Page 33 - Priorities #73

By Kindra Briggs
The stars that make up the Southern Cross are central to Aboriginal stories about the birth of the world. Their stories form intricate mythologies that guide their belonging to the land and one another. The stars of the Southern Cross have also guided sailors, explorers, travelers across the seas for millennia. The stars light the sky in the darkness–they guide wayfarers to safety–to new lands–telling the story of the universe’s birth. In defining the term charism, Terry Creagh, OAM explains that it is “A story to enter, a language to speak, or a group which to belong.”
In September 2019, Father Martin Mager, Tim Molak, Lauren Donovan, Al Zappelli, Paul and Sylvia Trudelle, John Sugden, Christine Parker, and I traveled to Sydney, Australia to attend the Benedictine Educators Network, otherwise known as the BENet. The global conference is held every three years to encourage cooperation and friendship between Benedictine schools. This year the conference was attended by international educators from ten different countries.
Stories of wisdom about how to live Benedict’s Rule in the 21st century, specifically in our schools, guided our various discussions. Deepening our thinking about the story of belonging, Michael Casey, OCSO offered interpretations on two words central to our practice: honor and humility. I felt moved by his reframing of these terms, away from external social virtues, and instead towards interior qualities. Honor means to accept others gratefully for who they are–different and various. To honor someone is to offer them dignity. This type of honor is necessary for those of us who seek to educate young minds. We must strive to honor all people so they can become their own true selves and serve a world in need of their gifts. To do this takes humility, the second word Michael Casey defined. True humility activates the grace latent within us. By allowing ourselves to be in relationship with something larger, something divine, we can connect and belong to a world bigger than ourselves. With humility, we can enter into relationships that grow our genuine humanity.
Nowhere was this more clear than in a session offered by our very own Christine Muir Parker. She presented on “The Faces of Cancer,” an exploration of her 10th grade biology project on the pathology and humanity of the disease. Anchored in storytelling of survivors and caretakers, her workshop elucidated the importance of listening and reflecting to more deeply understand the human experience of cancer. Her interactive presentation allowed participants to think deeply about their own experiences with the difficult disease–and empowered
them to connect with others, both the Priory biology students in their reflective writing, and each other in our shared conversations during the session. The room, peopled with delegates from Germany, the Philippines, and Tanzania, among other nations ended the session with tears streaming from their faces. We were connected in our experience of loss, of hope, and of love for our immediate families and each other–the family of man. This is the hope of BENet in action. Cooperation and connection to explore our shared spirit.
As the conference closed, we all took time to consider what had touched us, what had challenged us, and what had inspired us. Paul Trudelle shares that the workshop “Who Is My Neighbour? Called to Ecological Conversion” “touched me deeply. Using the story of the Good Samaritan, we imagined the warming earth to be the suffering man. She called on Benedictine teachers to be a “good neighbor to the Earth” and inspire our students to be the “Good Samaritan” who helped the injured man. I am determined to go beyond just teaching about the science of global warming. Now I will be including so many of the novel solutions universities and governments throughout the world are trying to reduce the effects of human induced global warming.” Paul’s comment reflects the heartfelt joy we all experienced from the range of topics we were able to explore during our time in Australia. From global warming or cancer, to the work of healing and reconciliation with first nation peoples– the conference reinforced the importance of our work as Benedictine educators to create a more just world. We listened to and shared in creating stories that drew together our diverse group under one roof.
In the same way, the Southern Cross is a collection of stars that, when seen together, form a constellation that points the way homeward and the way forward. The constellation helped early explorers navigate the sometimes fearsome nature around them. In the same way, the BENet conference offers us a way to navigate education and spirituality in the 21st century. The Benedictine educational institutions across the globe connect like shining stars to form our own constellation–to connect us in a system that supports continued growth. To show us we are not alone in the night sky. We are interdependent and necessary to one another, both as a guide home to the Rule of St. Benedict and the Gospels as well as forward as intrepid educators. May the wisdom we received under the Southern Cross during BENet continue to ripple through our communities and light our way forward.
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BENET AUSTRALIA