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the

Common Good

 

Secular Franciscan JPIC Monthly Newsletter
for Franciscan Voice Canada
 

Issue No 27,  September 2019
Climate Change is a Threat to
God's Blessing of Biodiversity!

September 1, World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation to 
October 4, Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Patron of Ecology
The Season of Creation in the Catholic church has slowly been growing over the last five years since Laudato Si’. Dioceses, parishes, Catholic groups, schools, religious orders etc. are becoming more involved as they wake up to the centrality of stewardship of creation in our faith. The Global Catholic Climate Movement and Laudato Si’ Generation have been leaders and this year the Vatican has invited all pastors to become involved. There are a growing number of webinars on the topic. Awareness, interest and events seem to be taking off. And here are two who say bluntly what many of us have realised for quite a while:
  • Greta Thunberg: “They keep saying that climate change is an existential threat and the most important issue of all. And yet they just carry on like before. … To do your best is no longer good enough. We now have to do the seemingly impossible.” Churches are getting involved.

Franciscan Voice Canada is trying to help with that! Visit the site.
 
by Andrew Conradi, ofs, FVC contributor & editor
Turn Talk into Action!
May 2019, Vancouver, BC: climatestrikecanada.org   
 
Every year in The Season of Creation (1 Sept - 4 Oct), Christians around the world unite to pray and act to care for creation. Previously we have signed the Laudato Si’ Pledge and raised awareness of access to water & problem of plastic pollution.
 
Again this year Pope Francis and the Vatican ask that the faithful engage in the celebration of the SEASON OF CREATION.

Click here to download display material from which you can select to use in your parish or community. 

Click here to see an example of a short talk that could be given at the end of Mass as prepared by Andrew Conradi, ofs
Action Taken by Development and Peace

Our Common Home is on Fire…our Earth is Screaming.
The Amazon forest, which provides 20% of the oxygen we breathe, is burning in front of our eyes. What happens when the lungs of the earth are on fire? 

As Development and Peace-Caritas Canada prepares to launch its new campaign, For our Common Home: A future for the Amazon, A future for all, which highlights the importance of protecting the Amazon and its peoples, and as the Church around the world prepares for the October Synod on the Amazon in Rome, the urgency of taking action to protect the remaining Amazon forest is undebatable.
From October 6 to 24th, the Vatican will be holding a Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology. Why has Pope Francis placed a special focus on the Amazon? What does it mean for the Church, for the people of the Amazon and for all of humanity?

Join us for a special webinar to launch our new campaign, For our Common Home: A future for the Amazon, a future for all, where a panel of special guests will provide insight on the Synod and how we can take action. 
We know that the webinar will have happened by the time you receive this newsletter, but we have been told that a recording of the proceedings will be available. - FVC
 
 
 Being Stewards of Creation 
A Message from the OFM
Br. Roger Lopez explains, in this video, that stewardship of God’s creation requires wisely using our dominion over all creation as God does, so that everyone benefits from it.
Be an Informed Voter!

Become an informed voter for the October federal election: Find out if your riding is participating and attend the October 7th Canada wide non-partisan all-candidate debates on the environment. Citizens for Public Justice produced a 2019 Election Bulletin with a section on climate justice and questions to ask candidates...

Take action and email them, write a letter
  
See the new CCCB booklet: Voting as Catholics: 2019 Federal Election Guide
Laudato Si' - Pope Francis

(n 38): Let us mention, for example, … the Amazon and the Congo basins, ... We know how important these are for the entire earth and for the future of humanity. … there are “proposals to internationalize the Amazon, which only serve the economic interests of transnational corporations.” We cannot fail to praise the commitment of international agencies and civil...
...society organizations which draw public attention to these issues and offer critical cooperation, employing legitimate means of pressure, to ensure that each government carries out its proper and inalienable responsibility to preserve its country’s environment and natural resources, without capitulating to spurious local or international interests.

(n 146): …it is essential to show special care for indigenous communities and their cultural traditions. They are not merely one minority among others, but should be the principal dialogue partners, especially when large projects affecting their land are proposed. For them, land is not a commodity but rather a gift from God and from their ancestors who rest there, a sacred space with which they need to interact if they are to maintain their identity and values. When they remain on their land, they themselves care for it best. Nevertheless, in various parts of the world, pressure is being put on them to abandon their homelands to make room for agricultural or mining projects which are undertaken without regard for the degradation of nature and culture.
Pope’s message on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
Pope Francis does something new for creation. He invites us to protect our common home during the Season of Creation. Watch this video to find out more
Pope Francis suggested Catholics join the ecumenical "Season of Creation" initiative, which includes prayer and practical action to clean up the environment, promote recycling and lobby governments for action to mitigate climate change.
 
From Gospel to Life

Job 12:7-10
"But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."
 

The 3 Priorities of Climate-Friendly Living
 
Reducing ENERGY use
Moving towards renewable energy sources can save up to 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per year per person.
 
