Socktober gets bishops’ backing

Lean more about Socktober and register today Several of Australia’s Catholic bishops have thrown their support behind Catholic Mission’s community engagement program, Socktober, as it ramps up for another year of action.

The program, which brings schools across the country together around World Mission Month, has piqued the interest of Archbishop Christopher Prowse of Canberra and Goulburn, Archbishop Patrick O’Regan of Adelaide, and Bishop Michael Kennedy of Armidale, who have lent their voices to the cause.

Archbishop Prowse and Bishop Kennedy have temporarily parked their love for Australian Rules football to get behind the soccer‑themed Catholic Mission initiative. Both barrack for Hawthorn in the AFL, yet acknowledge the broader role of sport, especially the world game of soccer, as a metaphor for life.

“Many kids around the world play soccer with a ball made of rags; it reminds us how blessed we are in a country like Australia,” says Bishop Kennedy, in a video aimed at engaging schools across Australia in the program.

“We all are called to be missionaries in the church, and to do something practical with mission. So, here’s your chance to get on board with Socktober, have some fun and be helping people at the same time.”

Although it enters its tenth year in 2021, Socktober’s underlying soccer theme is a relatively recent innovation for the program, based on the Sport at the Service of Humanity initiative, launched by Pope Francis in 2015.

It sees participating schools take on two components: the Socktober Challenge, a comprehensive six‑module journey in mission, complete with activities, prayer, and reflection; and the Socktober Shootout, a whole‑of‑school activity, held on a school’s Mission Day, in which students shoot goals in a penalty‑style tournament and seek sponsorship from family and friends. Throughout both levels of engagement, students literally and metaphorically kick goals for kids in need.

Matt Poynting, Catholic Mission’s National Community Engagement Officer, says the evolution of the program is about connection to the mission. ‘In both primary and secondary schools, the general feeling has been that students need a deeper understanding of why they are raising funds for those in need, which is just one part of the Socktober program,’ he said.

“Socktober aims to build that understanding in the students through the head, heart, hands framework. They first learn the reality of children in disadvantaged communities through Socktober’s rich learning resources, then they feel empathy for those children and their situation, before taking practical individual and collective action to do something about it.”

Last year, 373 schools responded to the call by registering for Socktober and together raising over $115,000 for children in need. Kim Hogan, Assistant Principal at St Kevin’s Primary School in the Newcastle suburb of Cardiff, said Socktober made mission engagement at her school much easier.

“The Mission Day we held in term four was stress‑free, and we went from a very labor‑intensive process where we would raise $6‑$8 per head, to raising $25 per head with very little effort.”

Over 40 St Kevin’s students signed up for Socktober in 2020, raising a total of $2,762 for children with disabilities in Cambodia, five times the amount raised in 2019. Kim says the fundraising was just part of their involvement. “On the Socktober Event Day itself, we had a range of other activities, including liturgy, social justice education and activities involving the students’ sockballs. The children had an enormous amount of fun.”

On whether St Kevin’s would be involved again in 2021, Kim was positive: “If you’re onto a good thing, stick by it. We will continue to access Catholic Mission’s resources on the Socktober website and get our children to think more about the journey of Socktober.”

The national launch of Socktober was held in June and Archbishop Prowse offered his encouragement from the nation’s capital. “I hope you give generously with the head, heart and hands reaching out to those in situations far more dire than here in Australia. It’s got my support; I hope it’s got yours.”

To find out more information about Socktober and how you can support the school based engagement program visit socktober.org.au •