Social Justice
Social justice is the practice of looking at political, social, economic and religious structures and decisions through the eyes of the most vulnerable in society and working with them to respond.
Throughout the world wide Mary Ward network, we are engaged in formal and non-formal education of girls and boys, young women and men as global citizens who acknowledge their responsibilities to each other, to the human community, and the earth. We educate to understand the causes of injustice and inequality and work actively to do create a more humane, just and sustainable world. As part of the international Mary Ward Education Network of schools, Loreto schools in Australia demonstrate a strong commitment to social justice through various curriculum, outreach, advocacy, Christian service, immersion and fundraising initiatives. Each school community discerns, supports, and is transformed by a range of justice concerns and issues each year. This discernment is informed by the Sustainable Development Goals, IBVM/CJ presence at the United Nations, Mary Ward JPIC Office, foci of Mary Ward International Australia projects, the Loreto Justice Network, and priorities of the Loreto Province of Australia and South East Asia. Province priorities focus on justice issues related to the rights of women and children, access to education, the reality of human trafficking, refugees and asylum seekers, sustainable development, ecological justice, the rights of First Nations Peoples and national reconciliation. The place of justice at the heart of the Loreto mission and educational enterprise can be explored via these foundational documents:
- Loreto Schools Australia Mission Statement
- Mary Ward Schools’ COMPASS
- The Human Right to Education IBVM UN Position Paper
Please contact the Loreto Ministries’ Director of Mission & Identity, Carolyn Young, or Director of Education, Paul Ould, should you require support animating social justice education.