Eco-friendly TRANSPORT
Living car-free for a year saves 2.4 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, while each roundtrip transatlantic flight avoided saves an additional 1.6 tonnes.
 
Plant-based DIET
Eating a plant-based diet saves 0.8 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. This represents 4 times more greenhouse gas emissions per year than recycling. Plus, it is the most ethical approach, and also helps
improve health and well-being!
also see Recent Postings below                         
Let us pray:

● That the Churches and ecclesial communities may respond to the signs of the times expressed in the cry of nature, wounded by humankind’s inability to recognize its vocation to be the custodian of all that exists, let us pray.

● That international organizations may speak out strongly against the exploitation of the resources so generously offered by Mother Earth, and for those many brothers and sisters who live in need due to waste and abuse on the part of individuals and nations, let us pray.

● That those involved in political life, and every citizen as well, may grow in the awareness that any behavior that does not respect the environment damages human coexistence and undermines the foundations of peace, let us pray.

● That young people may be inspired by the example of Saint Francis to make mature lifestyle choices that are selfless and sustainable, promote the care and safeguarding of ecosystems, guarantee access to all basic resources, and encourage practices that respect the fundamental rights of the human person and of every creature, let us pray.
 from GCCM             
Film of the Month: The Climate Exodus    
How many millions of people will be forced to leave their homes by 2050? This documentary looks at the so-called hotspots of climate change in the Sahel zone, Indonesia and the Russian Tundra.   (DW Documentary 42:25min)
CBC covered the Development and Peace Walk for
Solidarity in Winnipeg in June.

                                                                                 Photo:June 15/2019 Winnipeg Sun/Chris Procaylo/stf
Damber Khadka spent 20 years in a refugee camp in Nepal, hoping to find a place to call home.

On Saturday, Khadka shared his story with a group of about 150 Winnipeggers who walked in solidarity with the world’s migrants and refugees, a few days before World Refugee Day.

See CBC video clip: Winnipegger’s story of 18 years in refugee camp, and the Winnipeg Sun story
   Book Suggestion
of the month
    


Franciscan Spirituality for the 21st Century
Selected Reflections from the Dating God Blog and other Essays
- Dan Horan, OFM

The search for God and the quest to understand better the world in which we find ourselves is an ongoing experience of joy and challenge. Enjoy this insightful, challenging, prayerful and at times humorous collection of reflections on contemporary culture, politics, and spirituality. Grounded in Franciscan tradition, Fr. Dan offers a new look at some traditional issues of faith, while at the same time presenting relevant commentary on current events that continue to be timely today. 
A worthwhile read. - FVC             
      
    The Rule &
General Constitutions

          

Rule 15: 
 Let them individually and collectively be in the forefront in promoting justice by the testimony of their human lives and their courageous initiatives. Especially in the field of public life, they should make definite choices in harmony with their faith.

GC 22.2:
The fraternities should engage themselves through courageous initiatives, consistent with their Franciscan vocation and with the directives of the Church, in the field of human development and justice...
Pope's Prayer Intention for September
The Protection of the Oceans
That politicians, scientists and economists work together to protect the world’s seas and oceans.
One way to explain the importance of taking care of the oceans is to use a couple of simple but effective examples: one out of every two people lives off of the ocean, and of every two breaths we take, one is thanks to the oceans. Let us take care of them. Their death is the death of all life on earth, including us.
Other important dates on the JPIC calendar:


Quoting Pope Francis, “Many young people all over the world are making their voices heard and calling for courageous decisions. They remind us that hope for tomorrow is … a task calling for concrete actions here and now….Our prayers and appeals are directed first at raising the awareness of political and civil leaders…Each Christian man and woman, every member of the human family, can act … weaving a network of life that embraces everyone.”

Support the young people in your community who will be leading a climate strike on September 20 and 27 which are planned to coincide with a UN climate summit. The climate strike movement started in 2018  by 15 year old Greta Thunberg, is now worldwide and continues to grow, and is supported by Global Catholic Climate Movement & Laudato Sii Generation. Also see: Laudato Sii Generation action. 

+ September 21 - International Day of Prayer for Peace 
+ September 30 - Orange Shirt Day  
+ October 4 - Feast of St. Francis
Recent Postings on 
Franciscan Voice Canada

Note the calls for Action in some of the postings below Other earlier Posts you may want to check:
Editors: Andrew Conradi, ofs & JPIC Advocate; George Guimond, ofs, RFEC Director of JPIC & Margaret Ross, ofs, Minister, St Agnes Fraternity, Coquitlam, BC

 

Related Links


About OFS
About JPIC
Franciscans International
Development & Peace
CIOFS
National Fraternity of Canada
LAUDATO SI’
Joy of the Gospel
Understanding JPIC - a Primer
The Franciscan Journey           - JPIC Supplements

“May God, the lover of life, grant us the courage to do good without waiting for someone else to begin, or until it is too late.." - Pope Francis 


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