Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate  United States Province

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Reflection on March Ecological Conversion Session with OMI Novices April 8th, 2025

Contributed by Sr. Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Director La Vista Ecological Learning Center

L to R: Edwin Silwimba, Alfred Lungu, Bro. Francois, Mike Katona, Eliakim Mbenda

 
For our final session this “year” we stayed at home so we could connect with Br. Francois Balga Goldong, a remarkable OMI brother who is from Cameroon and is currently studying in the Philippines.
 
After viewing the documentary, Fleeing Climate Change: the Real Environmental Disaster (https://bit.ly/4jmi9UO), Francois was so moved that he felt impelled to write his thoughts in an article he entitled “The Urgent Mission of Religious Congregations in Caring for the Earth” ( https://bit.ly/43E6ZpV). We viewed the video and were also moved by the way that rising sea levels in Indonesia, melting permafrost in the Arctic, extreme heat and drought in Cameroon, and desertification in the Sahel, are resulting in the mass migration of, “climate migrants”. Francois told us he is familiar with the crisis, having experienced heat and drought in Cameroon. He shared that he was now experiencing climate change effects in the Philippines in the form of flooding from rising seas levels and increased intensity of typhoons.
 
The novices were all ears when Francois spoke, since he is close to their age, has experienced climate change first hand, and had the courage to challenge the Congregation to a deeper response to the climate crisis. He said, “The documentary…presents a stark reality: entire communities are being uprooted due to ecological degradation. As I reflect on this I feel compelled to explore whether ecological justice should be considered and essential part of our missionary identity, even if it has not traditionally been emphasized within our charism”.

Even though it was the wee hours of the morning in the Philippines, Francois had the energy to share the urgency he feels about the many people around the world who are facing climate migration, saying, “The question is not whether we should act, but how we will act. If we, as religious, do not take this crisis seriously, who will? We cannot afford to delay, for the earth and its most vulnerable inhabitants are crying out for justice. By embracing this call, we as Oblates will continue to be true to our missionary identity bringing hope to the most vulnerable and witnessing to God’s love in a world in crisis.”
 
We ended our time feeling blessed by the witness of a young Oblate who is tuned in to the reality of the climate crisis and who had the courage to write his thoughts, resulting in our meeting across the miles and supporting one another. Since we met in March, Brother Francois has also written ” The Three ” H”, Integrating ” Head, Heart, and Hands”: A New Culture of Response to Ecological Conversion”. I invite you to support him by reading his inspiring article and enjoying the photo of his garden, pictured here
 
Br. Francois’ article: https://bit.ly/43E6ZpV
 
READ La Vista’s E News & Eco-spirituality Calendar: https://bit.ly/3XATuU7

 


2023 Season of Creation – “Let’s Irrigate Life!” September 15th, 2023

By Maurice Lange, current Justice & Peace Director at Presentation Sisters & former Executive Director of the Oblates Lebh Shomea House of Prayer

green leaves with raindrops

“Love, overflowing with small gestures of mutual care, is also civic and political, and it makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world.” (Laudato Si #231)

READ: 3rd part of Pope Francis’ letter for the 2023 Season of Creation (below) (READ FULL REFLECTION)

REFLECTION: Pope Francis does not mince words in calling us to put an end to war upon Creation. Our calling is to stand with victims of this war, both human and other-than-human. Justice and peace cannot flow when so many bodies of water are drying up. Yes, our human societies are that linked to the natural world! Greed and selfishness, on the part of individuals and industry, are wreaking havoc on Earth’s water cycle. Creation’s heartbeat works in cycles…we Westerners think and act linearly. Can we align our hearts with the way that Earth functions…and live cyclically?

(READ FULL REFLECTION)

ACTION: This week go outside — near a stream, brook or small river — and just be. Ponder the flow of that water…and where it merges with other streams or rivers. How does this increase provide for creatures and habitats downstream? What are some novel ways you can irrigate (and not deplete) “the life of our marvelous planet and our human family”?

