By Beth Doherty, Religious Education Leader

Catholic Mission (www.catholicmission.org.au) is the Australian Church’s agency for the Pontifical Mission Societies, the Vatican agency that oversees works dedicated to sharing the love of Christ in missionary endeavors throughout the world.

Year 8 Religious Education students led by Mrs. Liz Igoe-Taylor engaged in some fun activities to create awareness of Catholic Mission through Socktober, a fundraising initiative that takes place, unsurprisingly, during October, which is also World Mission Month.

Socktober uses the world game of soccer and combines the novelty of wearing funky socks and the creation of soccer balls from recyclables and waste as an activity for schools to better understand the work of missionaries.

Mrs. Igoe-Taylor is a visual artist and teacher and was able to work with the students in her class to recreate some plastic soccer balls and create their own Socktober radio segment, all while doing some good for Catholic Mission.

Millie Davidson, Suzie Tuckfield, and Mackenzie Blake (pictured above) wrote their radio segment using rhetorical questioning and lively banter:

“Why would we be making soccer balls out of recycled materials? We are making them using recycled materials such as foam and netting to show that not everything has to cost money. Making this soccer ball out of rubbish shows how lucky we are to be able to afford sports equipment. The average soccer ball costs around $30 and for some people, $30 can’t be easily spent like that.”

“Is this a worthwhile project? This project is a very important project as all the money raised from this event goes to a certain charity called Catholic Mission. Catholic Mission supports over seventy-three thousand children and is located in forty-three different countries. They support children from disadvantaged backgrounds and help them to create a bright and hopeful future.”

This year, Catholic Mission funds are being directed toward a Mothers and Babies home in Bangkok, Thailand, an initiative that provides education and support to mothers who are doing it tough.

It is still possible to donate to Socktober if you are in a position to do so. All funds go to Catholic Mission: https://www.socktober.org.au/fundraisers/hennessycatholiccollege

Congratulations to Mrs. Igoe-Taylor and the Year 8s for getting involved.