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Celebrating a Worldwide Season of Creation September 1st, 2016
La Vista Ecological Learning Center invites you to participate in the
Worldwide Season of Creation
September 1 – October 4, 2016
(Visit seasonofcreation.com for worship resources)
Last year Pope Francis designated September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation, joining the Orthodox Church which has been celebrating it since 1989. The day has now been extended by some groups to be a month-long Season of Creation, ending on October 4 (Feast of St. Francis).
Speaking to the faithful on Sunday, August 28th, 2016, Pope Francis said, “This coming Thursday, September 1st, we will mark the World Day of Prayer for the care of creation, together with our Orthodox brothers and with other Churches,” describing the event as, “an opportunity to strengthen the common commitment to safeguard life, respecting the environment and nature.”
Announcing this special day in 2015, Pope Francis said Christians want to make their special contribution to safeguarding creation, but to do that they must rediscover the spiritual foundations of their approach to earthly realities, beginning with an acknowledgment that “the life of the spirit is not dissociated from the body or from nature,” but lived in communion with all worldly realities.
The ecological crisis, he said, is a summons “to a profound spiritual conversion” and to a way of life that clearly shows they are believers. Quoting his encyclical, he said, “living our vocation to be protectors of God’s handiwork is essential to a life of virtue; it is not an optional or a secondary aspect of our Christian experience.”
For Your Reflection
Pope Francis calls upon our Christian faith to care for nature and for the most vulnerable among us, honoring the three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbor, and with Earth. This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature.
Selected Quotes from Laudato Si’
“Each community can take from the bounty of Earth whatever it needs for subsistence, but it also has the duty to protect Earth and ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations. “(67)
“Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, and political and for the distribution of good. Its worst impact will probably be felt by developing countries.” (25)
“Fresh drinking water is an issue of primary importance, since it is indispensable for human life and for supporting terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems” (28)
“The spirit of God has filled the universe with possibilities and therefore from the very heart of things, something new can emerge”. (80)
“The entire material universe speaks of God’s love and boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God. ” (84)
“Everything is interconnected, and genuine care for our own lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice and faithfulness to others.” (70)
“Our relationship with the environment can never be isolated from our relationship with others and with God. “(119)
What touches your heart? What calls you to action?
(Thank you to Denise Turcotte, CSC, for calling us to deepen our relationship with our rare and precious planet.)
Watch a Video of Fr. Séamus Finn Speaking on Faith-based Investing in Sustainability August 24th, 2016
Fr. Séamus Finn OMI, Chief of Faith Consistent Investment, OIP Investment Trust & Chair, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility recently spoke on Faith based Investing in Sustainability at an event hosted at the International Finance Corporation.
Cast Your Vote! Urban Garden at Oblate Residence Featured in Saveur Magazine Blog Competition August 23rd, 2016
“The Culture of Collards” has been nominated for Best Food Video at SAVEUR Magazine. This short film, which takes a look at the complex cultural and culinary history of collards, features DC farmers Gail Taylor of Three Part Harmony Farm at the Oblate Residence in Washington, DC and Rebecca Lemos & Lola Bloom of City Blossoms, and culinary historian Michael W. Twitty.
View the film.
Then visit Saveur Magazine to cast your vote under the Best Food Video category!
Visit Three Part Harmony Farm’s Website.
Irish Priest Fights for Poor People and Death-Row Convicts in Indonesia August 17th, 2016
The locals in Central Java province’s Cilacap Regency know Charles Patrick Burrows, a Catholic priest from Ireland, by another name: Romo Carolus.
He landed in Indonesia in 1973 and has stayed on since, working to help alleviate poverty in the regency and, relatively recently, offering comfort to inmates on death row at nearby Nusakambangan prison and escorting some as they walked toward the firing lines.
Romo Carolus began by counseling Catholic inmates, but provides guidance for other inmates as well.
Read the full article at OMIUSA.org.
Read coverage in the New York Times:
Indonesia’s Push to Execute Drug Convicts Underlines Flaws in Justice System
Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI, Speaks on Theology and Liberation at 2016 World Social Forum August 17th, 2016
The World Forum on Theology and Liberation (WFTL) was one of several parallel forums at the 2016 World Social Forum, held in Montreal, Canada from August 9-14.
Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI, participated in a panel discussion on August 12 at the OMI Lacombe sponsored workshop: “Theology and Liberation: Sharing experiences of empowering the poor in Canada and beyond the borders.” The workshop explored how the Oblates of Mary Immaculate have been involved in empowering the poor throughout the world for the past 200 years.
Fr. Seamus Finn, OMI (far right), along with other presenters at the OMI Lacombe sponsored workshop: “Theology and Liberation: Sharing experiences of empowering the poor in Canada and beyond the borders”
