The Common Good (as described by Pope John XXIII) is the, “Sum total of social conditions, which allow people, either as groups or as individuals to reach their full fulfilment”.
The Common Good, can only be truly achieved when we work together to improve the wellbeing of people in our society and the wider world. As Catholics, our faith calls on us to love God and to love our neighbours in every situation, especially our sisters and brothers living in poverty.
At St Edmund’s, we teach our pupils to follow in the footsteps of Christ, ‘Through Christ We Learn’. giving them the opportunity to show justice, love and the peace of God in our unjust and sometimes broken world. We offer our pupils ownership of this through giving them roles of leadership and responsibility: House Captains, Eco-Warriors, Prefects, Anti-Bullying ambassadors, school councillors and our new role the Caritas Ambassadors. Full details on our ‘The Leader in Me’ page. Through these roles, pupils actively engage in charitable outreach projects, which benefit not only those in need but our pupils by developing their own understanding of social responsibility.
Community, Charity and Raising Awareness
We teach the children that to be active in their faith is to take action, through our Faith in Action Project. There are several fundraising events during the year as well as activities to support local communities and charities. As a Catholic community we place great focus on being of service to others, in the way Jesus taught us. A beautiful example is how, every Christmas, each class prepares cards for parishioners and each class sings carols in local care homes.
Solidarity
Solidarity arises when we remember that we belong to each other. We reflect on this in a special way at Mass. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognise Christ in the poorest.” Solidarity spurs us to stand side by side with our sisters and brothers, especially those living in poverty.
“In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers [or sisters] of mine, you did it to me.”
Matthew 25:40
Charitable outreach 2023 - 2024