(READ FULL REFLECTION)

Reflections in this series:

 


2023 Season of Creation – “Harmonize Our Hearts” September 7th, 2023

White flowers on horizontally displayed guitar

(Image by Shirley Hirst from Pixabay)

By Maurice Lange, current Justice & Peace Director at Presentation Sisters & former Executive Director of the Oblates Lebh Shomea House of Prayer

“The Spirit of God has filled the universe with possibilities and therefore, from the very heart of things, something new can always emerge.” (Laudato Si #80)


READ: 2nd part of Pope Francis’ letter for the 2023 Season of Creation (READ FULL REFLECTION)

REFLECT: Pope Francis calls us during this Season of Creation to dwell upon heartbeats: our own as well as those heartbeats which give us life: our mother’s… Creation’s…God’s… A pilgrimage place (like Lac St. Anne in Canada) is healing…and also inviting of an individual/group to go to the heart of the matter. Francis focuses us this Season by inviting us to journey with him on a pilgrimage. We are called to harmonize our hearts (our perceptions and lifestyles) with the heartbeat of Creation, that which gives life. Where do our hearts beat in harmony with Life? What influences in our society allure us away from such a harmony?

(READ FULL REFLECTION)

ACT: As we begin this year’s Season of Creation, we must admit how out-of-sync our Western hearts are with the rest of the natural world. Is there a link between such disharmony and our Western addiction to screentime (and derived dopamine)? * During this Season of Creation, create a plan to limit screentime. (And thus, have time and attentiveness to harmonize your heart with that which truly gives life.)

“In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present.” (LS #245)

(READ FULL REFLECTION)


Reflections in this series:

 


Let Justice & Peace Flow: Season of Creation 2023 August 31st, 2023

2023 Season of Creation

Join in This Global Celebration
 (Background image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay)

The Season of Creation is an annual observance for Christians all around the world to come together in prayer to celebrate and protect God’s earth. It takes place from September 1 to October 4, ending on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.  This year’s theme declares, let “Justice and Peace Flow.” 
Green tree branches in woods with a small bridge over pond

“Let Justice and Peace Flow” — By Maurice Lange, Justice & Peace Director at Presentation Sisters

Read More

Green and blue earth showing one house upper right of image

Letter of the Superior General: World Day of Prayer
for the
Care of Creation

Read More
Blue background, yellow honeybee diving into pink flower

New Resource!
Practical Ways
We
Can Help Pollinators

Read More

Learn more about the climate crisis by visiting these websites:

Season of Creation 
Invites you to use these resources and share them with your church, pastor or other regional authority to join the Season of Creation, and even spread the word to local media.

Laudato Si Movement
The Laudato Si Movement works within the Catholic Church to better care for our common home.

Catholic Climate Covenant
Catholic Climate Covenant inspires and equips people and institutions to care for creation and care

Creation Justice Ministries
Seeks justice for God’s planet and God’s people

Interfaith Power & Light
Interfaith Power & Light (DC.MD.NoVA) works with hundreds of congregations of all faiths across Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia to save energy, go green, and respond to climate change. Together, they are building a religious response to the climate crisis.


Preparing for the 2023 Season of Creation – “Let Justice and Peace Flow” August 30th, 2023

By Maurice Lange, current Justice & Peace Director at Presentation Sisters & former Executive Director of the Oblates Lebh Shomea House of Prayer


“Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.” (Laudato Si #207)

READ: 1st first part of Pope Francis’ letter for the 2023 Season of Creation (below)

REFLECTION: What is God’s desire? Pope Francis begins this Season of Creation by getting immediately to the heart of the matter: God wants justice to reign. Equating the kingdom of God to right relationship with God, humanity and nature, Francis makes clear that such righteousness, authentic justice and peace, is like a nourishing stream that does not fail. As we prepare to begin this annual Season, let us reflect on the ways in which we contribute to the stream and “let justice and peace flow”. And, for a thorough ecological examen: how do some of our perceptions inhibit such a flow? From where did we imbibe these “dam-Ing” perceptions? Let us live at the heart of the matter this Season of Creation and beyond.

READ THE FULL REFLECTION

Green foliage in woods with small bridge over pond

         (Image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay)

ACTION: The Season of Creation begins September 1 and continues through October 4. Procure and keep a Season of Creation journal. You may wish to play with the water imagery of this year’s theme. Like a stream that flows with new water, may this Season be one of new commitment for you. “We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.” (LS closing prayer #246)

READ THE FULL REFLECTION

 

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