Mount St Benedict College has launched into the Lenten season with gusto, embarking on their 22nd Caritas Trek, aimed not only at raising money for Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion appeal, but also raising awareness about the issue of water security and building solidarity with women in need across the globe.
By Debra Vermeer
The Trek took place in the bushland setting of the Good Samaritan Education school in Pennant Hills, Sydney, with students walking to a local creek to collect water. This was one of a range of activities held at the College to encourage both Lenten reflection and action.
It took place over two days, due to the large number of students who volunteered to take part.
“When we first started doing the Trek it was just a small group of students and staff who would go down to the local creek,” said the school’s Dean of Mission, Kerry Bailey.
“This year we had about 140 students and the girls raised $1200 for Caritas Australia.
“But while it is good to raise money for Project Compassion, our main emphasis is that the Trek is an act of solidarity. It’s about the girls understanding that we’ve walked down to the creek on good paths and in our comfortable joggers to collect and carry water, but for women in many places, they do this every day in much more harsh circumstances, to collect water for their family.”
The Trek takes place before school, ensuring an early start for participants and staff, and not even wet weather gets in the way. Students carry large water containers through the bush to the creek, where they stop and collect water.
The filled containers are then carried back to the school and placed in a central location where they remain for the week as a visual reminder of the challenges faced by communities around the world.
Image: Mount St Benedict College.
While at the creek, Year 12 Social Justice Captains lead a short service of reflection and prayer and a time of stillness in the beauty of the bush before the students return to the school for their day of learning.
Deputy Dean of Mission Jacinta Wells said the Trek encourages solidarity at a range of levels.
“While the Trek itself and the reflections do engage the participants in solidarity with women around the world who have to find water for their family every single day for them to survive, it also builds community and solidarity within the school community,” she said.
Students from Years 7 to 12 take part in the Trek, walking together and supporting one another, building connections across year groups.
“So, it’s not only about promoting global solidarity, but they’ve also got the internal solidarity of supporting one another and building connections in the school community,” Jacinta said.
The Trek is just one part of a week of Caritas-linked activities at Mount St Benedict College in the first week of Lent (3-7 March), including Shrove Tuesday pancake fundraisers, guest speakers and ‘virtual immersions’.
“Community Partnerships Animator Dominic Smith from Caritas Australia came to speak to the girls about Project Compassion and the Big Water Walk this year, and he was excellent. He shared with the girls the purpose of Caritas and some of the stories of the work they do,” Jacinta said.
“He also talked about how the important work of the schools can make a big contribution when you look at the bigger picture.”
“It really brought home for the girls that they’d completed this action in undertaking the Trek and now they’re hearing from the organisation about the impact of that action.”
Each class in the junior school also attends an online ‘immersion’ opportunity where students hear stories from places where Caritas is working to support communities around the globe, either told directly by someone who lives in that community or by a member of Caritas staff.
Image: Mount St Benedict College.
Kerry said the Caritas Week activities also build on the students’ understanding of the Good Samaritan-Benedictine values of Hospitality, Stewardship and Pax, which are intrinsic to all that happens at the school.
“Each year the College focuses on a particular Good Samaritan-Benedictine virtue and this year’s focus is on Hospitality, which works in really well with this Jubilee Year of Hope and with this idea of being open to being in solidarity with others, to welcome their stories, and to incorporate these new understandings into our school community,” she said.
Caritas Week activities also help students to reflect on the message of the Parable of the Good Samaritan and to take action to ‘be neighbour’ and to respond when they see a need.
Students are encouraged to make a Project Compassion pledge, identifying how they will support the campaign through prayer and action. As Holy Week approaches, they make palm crosses, which are blessed at St Agatha’s Parish in Pennant Hills and distributed to local nursing homes.
This year one Year 7 student is holding a cupcake stand at her local Bunnings hardware store to raise funds for Project Compassion.
Kerry said the Caritas Week activities also coincided with the celebration of International Women’s Day at the College.
She said she reminded students that the burden of providing their families with water often falls on women and girls, and this type of ‘quiet work’ makes a significant difference to communities around the world.
“Caritas often targets women in their programs because they have this amazing ability to be able to bring a community together and to deliver a project,” Kerry said.
“On International Women’s Day it’s great to celebrate high-profile women, but you’ve also got to remember all of these other women overseas who go about their daily lives quietly making change, and that’s who we’re supporting through Project Compassion.”
