The Ring of Fire from South Africa this month is a report from the LORETO EDUCATION CONFERENCE, held in Skinner Street, Pretoria, during FEBRUARY 17th – 19th 2006.
“I
TEACH WHO I AM” was the title of this education conference hosted by Loreto Skinner
St. and attended by the entire staffs of the three schools, viz. Skinner St.,
Queenswood and Strand.
The
conference opened with a very moving liturgy led by the Queenswood staff.
During this ritual, pieces of the Ziziphus mucronata tree
were used. The thorns of this tree are spaced along the length of every
branch in pairs. One of the pair points robustly outward and forward,
while the other curves back and inwards in the opposite direction. The
Nguni African legend says the thorns tell us something about ourselves
– that we must look ahead to the future.. But we must never forget
where we have come from.
The keynote address was given by Sr. Pat
Murray. Sr. Pat spoke from her own wide experience both in school ministry and
justice and peace work. She developed the theme of our own “landscapes” which have formed us and continue to form us.
Speaking of our outer landscapes she gave us
this meaningful quotation:
……they
serve as gateways to the divine. And day by day the ordinary places of our
lives leave their mark on us. They become part of us and we become part of them. (ROBERT HANNA –
LANDSCAPES OF THE SOUL)
But,
she said, equally important are the inner landscapes,
“You need only claim the
events of your life to make yourself yours. When you truly possess all that you
have been and done…..you are fierce with reality.”
(FLORA SCOTT-MAXWELL)
The Purposes of the Conference were:
………
TO VIEW THE DIFFERENT JPIC PROGRAMMES AT EACH SCHOOL AND TO TAKE IT FORWARD
BASED ON THE DIRECTIVES OF THE LOYOLA EDUCATION CONFERENCE OF 2005
1. VIEWING THE JPIC PROGRAMMES OF
EACH SCHOOL.
This
was indeed very interesting. As each
school made their presentation, one was aware of much commitment, not only on
the part of the designated JPIC person(s) but indeed of whole school
communities.
A: LORETO QUEENSWOOD.
In
this very comprehensive presentation we heard of the many initiatives that are
taking place throughout the entire school community. A great variety of
worthwhile projects were described, indicating a wonderful commitment to
justice and peace from a large number of staff members. Worthy of special mention is the “hands on”
assistance which the pupils and staff gave to a number of poor families in a
nearby township. Practical help was
given in repairing and decorating the homes and a team of pupils, under the
guidance of Queenswood staff, prepared an area and planted a vegetable garden. Working on this project provided learning
opportunities for both parties, as this quotation has so beautifully expressed
it:
“A Copernican Revolution: the people we are helping are, in fact,
helping us, even if they do not realize it.
They call us to love and awaken within us what is most precious …..COMPASSION”
B: LORETO SKINNER ST
Here
the presentation covered a very long and wide-ranging series of activities that
have been part of the curricular and extra-curricular schedule, all very
impressive and certainly in keeping with the theme “Justice, Peace and
Integrity of the Earth” Within the
school community, programmes include self-defence, an anti-bullying initiative,
peer counsellors, a nature club, anti-litter and paper recycling. A portion of the convent garden was procured for the formation of a very successful vegetable garden. For adult staff there was an opportunity to procure literacy skills through the ABET programme. Food parcels were provided and delivered. In
its justice and peace programme the school linked with Loreto sisters working
in the Kwa-Guqa Township, near Witbank. Besides food parcels, the pupils presented
families with some very colourful and welcome blankets. Underscoring all
activities is a strong emphasis on gospel values and the importance of prayer.
Skinner
St. pupils handing over blankets
to families in Kwa-Guqa
An opportunity to acquire literacy
skills, thanks to teachers in Loreto Skinner St.
C:
LORETO STRAND
While Strand is the smallest of the three schools in our South
African province, there is nothing small about the work they are doing in the
area of justice, peace and integrity of creation. Each class from Grade 1 upwards has adopted a
specific work or organization. Under the guidance of a teacher the children are
learning not only how to help others,
but, more importantly, why we help
others. The motto of the staff is TEAM –
together everyone achieves more – and in Loreto Strand this certainly seems to
be the case. Pupils are helping with a local residential centre, Cotlands,
which cares for children who are terminally ill with HIV/Aids. Another class has undertaken to help a local
‘farm school’ where children are quite poor and gladly accept help with school
materials. “Tyilani Centre for Women and
Children,” as well as “Immanuel’s Haven” is another pair of local organizations
which benefit from the fund-raising and involvement of the school.
 
A
child is in the Tyilani centre and the Cotlands Care Centre where children
suffering from HIV/Aids receive much-needed care.
THE WAY FORWARD ……….
Sr.
Elizabeth Donnan, the Justice and Peace co-ordinator in the province, described
her visit to the United Nations in Sept. ’05 and gave a summary of the
conference she attended there. All
present were very interested to learn of the NGO status the IBVM has acquired
at the UN. This was followed by a brief
look at the Millennium Development Goals, presented by Sr. Rosaleen
O’Kane. Following this there was some
very interesting group work, where schools analysed the schools’ presentations
in the light of the MDGs. School groups
then discussed which goals they felt they could address in their own situations. This entire session generated very fruitful
debate and most of the participants felt that they had received new impetus
with which to continue the work of justice and peace in their own
environments. The schools were also made
aware of a nominated sister who would act as a link person with their school in
the area of justice and peace.
Sr. Rosaleen O’ Kane ibvm
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