Social Justice Week
Social Justice Week ran from 8 - 14 September 2024.
We continued with our three-year overarching theme:
‘Imagine Peace For All / Pohewatia te Rangimārie mō te Katoa.
The unique focus for 2024 was:
‘Choose forgiveness, know peace / Kōwhiria te murunga hara, kia mōhio ki te rangimārie.’
Our aim is to support schools and students as they build on last year’s learnings about personal peace. This year, we shift our focus to restoring peace with others from a Christian perspective. We hope to empower our community to follow Christ’s example by forgiving, reconciling and building peace.
Our resources on forgiveness and reconciliation include special features designed to engage students in meaningful discussions, promoting empathy, understanding, and dialogue in light of our faith and Catholic social teaching principles.
Explore our resources and join us as we work together to foster a community founded in forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace.
Colossians 3:13
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Key Resources
Video Resources
Key Messages - Ngā Kupu Matua:
Jesus Christ serves as the ultimate model of forgiveness and reconciliation.
We are called to forgive others as an expression of God’s love, just as God forgives us.
Through love, repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation, we build a path to lasting peace.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a sacred means of experiencing God’s love and forgiveness.
Building peace requires forgiveness.
Choosing forgiveness can be difficult, but with open hearts and minds we can know peace.
Video Resources
Daily Prayers - Ngā Karakia o Ia Rā:
All Prayers
Tuesday
Te Reo Māori
(Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Secondary)
Thursday
Tongan
(Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Secondary)
Monday
Peace Anchor Prayer - The Lord’s Prayer
Four Languages: English, Te Reo Māori, NZ Sign Language, Tongan
Wednesday
New Zealand Sign Language
(Lower Primary, Upper Primary, Secondary)
Friday
Peace Anchor Prayer - Prayer of St Francis of Assisi
Four Languages: English, Te Reo Māori, NZ Sign Language, Tongan
Relevant Resources from 2023
Share With Us
We’d love to hear from you!
Please send to education@caritas.org.nz any ideas, prayers, activity ideas or stories that focus on peace that we could use for next year’s resources. These could be original student material or what you’ve found elsewhere.
Previous Years Resources:
2023: Imagine Peace For All / Peace Begins With You!
2022: Say No to Racism. We are One in Christ.
2021: A Culture of Encounter: Be the Church
2020: Easy as CST: unlocking the Church’s Potential
2019: Fair, You Say? Seeking fairness in an unfair world
2018: Enabling Communities. Everyone has a part to play
Help Us Improve Future Social Justice Week Resources!
As we reflect on Social Justice Week 2024, we’d love to hear your feedback and insights to help us continue to improve. By completing our survey, you’ll be contributing to the development of next year’s resources as we continue our journey of imagining peace for all.
Your thoughts, experiences, and ideas on this year’s theme, “Choose Forgiveness, Know Peace,” will play an important role in shaping how we support schools in fostering peace in their communities.