By Simon Martino
The Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat hosted the 2022 Marian Lecture at Newman College, a Catholic school educating in the Marist Tradition in Churchlands. The theme for the lecture was Human Dignity – An Aussie Value? and Fr Frank Brennan SJ OA took up the challenge to reflect on this question via Zoom, with an audience gathered in different parts of the country.
The theme takes its premise from the theme for Marist Schools Australia in 2022, Known and Loved – Dignity for All, which reminds us that we are “God’s work of art” (Eph 2:10). It was with this idea that Fr Frank began the lecture, recognising the shift from a time in Australian culture when people would have assumed human dignity was an Aussie value to now when we ask the question, is human dignity an Aussie value? Fr Frank began his reflections focusing on the words of Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudate Si, identifying four areas we must address if we are to identify human dignity as an Aussie value. We must accept personal responsibility, have an eye for those on the margins, always consider the common good for all and pay attention to our own sense of interior wellbeing. Fr Frank challenged his listeners to consider these four areas in reflecting on several challenges, being the issue of refugees, the situation of our First Nations people, the question of religious freedom and ensuring we do not discriminate on the basis of gender or sexual orientation.
The lecture gave us an opportunity to better understand our responsibilities as Christians to live out human dignity as a value that is the heartbeat of the Gospel story. It challenged us to reflect on important issues that face each of us in our Australian context and our duty to stand up for and speak out against anything that fails to recognise dignity for all. Fr Frank concluded the lecture quoting Laudate Si #193, “that is why the time has come to accept decreased growth in some parts of the world, in order to provide resources for other places to experience healthy growth”, challenging and suggesting we must be prepared to sacrifice growth for the prosperity of others if we are serious about recognising dignity for all.
Those who attended the lecture concluded with fellowship and praying that we can be an example of Christ’s faithful in the way we love one another and pray that everyone, especially the most vulnerable, are known and loved as we strive to uphold, restore and defend dignity for all.
The Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat has over 30 local members in Western Australia and 1000 across the country. It is an expression of the Marist project which, this year, celebrates 150 years of education in Australia. Members are those who respond to the Marist charism, either as student, teacher or family member. We focus on spiritual accompaniment, prayer, building community and advocacy. The group meets at Newman College and St Joseph’s Subiaco on a regular basis. All enquiries are welcome by contacting simon.martino@newman.wa.edu.au.