Caritas in Action
At St Anne’s we use the ‘Caritas in Action’ scheme of work to celebrate whole school Caritas days. Catholic social teaching calls us all to work for the common good, help build a just society, uphold the dignity of human life and work for justice.
The ‘Caritas in Action’ programme covers key learning outcomes for the Foundation Stage and Key Stages 1 and 2 through a series of seven core themes, which are underpinned by the social teachings of Catholic Church.
The themes are designed as building blocks and progress from the Early Years/Foundation stage through to the end of Key Stage 2 (and beyond).
Theme 1: The Dignity of the Human Person
Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, every person’s life and dignity must be respected and supported from conception until the end of their natural life on earth.
Theme 2: Family and Community
The human person is not only sacred, but social. How society is organised, be it socially, economically, legally or politically has a direct impact on the dignity and growth of every human person and community. Marriage and family should be supported and strengthened. Every person has a right to work to support themselves and their families as well as the building up of the common good for all.
Theme 3: Solidarity and the Common Good
We are all People of God, one family. Therefore what happens to one has an impact ojn all, locally, nationally and globally. At the heart of solidarity is the pursuit of peace and justice. Our love for all calls us to work for a peaceful and just society where everyone has a fair share of the goods needed for a sustainable life, and opportunities for growth and development are offered equally. The dignity of every person is respected.
Theme 4: Rights and Responsibilities
Every person has a fundamental right to life. It is this right that makes all other rights possible. Everyone has the right to food, health care, housing, education and employment. We all need to strive to secure and respect these rights for others both locally and globally.
Theme 5: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Society is judged on how it cares for the poor and vulnerable – our brothers and sisters. We read in scripture how God has a special concern for the oppressed, poor, vulnerable and those forced to the margins of society. The Church calls us to respond to the cry of the poor and put their needs first. This preferential treatment for the poor and vulnerable must be seen in action in our daily lives.
Theme 6: The Dignity of Work
Work is a way in which we can continue to participate in God’s creation. Work gives dignity to life and must be carried out in such a way that the basic rights of workers are respected. Everyone has the right to productive work, to fair and livable wages, and to organise and join a union. The economy must be conducted so that it serves the needs of the people.
Theme 7: Stewardship
The world God has created for us has been entrusted to everyone and we are responsible and accountable to God as stewards of the earth. The world has been given to us as a gift, to enjoy and care for so that future generations can enjoy it too. It is in caring for creation that we show our love and respect for its creator.
Caritas Days
Each half term we focus on a Caritas Theme for a whole Day. We then think about how we can take this forward into our every day lives, living as Jesus taught us.
Our latest day celebrated:
Theme 5: Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
Every class in the school enjoyed looking at this theme in very different ways. Here are some of the amazing pieces of work produced on the day.
Year 6 wrote letters to Kier Starmer our Prime Minister to ask him to act on the poverty so many families are experiencing.
Year 5 acted out interviewing families who may be struggling financially.
Year 4 - Told us the Parable of the Rich fool.
They talked about everybody having a fair share and acting justly.
Year 3 looked at some of Pope Francis' quotes about poverty. They thought about Manchester and if it was deprived or a rich area. They looked at maps that showed the areas in the UK that were the most deprived and were shocked that Manchester was one of the ones coloured on the map. They linked this to pieces of scripture and collected ideas of how we could make small changes.
Year 2 read the story 'Our House' the main character in the story was selfish and discriminated against others because of how they looked or what they liked. At the end of the story everybody became friends and they treated each other justly. They looked at some pieces of scripture and made a display of hands with their favourite piece of scripture on and finally they learned a song about justice.
Year 1 thought about sharing and gave lots of people around our school a biscuit. They thought about how we should treat everybody the same and read the story of the Rainbow fish. They created a beautiful whole class rainbow fish with ideas of how to create a fair world and pieces of scripture to help us.
