Editorial
A Call to Benevollence
By Marie-Paule Sanfaçon, m.i.c.
Within the Catholic Church, the month of October was an important time of reflection and discern- ment as the representatives of God’s people gathered in synod. Men and women, seated at the same table, listened to each other. Indeed, the synod is a time of intense sharing under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, to respond to the demands of our modern times.
We live in a world in crisis, in search of answers, where wars break out, forcing victims to flee to find refuge in other countries. Natural disasters leave millions homeless. As they become aware of these tragic events, Christians of all nation- alities are invited to question themselves. It is a call to step outside ourselves, a call to benevolence.
But what exactly is benevolence?
A few examples may speak louder than a simple definition. Opening the Old Testament, we find an illustration when Abraham’s servant begins to pray to Yahweh in these words (Gn, 24:12): Lord, God of my master Abraham, grant me success today, and show your kindness to my master Abraham.
In everyday life, we all have countless oppor- tunities to be kind: a teacher to his students; a nurse to her patients; parents to their children [ … ]
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Sowing Joy and Hope with the Help of Animals
By Pauline Yuen, m.i.c.
Living in a school with animals is not common practice in Hong Kong. However, it’s what we’ve been doing since 2013, and more and more people are getting to know the animals at Good Hope School.
It all began in 2012 when a sad case of animal abuse occurred near our school. A stray cat was brutally tortured and eventually killed by several teenagers. The photograph moved me. As we teach our students to love life and God’s creation, we thought we could do something. So we offered shelter in the school to a few small abandoned animals. Among them are stray cats, inseparable who came to us on their own or were born at Good Hope, two adopted red-legged turtles and a few sea fish. All these animals are allowed to be themselves and are kept away from students, where they can live in peace.
Studies have shown that having pets at work boosts employee morale and improves the general atmosphere. This has proved to be true for our colleagues in the office where we house the school’s animals: they share common interests and often show affection to their little housemates.
Learning with animals has a signifi- cantly positive impact on the students: they are more sensitive to their well-being, they pray for those who are homeless in stormy weather and include kindness towards them in their program of good deeds. What’s more, this close contact brings out their artistic talents: they draw beauti- ful pictures of animals in their projects and gifts. For them, these friends, with or without fur, have become good companions in their school life [ … ]
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