Social Justice

We were overwhelmed by the incredible support of the Mazenod family for our Winter Appeal. We received a wonderful amount of goods to donate to our local Parish charities who serve the most needy and marginalised in our community. At our Year 10 Reflection Day, the students learned about the issue of homelessness and were challenged to look for Jesus in the faces of the poor and marginalised, to care for our brothers and sisters in need. Our Year 10 students, with these generous donations, put together care packages and wrote prayers and messages of hope to send out to those in need. Following the appeal, we dropped over 20 bags of food to St Leonard’s Parish Glen Waverley for their food bank, a van full of clothes and toys to St Vincent De Paul in Springvale and an amazing amount of tea, coffee and toiletries to our Rosies Oblate Mission. Every item is going to those who need them most, particularly those in our local community. The charities upon receiving these were blown away by the amount of donations and shared with us their deep appreciation and continued need for support. A huge thank you to all our students, parents and staff who supported this important effort, a wonderful gesture of de Mazenod spirit.

This year Mazenod has once again been involved in the Building Bridges program. We started the year with a small group of Year 10 and 11 students, and it was great to see that group grow over the year. One of our Year 11 participants, Nikhil Perera, has kindly shared his experience below:

Over the course of the year, I have had the pleasure of being a member of the Building Bridges program, which was an opportunity to meet with others of different faiths and get to know them. In our sessions together, hosted by either Mazenod, Mt. Hira College, Killester College, Kilbreda College, King David School, or Nazareth College, we each had a tour of the respective schools, as well as a presentation on the history of the school, before delving into group discussions. It truly was an amazing experience, of different faiths that are usually very separate from each other, coming together, and sharing a meal.

In our final session together on September 2, we were invited by the Bunurong Land Council to a community day, where we were taken on a tour of Shoreham, and the Mount Martha foreshores. There, we were taught about the different uses of plants in the area and given the opportunity to take part in the restoration of native plant life. We ended the day with a trip to the beach, where we visited an archaeological site, and learned about the different applications of stone, before taking part in a smoking ceremony.

To any Year 10 or 11 students considering the program next year, I would highly recommend it to you. At worst, it is a day out with your mates. At best? Who knows? My challenge to you is to come find out for yourself and try something new. Joshua Hunter