Children are an Indispensable Resource for the Future
This October, we celebrate the gift of each child on Children’s Day as one Canossian family within the Village. Every one of our Canossian daughters and sons, from 18 months to 12 years old, is a gift from God.
Canossaville’s mission is to work in unison with our three schools to create a Canossian Circle of Care. As we work to create a culture of inclusive embracement, our journey as one family continues to develop and evolve.
Pope Francis reminded us during His General Audience that the “mutual love between man and woman is a reflection of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves the human being”. The presence of children today is a sign of that love, and fulfillment of God’s commandment to be fruitful and multiply. Families are the common work of the social order and the care of creation.
Children are an indispensable resource for the future of the world. Regardless of how they are abled, each child is beautiful in God’s eyes, and are true gifts to us in this imperfect world. Every child deserves to be welcomed, supported, loved, and empowered to be the best that they can be. They must also be taught to see themselves as blessings to one another and our world.
Family is God’s gift to society too. Building strong and loving families becomes a valuable service to the communities where couples and families feel welcomed, accompanied, and cared for. At Canossaville, we form family networks by working closely and collaboratively with our three schools as well as the community in our immediate vicinity first, before reaching out to the wider society.
We must hold dear St Magdalene of Canossa’s message that the school is the harvest which costs the most, but it also produces more fruit as the behavior of a person in life usually depends on the education received (Unabridged Rule, p.119). As a social service agency, Canossaville was set up to serve the needs of the children through the schools we have here. This was also done to demonstrate our Foundress’ belief in the powerful and positive impact schools can have on the children and their families.
As we celebrate Children’s Day with our children and grandchildren, remember that we are all God’s children as well — so this is our day too! To all the parents and grandparents in the Canossian Village, give your children and grandchildren that extra hug this Children’s Day; they are the future of healing our broken and imperfect world.