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La Vista Celebrates Autumn Equinox September 23rd, 2014
On Saturday, September 20, thirty people gathered at La Vista to learn about the fall Monarch migration and to celebrate the beginning of autumn.
To introduce themselves, participants told about the last time they spotted a Monarch. Maxine Pohlman, Director of the Oblate Ecological Initiative at Godfrey said, “We learned much about one another, our country or state of origin, and the presence and absence of Monarchs in our areas. Our sharing whetted our appetites for viewing the YouTube video “Plight of the Monarchs”, a twenty minute informative presentation filmed in central Illinois. We became aware of the threats to the endangered phenomenon of the annual Monarch migration, such as habitat loss, use of pesticides, and disappearance of the valuable milkweed plant.”
She added, “Next we headed outside to a patch of milkweed that has been cordoned off and allowed to grow throughout the season. As we stood there listening to a reading about the Monarch, one beautiful butterfly showed up to delight us – right on cue!”
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Oblate Garden Featured in the Washington Post September 23rd, 2014
Gail Taylor, farmer on the Oblate property in Washington, DC
An article in the Sunday Washington Post featured the garden at the Oblate Headquarters in Washington in a piece on the DC Urban Agriculture bill under consideration by the City Council.
Roberto De Jesus Silva OMI, our visitor from Brazil, is featured in the photo attached to the article and has been a regular volunteer with the Saturday group.
JPIC Report Fall/Winter 2014 Issue Now Available On-Line September 17th, 2014
The Fall/Winter 2014 issue of JPIC Report is now available on line as a PDF. It will soon be available in print form.
Please contact Mary O’Herron in the JPIC Office if you want to be added to the mailing list.
You can find all issues of JPIC Report on this website in the Resources section. (Download a PDF of the latest issue)
Corn from White Earth Indian Reservation Grows in Washington, DC! September 11th, 2014
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Bear Island Flint corn seed from the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota produced this ear of corn grown in Washington, DC
Corn from the White Earth Reservation in northern Minnesota was planted in the garden at the Oblate headquarters in Washington, DC by farmer, Gail Taylor, and has yielded its fruit! Aware of the work of Winona LaDuke, the well-known Native American activist who lives and works on the White Earth Reservation, to preserve native seeds, Gail has been ordering seed for the garden at 391 from The White Earth Land Recovery project, although she wasn’t aware of the Oblate mission presence at White Earth.
The mission of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, which LaDuke founded, is “to facilitate recovery of the original land base of the White Earth Indian Reservation, while preserving and restoring traditional practices of sound land stewardship, language fluency, community development, and strengthening our spiritual and cultural heritage.” LaDuke is also the Executive Director of Honor the Earth, where she works on a national level to advocate, raise public support, and create funding for frontline native environmental groups.
We are delighted to have corn from this special place growing on Oblate land in Washington. It is also nice that the mission to save native agricultural heritage is alive in both places.
Gail Taylor, the farmer at the Oblate property in Washington, DC working in the garden.
Pax Christi Rejects “Just War” September 10th, 2014
Over many centuries, Church leaders and theologians justified the crusades, the inquisition, slavery, torture, capital punishment and war as consistent with the will of God. Only one of them retains that position in official church teaching today. Pax Christi, the peace movement of the Catholic Church believes it is time for the Catholic Church to reject “just war” as inconsistent with the teaching and example of Jesus, and to become a Just Peace Church.
“Violence and war are never the way to peace!” “War is the suicide of humanity because it kills the heart and kills love.” – Pope Francis
For more information: visit the Metro DC website of Pax Christi
The Oblate JPIC Office is a member of Pax Christi USA.
