In recent lessons, students of 9REL6 have worked in small groups to design their own Community Outreach Program within the study of Sacraments of Healing. This activity allowed students to immerse themselves into the theme of bringing healing to others, by standing in solidarity with those on the margins of society, just as Jesus did in his humanity. The students also drew inspiration from existing outreach programs in the thoughtful development of their own initiatives.

Throughout the Gospels, numerous accounts of Jesus’ ministry, such as the account of Jesus Curing a Deaf Man (Mark 7:31-37) offer hope in the promises of Christ, calling us to bear witness to God’s love and healing in our own daily lives. This is further exemplified in Jesus’ teaching of service to one another through the understanding that “Whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). The students of 9REL6 were both inspired and called to do the same in their own local community of Camden by focusing on areas that ignited their passion, as the Holy Spirit inspired the hearts and minds of the students at every stage of the activity. The Community Outreach Programs designed by the students included a focus on key areas of healing in today’s world, including mental health, homelessness, and poverty. 

Below, Massimo and Cayden from 9REL6 have shared their own recounts of their learning:

During lesson 10 of RE, my class worked in small groups in which we investigated many outreach programs in order to form enough information to develop our own outreach program. My group focused on the issue of homelessness in the Macarthur area and we created an outreach program called a place to call home. In this plan, our idea was to buy a big building nearly empty. We would then go on to fill this building with many simple foldable camp beds, we would then gather long life food to feed the homeless people. 

This activity was a great idea as it was engaging, fun and was a social lesson instead of independent work. We were asked to then create a 30 second speech describing our program and convincing people to help out through volunteering and donating. This activity was good to help us students to build our confidence as we presented in front of the class. This was a very important skill to build on as nearly all jobs require the ability to talk to new people you may not know and it is a very valuable life lesson as well. 

This all links to the Sacrament of Healing as we are trying to come up with ways to heal the community since there are approximately 800 people sleeping on the streets each night. This created awareness in our class, even though it was a small number of us compared to the world, the little things still matter to create a good foundation.

Massimo D’Ambrosio

In our class, we formed small groups to research and develop an outreach program aimed at supporting our community. Our group—Massimo, Beau, Cailin, Jordan, and I—created A Place to Call Home, a program dedicated to helping those experiencing homelessness. Our goal was to raise enough funds to build a community hall where individuals in need could find shelter. We also planned to recruit volunteers to check in on their well-being and distribute free meals to ensure they stay healthy and nourished.

As part of our project, we crafted a compelling 30-second pitch designed to capture attention and encourage people to support or spread awareness about our program. This task not only helped us understand different perspectives on homelessness but also deepened our appreciation of the Sacraments of Healing, which was a key aspect of our assessment.

Cayden O’Connor

Thank you to Massimo and Cayden for sharing your recounts of the learning that has taken place with the Magdalene community.

Miss Sophia Patino Jimenez 

Religious Education Teacher