News Archives » Laudato Si
WEBINAR: “Looking for new forms of dialogue in Laudato Si” (LS 14) October 19th, 2020
Following our meetings for Laudato Si, the OMI Central Government
invites you to the Webinar:
Link: bit.ly/2T28hW7
Meeting ID: 883 5984 5648
Passcode: omiwebinar
Laudato Si Put Into Action at Sacred Heart Parish August 31st, 2020
We join the global ecumenical family in prayer and action for the Season of Creation which begins on September 1. We are also inspired by Fr. Jack Lau, OMI’s efforts to turn Pope Francis’ Laudato Si message into concrete action at Sacred Heart Parish, Oakland, CA.
Years ago gardens were built for St. Martin’s de Porres School (now a Mandarin immersion charter school). But the gardens were recently abandoned and when the school switched to virtual learning earlier this year, Fr. Jack, with help from a parishioner, got to work reviving the gardens.
Fr. Jack recently completed training to become a Laudato Si Animator and with proper care and attention, the garden is already producing a bounty of vegetables.
Although churches remain closed in the California Bay area, Sacred Heart Parish hosts Sunday zoom Masses and drive-thru communion.
Immediately after Mass and drive-thru communion, fresh vegetables from the now flourishing gardens are available for parishioners who may have been laid off or otherwise in need. As a multicultural parish, some parishioners have enjoyed touring the gardens just to remind themselves of gardening back in the Philippines, Vietnam or Nigeria.
This past Sunday, Fr. Jack as usual picked what vegetables were ready to share with the parish after Mass and before drive through communion. Parishioners then brought in vegetables from their own gardens, day old bread and fruit for sharing as well. A beautiful synergy is taking place!
Like many of us, throughout the month of September Sacred Heart Parish joins in acknowledging and celebrating “the Season of Creation.”
WANT TO BECOME INVOLVED?
From September 1 to October 4, participate with Christians around the world in a celebration of restoration and hope to heal our relationships with creation and with each other. Learn about and participate in events by visiting this link: http://bit.ly/JoinSOC2020
Walking with the People of the Amazon September 26th, 2019
Why the Amazon Merits a Synod
By Cardinal-designate Michael Czerny, SJ & Msgr. David Martínez de Aguirre Guinea O.P.
The next Synod of Bishops, to be held in Rome, October 6-27, 2019, is on the Amazon and has as its theme “New paths for the Church and for integral ecology.” It will examine issues that are important to “every person living on the planet” as Pope Francis wrote in the introduction to his Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (3).
Why is the Amazon so important that a synod is dedicated to it? What is “integral ecology,” and what might be “new paths” for the Church? Finally, what is a synod really all about? [1]
The Amazon
A few key facts about the Amazon region:
- Its size is 7.8 million square kilometers, approximately the same size as Australia.
- It includes areas of Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
- There are approximately 33 million inhabitants, of whom 3 million are indigenous belonging to 390 diverse groups or peoples.
- Impact on the planetary ecosystem: the Amazon River basin and the surrounding tropical forests nourish the soil and regulate, through the recycling of moisture, the cycles of water, energy and carbon at the planetary level.
Access the full article at La Civiltà Cattolica.
Materials for Upcoming Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region July 3rd, 2019
EDITOR’S NOTE: A special assembly has been announced in a bulletin issued by the Vatican: “In accordance with the proclamation by Pope Francis on October 15, 2017, the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, called to reflect on the theme: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology, will take place in October 2019. New paths for evangelization must be designed for and with the People of God who live in this region: inhabitants of communities and rural areas, of cities and large metropolises, people who live on river banks, migrants and displaced persons, and especially for and with indigenous peoples.”
In preparation for the synod, Fr. Séamus Finn, OMI, Director of OMIUSA JPIC, has assembled the following resources.
The following three resources (1 article and 2 videos) are excellent resources as we enter the final phase of preparation for the forthcoming synod; “Amazonia, New paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology”
- In the article Mauricio Lopez locates the Synod within the context of the encyclical Laudato Sí and identifies some of the opportunities that the synod offers to the universal church and to each of us: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2019-06/the-pan-amazon-synod-walking-together-in-an-ecclesial-kairos.html
- The ‘love-the Nature’ film is a very attractive and engaging meditation on the Story of the Cosmos and how we have come full circle in absorbing the lessons of the natural world and building on those insights through our research and imagination: https://uplift.tv/2019/love-thy-nature/
- The PBS video tells the story of the Amazon bio region and its inhabitants and why we must be very careful in the choices that we make about its future: https://www.pbs.org/video/the-amazon-xs6uil/
Vatican Marks the 3rd Anniversary of Laudato Si July 24th, 2018
The Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development organized an International Conference on the 3rd Anniversary of the encyclical Laudato Si’: Saving our Common Home and the Future of Life on Earth. The event took place from July 5-6, 2018 and drew representatives from civil society, religions, churches, scientists, politicians, economists, and grassroots groups to review past work and develop a plan of action. Speaking to attendees, Pope Francis remarked that “the “common home” of our planet also needs urgently to be repaired and secured for a sustainable future.”
Read the Pope’s full remarks here.
Conference recordings and presentations can be found here.
