The Lenten season of making sacrifices and giving is back! For 2022, Sancta Maria College has intertwined Lent with Kaitiakitanga and God’s creation.
When we think of making sacrifices for Lent, we tend to give up things we love the most. This year we are encouraging students to give up something that could benefit not only ourselves but also our beautiful Papatūānuku we live on. Through a series of challenges, we can show aroha to our world by being a part of making it a more environmentally friendly place.
How can we do this?
1. On Ash Wednesday refrain from eating any one of your favourite treats which is wrapped in plastic. This will help prevent animal life from choking on plastic, as well as preventing we ourselves, from inhaling the chemicals that they give off when decomposing.
2. You are invited to go vegetarian for at least one Friday during Lent which could help decrease the hundreds of litres of methane gas being produced by livestock every day. Did you know the increases in meat demands lead to an increase in methane gas production which contributes to climate change and the slow death of Papatūānuku!
3. You could recycle by bringing in glass jam jars to CU7 so they can be painted to make vases for the Totara Hospice, and we can spread that aroha and also help our planet.
4. If you don’t mind going for a morning stroll, you could give up being dropped off to school by vehicles running on fossil fuels during Lent, or maybe ask to be dropped off 5 minutes away from school so you can decrease your carbon footprint and help slow global warming.
5. To help our school community and others around during the world who need assistance this Easter season, make a donation in the Koha box. This will begin from week 6 onwards to help communities in crisis, both our own and around the world.
6. Within our school community itself, we can help those who are impacted by Covid-19 by bringing in non-perishable foods to sustain them both physically and spiritually through these unpredictable times.
7. If you are staying 30 minutes after school, come and clean the Butterfly Garden! We can get it ready for our peers and teachers to enjoy the sight of butterflies, symbols of resurrection as we prepare for Easter.
These initiatives are being brought to you by the newly established Caritas group at our school led by Dr Laux and their strategic goals for this year such as advocating and ensuring the healing of relationships with the Earth and all of creation, protecting the dignity of marginalised people and those affected by violence and crisis and more.
Dr Laux says that it is important to accomplish the Caritas challenges all year around.
Our main focuses are: “Move it by experiencing moving long distances and reducing our carbon footprint, Live it by experiencing being homeless or ensuring to create sustainable communities by recycling as much as we can, Sweat it by actively participating in service opportunities and working hard while being creative, and Stop it by refraining to use something you love.”
So, for this year’s Lent how can you help Papatūānuku? What sacrifices are you willing to accomplish to make this place a better place? Let’s Build Dreams Together – we are called to be Peacemakers!
