Wear it Purple Day is an annual awareness day especially for young people, based in Australia. Supporters wear purple to celebrate diversity among young people in our community.
At Clonard we wanted to do more than wear purple, we wanted a visible sign in the school that all people from diverse backgrounds are welcome in our community.
A door is a sign of welcome, an invitation to step over the threshold into a safe space. St Brigid was born in a doorway – the trasna please – place of crossing over from the old ways to the new way of believing in Jesus. So too, our door symbolises the crossing over from past attitudes to inclusiveness.
Wear It Purple Day is about celebrating and supporting young, diverse people, and challenging societal attitudes to help shape a better world for us all to live in. We wanted our action to be more than a one-day event, we wanted a permanent reminder that all are welcome at Clonard and Kildare Ministries.
After some research it was found that a purple door was used in the United Kingdom as a symbol of welcome and thus the Clonard Purple Door Project was born.
Each year another quote will be added to the door which will stand as beacon of hope and promise to all members of our community. A community that values inclusion and welcome. The Kildare Ministries Living Justice Living Peace Charter challenges us to break down the barriers that separate people and embrace the marginalised.
At recess students and staff gathered in front of Clonard House to hear a little of the history, unveil the 2022 statement and pray a variety of prayers on b being inclusive from four world religions.
Our 2022 quote is “Kildare Ministries firmly believes in and values the goodness, complexity and inherent dignity of every person. Human diversity is part of the design and wonder of creation.”
