the utility of the Indigenous Voice in advancing the well- being of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Nevertheless, the overarching objective is reconciliation and the proper recognition of Indigenous history and contemporary issues.
It is fundamental to true reconciliation that instead of neglecting the voices of First Nations Communities, Australians engage in sincere conversations, reaching the “full potential” of Australia’s national identity (Alice Springs Education Declaration, 2019). The Australian Catholic Bishops 2023 Social Justice Statement comprehends this attentiveness, highlighting how “commitment begins with more listening in humility to them about the injustices they have suffered,” (Australian Catholic Bishops Social Justice Statement, 2023-2024).
To ensure the future of Australia’s political system young people must inform themselves and hear out the arguments of all sides, have confidence in their own opinions and look at past failures to ensure future successes regardless of the issue.
The submissions were assessed by a panel of senior educators according to the stated criteria. In announcing the awardees, every student is congratulated for their thoughtful submissions.
2023 MSA National Essay Writing Competition Awards
First Prize: Anthony B, Parramatta Marist High School
Second Prize: Niah G, Lavalla Catholic College Traralgon
Third Prize: Luca O, Parramatta Marist High School
The awards will be presented in person in the coming weeks at an appropriate occasion in respective schools.
Sincere thanks for the manner in which Marists from around Australia have engaged in the Champagnat Global Week offerings online this week. We hope to see the network continue to flourish in the coming years.
Confronted with the unspeakable horror of the events unfolding in the Holy Land, as Marist educators we must lead our communities at this time with clarity and purpose. In Masses celebrated around the world this past week, Catholics have been united in praying for peace.
Prayer for Peace
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.