Social Justice Sunday was celebrated across parishes nationally on 30th August 2020. It coincides with a yearly release of a Social Justice statement from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference. This day and their annual statements remind the faithful, 'of the social dimension of the mission of the church' and 'contribute to the development of local catholic social teaching'. One local manifestation of this teaching in the Rockhampton Diocese has been the creation of a Diocesan Social Justice Group. At the Bishop's direction, Sr. Pat Wood rsm gathered together a group of seven other people, including Derek Worden, a local educator. The group have developed a workshop that teaches people 'how to do justice'. Sr. Pat said, 'sometimes we point to injustice out there, somewhere else. We forget that injustice is in our backyard'.

Derek Worden said that what they are developing is a program that can engage not just parishioners in the churches, but students as well. He said, 'It will help young people to work as a team, and in this day and age, social justice is one of the significant gateways that connects young people to the message of Jesus'.

Sr. Pat's experience of empowering people to do justice is full of rewarding stories. She spoke of one wheelchair user who loved fishing, but the best fishing spots had no suitable access. He came to Sr. Pat for advice. Instead of trying to solve his problem herself, Sr. Pat taught him a methodology, that the new workshop also teaches, of how to do justice, the necessary steps to create a plan and the method of working with people to create change. So, he gathered three other people who shared this same issue of accessibility. They created a proposal which led to a council grant to hire someone as their driver to survey various fishing locations. They submitted a final report on the chosen site, the work needed to make it amenable to wheelchair access, and they got their ramp.

Sr. Pat said the course is for 'anyone and anything' and will empower participants practically to address injustice in their backyard. Sr. Pat said the workshop shows participants how to practically embody the Church’s rich teaching on justice by passing on the 'methodology of how to do justice in our families, workplaces, schools, and communities'. They have now engaged participants for the workshop's first trial, and due to COVID, are making plans to offer the course through online means.