St John's High School Nowra came together for a liturgy and integrated works from the senior creative arts students. One part of the prayer was a reflection on a passage from Laudato Si' which focused on St Francis of Assisi and his familial understanding of all parts of creation. This reflection took the form of displaying a Year 12 student's major work for Visual Arts which focussed on fast fashion and its impact on the environment.

Please see below an image of the Year 12 student's wearable artwork and the reflection used during the prayer.

Unwanted clothing, deemed unwearable by op-shops, is set for landfill, ocean pollution and the streets of developing nations and with the contribution of fast fashion (cheap, trendy and poorly made clothing manufactured at incredible rates) this problem is spiralling out of control. The artwork titled ‘The Weight of What We Wear’ is a ghastly visual representation of the 23 kilograms of clothing thrown out every year by the average Australian. It encapsulates a monster like image, presenting society’s lack of awareness and online shopping addiction. By removing the typical use of clothing; comfortability, protection and everyday wear, to that of an awkward and impractical design, distaste of the audience is transformed into a self-reflective moment of personal endowment to the waste industry. The student artist sees our society being weighed down by fast fashion, and that we must seek a solution to this environmental disaster… before the monster we created impedes on the natural world and the communities that depend upon it. Just like St Francis and Pope Francis, we must look upon the environment as our sister and brother.

The students at Our Lady Help of Christians Rosemeadow celebrated the World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation with prayer and dressing up with gold coin donations going towards the creation of their very own worm farm!