The Edmund Rice Justice Meet 2020 was celebrated on the 11th of August 2020 by the Just-Ed Society of St.Columba’s. It was conducted online (due to school lockdown) as an inter-school event where 9 Edmund Rice Schools across India along with the Edmund Rice International Office, Geneva came together on a single platform and interacted for more than 2 hours.
The objective of this event was to celebrate the Justice Vision of our Founder, Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice and hence the theme chosen was: Our Guiding Light – The Justice-Vision of Edmund. It is important to note that this was the first time that an Edmund Rice School in India had taken an initiative to create a collaborative learning platform to discuss global issues with participation from more than 200 students, various ER Principals, Brothers, Justice Animators and Teachers from across the subcontinent. The Panel of Speakers consisted of Bro. Steve Rocha (Director, PRATYeK, New Delhi), Bro. Constantine D’Abreu (Advocacy Officer, ERI, Geneva), Mr. Ravi Victor (Principal, St. Vincent’s High School, Asansol, West Bengal), Bro. Conrad D’Souza (Cluster Leader, JT Mission Communities, Meghalaya) and Bro. Maurice Fernandes (Vocation Promoter, Christian Brothers in India).
There were 2 video messages that had been sent in specially for the event by our senior Irish Brothers – Bro. Maurice Baptist Finn and Bro. Brenden Mac Cartheigh. A video sharing of an ex-student of St. Columba’s and former member of Just Ed Society, Saurabh Soreng were also part of the presentations.
The exceptionally learned and well-experienced Panelists shared their valuable insights on topics like Justice and Advocacy, Global Concerns in Human Rights, Spirituality of Justice, the Legacy of Edmund and the Call to Mission – all with the background of Edmund’s life and a renewed perspective of the urgent current global crisis. They all encouraged the students to work even more strongly to build diverse, responsible and just communities around their area of influence. The participants were highly inspired by the words of the respected panelists and many shared their thoughts through the chat-box (that was buzzing with messages and comments from the participants).
Overall this webinar has launched a new forum for discussions, learning and collaborative joint-action for our ER Schools in India. It truly encompassed Edmund’s vision and teachings and was alive with the dynamic of Edmund’s Spirit. We hope to continue hosting this event every year and invite more and more ER Schools across India and the world to participate. The Just Ed Society, St. Columba’s School wishes a heartfelt gratitude to all those who participated, especially our Christian Brothers and Principals. We will consistently work towards creating a just equitable and peaceful world where all rights of everyone is respected.
