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Earth Day Clean Up at Sacred Heart Parish, Oakland, CA May 1st, 2023
Sacred Heart Parish Joined the local Pax Christi & neighboring parishes for an Earth Day clean up
By Fr. Jack Lau, OMI
Earth Day weekend the GreenTeam at SacredHeart had a full day. About 18 people from the parish, Pax Christi and neighboring parishes joined together and picked up over 600 gallons of trash and 150 gallons of compostables.
We afterwards celebrated an Earth Day mass with the parish and visitors. At 6pm we went to the hall for a sustainable vegetarian meal. Seconds and thirds were had. And to complete the day we saw the Papal movie “The Letter”.
A full day for sure and we left full, tired and with deep questions to ponder.
Looking Ahead: OMI Commitments to Laudato Si April 27th, 2023
Acts of the 37th General Chapter
PILGRIMS OF HOPE IN COMMUNION
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate
(Approved by the General Chapter on October 12, 2022)
The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate’s 37th General Chapter took place in September 2022 with Pilgrims of Hope in Communion as the theme. The Oblates feel challenged by many of the cries that resound in our world, the voices of the poor and the abandoned reach out to God who is looking at us and calling us to a response.
At the end of the 37th General Chapter, which happens every six years, commitments to life and action were made.
- One of these commitments is to take the responsibility to do much more to promote justice and peace.
- One way we are doing this is responding to Pope Francis’ call, through his landmark encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si, to care for the earth and all its resources, physical and human: “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development . . .” (#13).
- Below is a summary of OMI commitments as it relates to Laudato Si.
Click here to read document
Celebrate Earth Day 2023 April 21st, 2023
World Water Day and World Earth Day are Linked and Flow Together – 2023
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BISHOP MICHAEL PFEIFER, O.M.I.
Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of San Angelo
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World Earth Day 2023: Invest in Your Planet (Get Inspired. Take Action. Be a part of the green revolution). The website www.earthday.org describes the history of this special day. The 1960s saw a dramatic increase in environmental concerns in the US. With several environmental catastrophes, many Americans felt the need to take a more proactive approach in the stewardship of our planet. To avoid future environmental disasters, Senator Gaylord Nelson, from Wisconsin established the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, to bring light to the issues of environmental responsibilities and transforming the public attitude. That day left a permanent impact on the politics of America. Earth Day was the push the nation needed and not long after that, Congress passed several major initiatives that would become the foundation of our nation’s environmental laws.
Beginning in 1990, Earth Day went global. A day that mobilized more than 200 million people in 141 countries to begin the fight for the environment to the global stage. Earth Day continues to grow, and more than 1 billion people took action for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2010. In 2020, Earth Day marked 50 years of environmental activism and showed no signs of slowing down. Presently, there is a world-wide concern on the danger of Climate Change which affects the present and future of our entire planet. In our Planet, the United Nations has called its latest climate report a “Code Red for Humanity”.
The report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that the earth is arguably in worse shape than ever. Scientific evidence is clear that irrefutable-human activity is causing our planet to warm at an alarming rate. We need to act boldly, innovate broadly, and implement equitably. Pope Francis focuses on “ecological conversion” for decisions that can no longer be postponed. This conversion calls for new lifestyles World Water Day and World Earth Day are Linked and Flow Together 2023 3 based on development, sustainability and cooperation between human beings and the environment. Society must explore all options to identify the best opportunities to make our planet more hospitable for generations to come. It’s going to take all of us, international, national, and local governments, businesses, churches, schools, and all citizens on earth to form a partnership to protect and preserve our planet.
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OMI JPIC Attends IMF & World Bank Spring Meetings April 19th, 2023
The 2023 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) took place in person from Monday, April 10 to Sunday, April 16 in Washington DC and OMI JPIC USA was represented at the sessions.
Recordings are available of most sessions at this website. Please let us know if you need help finding anything. We can be reached at this email: jpic@omiusa.org.
2023: World Water Day & World Earth Day are Linked & Flow Together March 22nd, 2023
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BISHOP MICHAEL PFEIFER, O.M.I.
Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of San Angelo
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We focus on World Water Day, March 22, 2023
First, we focus on World Water Day, whose theme for 2023 is Accelerating Change. What is World Water Day? World Water Day is an annual United Nations Observance that started in 1993 focusing on the importance of Water, coordinated by UN-Water and led by one or more U-Water members and partners. This wonderful creation day celebrates Water and raises awareness of the 2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis.
A core focus of WWD is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030). In preparation for March 22nd, people and organizations hold earlier World Water Day events in accord with the theme Accelerating Change and participate in the global campaign launched in the preceding months by UN-Water and social media. On World Water Day itself, the UN World Water Development Report is released focusing on the same topics as the campaign and recommending policy direction to decision makers.
This WWD is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis. Because water affects us all we need everyone to take action. You and your family, school, church, and community can make a difference by changing the way you use, consume and manage water in your lives.
Some action steps
> Save water: take shorter showers and don’t let the tap run when brushing teeth, preparing food, and doing dishes.
> Make it equal: share water gathering between men and women, girls, and boys.
> Flush safe: fixing leaking water and waste pipes, empty full septic tanks and report dumping of sludge.
> Stop polluting: don’t put food waste, oils, medicine and chemicals down the toilet or drains.
> Eat local: buy local seasonal foods and look for products made with less water.
> Be curious: find out where my water comes from and how it is shared and visit a treatment plant to see how our waste is managed.
> Protect nature: plant a tree or create a rain garden–use natural solutions to reduce the risk of flooding and store water.
> Build pressure: write to my elected representatives about budgets for improving water at home and abroad.
> Clean up: take part in cleanups at my local rivers, lakes, wetlands, or beaches.
(Taken from US Water, World Water Day 2023 Accelerating Change)
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