Thursday 16 October 2014

Catholic Social Teaching: Pope Francis' Vision


Monsignor John Armitage Speaking

On the 8th October 10 girls from Year 10, accompanied by Mr Lewis and Miss Laverty went to Trinity Catholic High School in Woodford Green for a conference on Catholic Social Teaching. The Trip consisted of three main parts:
  • An introduction by the school headmaster, Dr Doherty
  • A group activity with fellow schools, St Anne’s and St Bonaventure
  • A summary by a local priest
The first part of the day began with a speech and welcome by Dr Doherty. His main message was that to make change in the world, you must start by changing yourself. If you wish to influence those around you, you must make sure they are being influenced by the best possible person you can be. He stressed that we cannot change the world by ourselves but small actions all add up in the terms of changing the world for the better. He emphasised on the fact that too much attention is given to the problems in the media, and very few people are actually aware of the problems closer to home. 

The second part of the day began with the group being split in half. 5 girls, each with a designated teacher, were given presentations by either St Anne’s or St Bonaventure. Both groups discussed, with the help of a member from Citizen UK, what makes a good leader. The main point surround ding the topic was that a leader influences others immensely, and that if they do not have the qualities needed for a good leader, no implementation takes place. 

Finally, we discussed the ways in which we can get rid of the negative stereotype for young people. St Anne’s and St Bonaventure’s encouraged us as a school to take action within our local community. They gave examples of how, with the help of these projects, the public’s view on them had changed for the better. 

Overall, the trip was very inspiring and motivational. It introduced the thought of us as a school taking action in our community and focusing more on problems locally rather than globally.

PO & NM



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