Everyone belongs!

Harmony Week at SFX

Harmony Week, 21-27 March, is a week Australians celebrate diversity, inclusiveness and respect for the many different cultures that make up our community—at SFX it was no different!

It was a busy week with students and staff wearing pops of orange (the official Harmony Week colour), special meals in the canteen, orange cupcakes and messages of love and peace in the playground.

Students and staff treated us to the following prayer which they volunteered to translate and read out during morning prayer time. Other than English, we also heard it in Finnish, Dinka, Tongan, Italian and French!

O God of unity

We thank you for the variety of cultures in this world.

Enrich our lives by ever widening circles of friendship and show us your presence in those who are most different from us.

Help us to love and care for each other just as you care and love each one of us.

You call us to live in peace and harmony within our beautiful multicultural country, and may we show true justice as we are called to recognize and respect the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Cultures and societies.

As we walk together, strong in faith on this Harmony Day, let us turn to God with our hopes and prayers.

Creator Spirit, you are God who brings peace. We ask you to bless all the sick, homeless and imprisoned; the weary, the lonely and the lost. We pray for compassion, kindness, healing and protection for all those who are suffering. We especially ask you to bless war-torn countries; that peace be restored and that you guide the hearts and minds of those with power to be instruments of your peace.

Creator Spirit, you are our God who accepts. Help us to open our arms, hearts and minds to all our brothers and sisters in Australia and appreciate the many cultures, languages and backgrounds of our people. Help us to always show compassion and kindness, and grant us the strength to help carry burdens of others.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

During lunch on Thursday, facilitated by the Senior Leadership Team, students came together to decorate the windows, walls and concrete outside the canteen with words of love, peace and encouragement. Check out all the great messages!