September 2016
Te Wiki o te Tika Pāpori 2016
[Picture: Nabin Basnet, a migrant student from Nepal, in class at St Peter’s College, Palmerston North]
Social Justice Week was established by the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference in 1997 as an ongoing commitment in the Catholic calendar for the week beginning the second Sunday of September. This is a time to consider, reflect and take action on a particular current social justice issue in the light of Catholic social teaching.
This year the Social Justice Week theme is We all have a migration story: Fostering a culture of encounter. Caritas has prepared resources for parishes, schools and community groups to help people to take part.
Migration is changing our world in ways we cannot ignore. According the United Nations the number of international migrants is now growing faster than the world’s population.
Some migrants are forced to leave their home to escape persecution and violence; others choose to leave their own country in search of better opportunities for themselves and for their family. Global inequality and conflict drive many to seek a better life in other countries.
In New Zealand, everyone has a migration story. Some people are more in touch with their sense of arrival to this land than others. In a Māori pepeha an individual can identify the waka upon which their ancestors first arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand.
In extending manaakitanga or hospitality to newcomers, we recognise and welcome new cultures and traditions while respecting and preserving Māori and other culture and traditions that already exist here. People who come here all bring with them something of the culture of the societies they left behind – their food, clothing, language, spiritual beliefs, art and stories. These influences have helped form new cultures and new peoples who are unique to this land.
In preparing for Social Justice Week this year, Caritas invites everyone to consider ‘What is my migration story?’ and ‘How are we fostering a culture of encounter?’.
All Social Justice Week resources for parishes and schools can be found on the Caritas website (www.caritas.org.nz).
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