Assistant Dean of Identity | Mr Chris Zammit

This week we recognise National Refugee Week. It is an opportunity to be reminded of our commitment to the Touchstone of Inclusive Community, as articulated in the EREA Charter: That our community is accepting and welcoming, fostering right relationships and committed to the common good. We are also reminded of our commitment towards creating a society that celebrates diversity and welcomes those who have come across the seas.

The Gospel story tells us that Jesus was a refugee. The Holy Family, as Matthew recounts the story, was fleeing because of a “well-founded fear of persecution” because of their “membership in a particular social group.” Pope Francis reminds us that every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age. He also challenges us as a Catholic community to be part of a shared response articulated by four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate. 

Last Friday, a number our young men from Years 10-12 joined together with students from other Edmund Rice schools for the annual Luminous Lantern Parade in Southbank; a walk of solidarity with hundreds of others from around Brisbane to celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity and to be reminded of the richness of stories among people in our community.

This week Terrace is supporting the work of ‘The Asylum Circle’ - a community group dedicated to ensuring newly arrived asylum seekers and migrants are able to settle and feel supported and included in the Brisbane community. Throughout the week money has been raised to support the work of this organisation as they work directly with newly placed refugees in our local area.

As we finish our school term, we are also reminded of the many opportunities we are presented with here at Terrace - sporting, academic and social - and also our responsibility as a Catholic community in the Edmund Rice tradition to share these opportunities with those whose stories may be filled with pain and marginalisation. We pray that our response, like Edmund’s, may be one filled with justice and compassion and our hearts may be continually moved to stand up for those whose stories are filled with struggle and whose voices may not be heard.

Compassionate God,
No one is a stranger to you and no one is ever far from your loving care. Watch over those who are separated from their loved ones and homeland; those who fear persecution and hope for a better life in our community. May we reach out in welcome to all those who arrive as refugees, embracing one another so that together your hope, Lord, will be our future.
Live Jesus in our Hearts… Forever!