Sai sharing her missionary experience. Photo: St Columbans Mission Society
On the 11th and 12th of June, I joined Mariana Waqa, Regional Partnership Coordinator, for a school visitation at Good Samaritan Catholic Primary School. We facilitated sessions for Grades 3 and 4, where we introduced the students to who the Columbans are, their mission priorities, shared my own missionary experiences, on the Life of St. Francis of Assisi, and the Pope Francis Encyclical Letter Laudato Si. Sharing the Life of St Francis of Assisi with the students was a way of celebrating with the Church to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi.
Each session had approximately 20–25 students. The experience was both wonderful and enriching for me. It brought back memories of my time working with children in Rancho Anapra, Mexico, and in Malate, Philippines. Mariana led the main sessions while I facilitated the ice-breakers, which provided a collaborative and effective approach to engaging the students, and they participated actively.
The presentation was well adapted to the learning level of Grades 3 and 4. Alongside our discussions, we guided the students on a walk through the school garden, encouraging them to engage their senses, seeing, touching and observing nature as a way of deepening their connection with God’s creation.
Mariana guided them through reflection questions using the SEE–JUDGE–ACT method:
- SEE: What negative impacts on our common home did you notice in the video?
- JUDGE: What does God say about creation in Genesis 1:31?
- ACT: What actions can you take to care for and protect our common home?
The students’ engagement and responses affirmed that they understood and appreciated the message of caring for our common home and, most importantly, that we are interconnected with nature. They were able to identify actions they could take to care for God’s creation at school, at home, and in their community.
The Partnership program contributed meaningfully to the Society’s priority of promoting biodiversity. By reaching out to schools and raising awareness of Laudato Si’, we helped educate children about God’s creation and how they can take part in caring for our common home.
The Good Samaritan School Visitation successfully achieved its objectives. The program strengthened our partnership with the school and furthered the Columban commitment to ecological education and mission outreach.
As a Lay Missionary, I believe that young Columbans, both Ordained and Lay Missionaries, should make a similar commitment to the one we invited students to make. We are called to fully engage and participate intentionally in the Society’s priorities, especially by working collaboratively with our co-workers in ecological education, awareness and outreach.
Sainiana Tamatawale is a Columban lay missionary.
Related links
- Read more from the current Columban eBulletin
