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Informer - Term 2 Week 8

From Our Principal...

Dear Families

I read this commentary over the weekend. Along with many others, I struggle to fathom how a culture cannot see the issue that confronts them. The following article is an interesting challenge. At an individual level, do we see the problems in our own lives, and do we have what it takes to confront them?

At the news of another tragedy in which nineteen children and two adults were killed in a shooting in Uvalde, Texas, our hearts are broken thinking of the parents, families, friends and neighbors of the victims. Here yet again we’re confronted by an act of appalling violence against the most innocent. The words of the prophet Jeremiah come to mind: "A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted because they are no more" (Jer. 31:15).

How can we best respond? In the coming days, there will no doubt yet again be debates about what changes in laws and policies are needed. As a pastor, I have no special expertise to weigh in on these questions. But for Christians and all people of good will, one thing at least must be clear: We must never get used to an event such as happened yesterday in Uvalde. In the words of the apostle Paul, we must “mourn with those who mourn” (Rom. 12:15), sharing at least in some small way in the grief and devastation of the parents who have lost their loved ones. We must pray for them and for the school children who survived and are now burdened with the trauma of what they experienced.

Yesterday’s carnage comes just ten days after the previous mass shooting in Buffalo. In both cases, it appears that the killer was an eighteen-year-old young man. There’s an added horror in the fact that a young person just entering the prime of his life should choose to perpetrate an act that can only be described as demonic. Whatever the other factors leading to what happened yesterday in Texas, I believe we must not underestimate the role of what the New Testament calls “powers and principalities,” the spiritual forces of evil afflicting our world not just in Uvalde and Buffalo but also in Ukraine, Yemen, and other places of bloodshed in our world.

The New Testament tells us what we are to do beyond grieving and praying: we must let ourselves be changed. In a few days, Christians around the globe will celebrate the feast of Pentecost, when according to the Book of Acts the Holy Spirit descended on the first believers gathered in Jerusalem “with a sound like the rush of a mighty wind.” The noise and commotion drew a crowd of onlookers, to whom the apostle Peter spoke, challenging them to the kind of radical change that scripture calls “repentance.” In response, the crowd was “cut to the heart.” As a result, they were filled with overwhelming love for one another, and formed a fellowship “of one heart and one soul” that, in time, would change the world.

After yesterday’s events, we too must be “cut to the heart,” repenting of any lovelessness, violence, and apathy in our own lives. May we as a people rise to this challenge and be transformed like the crowds in Jerusalem were, in a way that bears fruit in actions of love and community. Fundamentally, such a transformation is the only lasting answer to hate

https://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/world/cut-to-the-heart

Have a great week and hug your kids.

Jamie Emerick
Principal

APRE News...

Family Spirit

Last night the Year 3 students and their teachers provided a wonderful experience for parishioners at Star of the Sea Church. It was a special occasion for the celebration of Pentecost Sunday. Father Ashwin reminded all who attended it is the birthday of the church. We celebrate God sending the Holy Spirit to guide us, to spread the Good News and the invitation to join the family of God. Those children represented unity throughout the mass and were a delight to observe and hear.

Pope Francis has also highlighted the family of God. He is inviting all families, across the globe, to join in a combined family weekend. Our diocese will be gathering at Coolwaters Discovery Park in Yeppoon on the weekend of June 25-26. If you would like to attend, please refer to the QR code included in the newsletter. Accommodation and camping sites have been set aside for families to access.

As the winter weather closes in, I would ask everyone to consider how they could help other families in need. St John the Baptist is renown for collecting lots of winter woolens, blankets, new pillows, canned soups/stews/meals. Please consider donating any items to this wonderful event (The Vinnie's Winter Appeal) and drop these off to the front office. Your generosity is appreciated.

In the Way of Mary, the spirit of a Marist school ought to be a family spirit. Now in a good family, sentiments of respect, love, and mutual trust prevail, and not fear of punishments

(Life of Marcelling Champagnat, Part 2, Ch. 22, p. 530)

Library News

This week in our Library we are working on World Environment Day activities.

In 1972, the UN General Assembly designated 5 June as World Environment Day (WED). The first celebration, under the slogan “Only One Earth” took place in 1974. In the following years, WED has developed as a platform to raise awareness on the problems facing our environment such as air pollution, plastic pollution, illegal wildlife trade, sustainable consumption, sea-level increase, and food security, among others.

2022 Theme: Only One Earth

The World Environment Day 2022 global campaign #OnlyOneEarth calls for transformative changes to policies and choices to enable cleaner, greener, and sustainable living in harmony with nature. It will focus on the need to live sustainably in harmony with nature, and our possibilities for shifting to a greener lifestyle through both policies and individual choices. “Only One Earth” was the motto for the 1972 Stockholm Conference. 50 years on, the motto is as pertinent as ever – this planet is our only home, and humanity must safeguard its finite resources.