It was a holiday season dominated by unprecedented fires, destructive hail storms and even floods. The loss of life and homes, the devastation to landscape and wildlife (an estimated 1 billion wildlife killed) is beyond belief.
The fires challenged many things in this country that we take for granted - clean air, greeting of birds, electronic contact with families, electricity and water supplies. It also challenged us in regard to Australian summers in the future and actions we must take.
At the same time, the fires deepened people’s relationships to one another and to the natural world. The heroism of those fighting fires, the generous response to special appeals to support people in their recovery were signs of hope amongst the sadness and loss. We offer prayers for those who have lost loved ones and homes in these ‘Black Summer’ bushfires and for those truly heroic women and men who are helping to fight the blaze.
At the recent Amazon Synod in Rome, Pope Francis spoke passionately about two of his greatest priorities and he sees them as interlinked. He called for honesty, courage and responsibility to protect the planet and vulnerable people. Francis used strong words and spoke about a brutal injustice if we fail to hear ‘both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.’ One of our challenges at Marist College Canberra is to place these environmental concerns at a much higher priority in our strategic thinking.
The College was recently proud to participate in the National Marist Bushfire Appeal Day held on Friday 14 February. It was a great chance for our students from Years 4-12 to show solidarity with students from other Marist schools across Australia in support of those who have lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods.
Matthew Hutchison
Headmaster