A bulletin produced by the Catholic Justice and Peace Commission
of the Archdiocese of Brisbane
Tuesday, 27 October 2020
Christians, Country and Climate
Christians of all persuasions are invited to take another step in a journey towards listening and relationship. Please join us for an evening of storytelling, listening and relationship building.
One of the key recommendations for action by Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ is for dialogue internationally, nationally and locally. This dialogue should include people from many different groups. The Archdiocese has been hosting, often in partnership, conversations on climate change and other important environmental concerns since Archbishop Peter Loy Chong of Suva, Fiji, came to Brisbane for the Season of Creation in September 2019. This ecumenical dialogue with First Nations Christians is another important conversation which will help us all to develop the understandings and agreements which can be the basis for effective action on environmental problems.
(There are two parts to the Evening. First is a time of listening open to all at 6pm. This will be followed by a time of reflection for Queensland Christians only at 8.15pm. Both parts can be joined in person at St Johns Anglican Cathedral, Ann Street, Brisbane, or online via Zoom. Registration is required for both Zoom and in-person attendance.)
CREATION, COUNTRY and CLIMATE: Listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Christian Leaders and Voices will take place next Monday 2 November
Speakers: Dr Rose Elu (Aunty Togiab McRose Elu)
Elder from Saibai Island in the Torres Strait, and Executive Member of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Anglican Council (NATSIAC)
Larissa Baldwin
Proud woman of the Widjabul clan of the Bundjalung nation, First Nations Justice Campaign Director for GetUp!, and Co-Founder & former National Director of Seed Indigenous Youth Climate Network.
Aunty Rev Alex Gater
Wangan Jagalingou Elder, first Aboriginal woman in Queensland to be made an Anglican Priest and Nobel Peace Prize nominee
The earth, our common home, is crying. People are suffering. As Christians we are called to care for creation. We are called to hear the cries of the earth and the cries of the poor, But if we are truly honest with ourselves, we might be willing to acknowledge that the Church has been found wanting when it comes to caring for our common home. Care for creation and country are intimately linked.
This call to care is for all of us. First Nations peoples have also helped build and sustain the church. More than ever we need to come together in right relationship as a community of faith for creation and for country.
Jointly hosted by:
Anglican Board of Mission, Catholic Justice and Peace Commission of the Archdiocese of Brisbane, Common Grace, St John's Cathedral, Anglican Church Southern Queensland Social Responsibilities Committee, Angligreen, Tearfund Australia, Qld Christian Environmental Network, and Queensland Churches Together.
National Recycling Week
National Recycling Week is November 9 -15. It is an opportunity for us to think about our use of resources and how that impacts on our environment. Planet Ark runs the National Recycling Week program and has information on recycling resources, buying items made from recycled material, re-using materials and promoting a circular economy. To find out more, go to: https://planetark.org/programs/national-recycling-week
Stepping Up
Stepping Up in National Recycling Week is the title of our next webinar. It will focus on a key challenge of Laudato Si’ – our throwaway culture as Pope Francis calls it. He challenges us to do more than recycle our waste. Instead, he calls on us to think about how much we buy into the consumerist culture which encourages us to consume the earth’s resources without a thought for the damage we are doing. Our guest speakers will be Dr David Tutty, Executive Officer of the Social Justice Commission of the Diocese of Toowoomba and Liam Rankine, Community Relationships Manager, Clean Up Australia. David will speak about what Laudato Si’ says about our throwaway culture and wastefulness and Liam will introduce us to Clean Up Australia’s Step Up program.
Starting tonight our time, a series of three conversations about how people of faith want to take action to address the climate crisis will begin. An impressive list of panel members from different faith traditions will assemble to discuss different aspects of this topic tonight and on Tuesday 3 November and Tuesday 10 November. To find out all the details and to register for the 3 conversations, go to: https://preview.mailerlite.com/y0p1k7/1540751521103222551/p1l8/