Farida Zaheer winner of the Bishops Statement and Social Justice Essay Competition for 2018

“Our economy: just or unjust?” Within our Catholic context discuss the ways the most vulnerable are able to find a place as individuals in society.

Congratulations to Farida Zaheer (9.8) for winning the Bishops Statement and Social Justice Essay Competition for 2018. This is the first year that St Agnes had entered this Diocesan Competition and it is with such delight that we celebrate a truly tremendous achievement!

This is a true testament to all of Farida’s teachers over the past 3 years who have built up her capacity to respond to a very challenging social justice question. A very special thank you and mention to Mrs Barbara Kelly, her English teacher this year for identifying her writing capacity and this shows just how important our knowledge of our students are to encourage them to participate in diocesan events such as this as a hallmark of our school Literacy writing goals. You can read Farida’s winning essay in this newsletter. What a wonderful achievement for St. Agnes!

To read Farida's winning essay, click here for the latest Newsletter issued on the 26th October 2018.

I’d also like to congratulate the other Year 9 students who also participated in the Social Justice Essay competition for their involvement and also insightful essays: Alecksandra Favor (9.3), Jamie Sukkarieh (9.7) and Chrystal Aquilizan (9.1). Thank you for taking up the challenge and the opportunity to be a voice for justice so needed in our community.

Last Tuesday, Mr Sadsad accompanied some our Year 9 Social Justice Leaders - Farida Zaheer, Alecksandra Favor, Ruth Nool and Holly-Anne Ramos to the Social Justice Statement Launch at the St Patrick’s Cathedral Parramatta. This was an opportunity for them to engage with the 2018–2019 Social Justice Statement, A Place to Call Home: Making a home for everyone in our land.

(Here is a excerpt from Most Rev. Vincent Long Van Nguyen DD OFMConv Bishop of Parramatta Chairman, Australian Catholic Social Justice Council Message): The Statement reflects the deep concern of Australia’s Bishops at the growing problem of homelessness and insecure housing in Australian society.

All over our nation, a ruthless housing market leaves people struggling to find secure and affordable housing, whether they live in cities or in regional areas. That struggle has a corrosive effect on family life, on employment, on study and on our capacity to contribute to and benefit from our society. At its worst, the struggle leaves the vulnerable in our society homeless – sleeping on the street, in cars or in doorways, or hoping for a space on someone’s couch or floor. The last Census showed the number of homeless Australians had increased to more than 116,000 people.

The document begins with Jesus’ famous parable of the Good Samaritan – as challenging to us today as it was to his hearers. We are reminded that we have the same experience as the Samaritan: we see people in the street who are in need of help, wounded by violence, misfortune or poverty. We face the same choice: do we walk past or do we stop and help?