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Earth Day 2025: Power Up for the Planet April 22nd, 2025

(Contributed by: Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer, OMI, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of San Angelo)

Clergy in maroon robe Green, gold, red diocese logo

Tuesday, April 22, 2025, is the 55th anniversary of Earth Day. Everyone is invited to support, to study and reflect on Earth Day’s 2025 theme – Our Power, Our Planet. There are many ways to make a difference for our planet on Earth Day and every day. Join millions worldwide in Earth Day 2025 activities.

Attend a local event or plan and register your own. Earthday.org mentions several resources such as quizzes, fact sheets, articles and more to help us celebrate Earth Day this year in our homes and communities, at work and at school.

We are invited to act now to make smart powerful energy choices at a family level and community level and demand rapid renewable energy deployment from your governments, industries, schools and businesses.

Happy #EarthDay! 🌎🌳💚🌱 💚

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Faith Meets Sustainability: Discussion With Fr. Séamus Finn, OMI & Br. Thomas Marchetti, OMI April 10th, 2025

 
Fr. Séamus Finn, OMI recently had a discussion with Br. Thomas Marchetti, OMI to explore his timely thesis on how the Catholic community in San Antonio, TX can increase their engagement in sustainability efforts.
 
The full title of Br. Thomas’ thesis is: “Investigating the Potential of Engaging the Catholic Community in Sustainable Interventions in San Antonio, TX.”
 
They discussed Br. Thomas’ passion for the the issue of sustainability, his process for gathering & analyzing data, and his plans for engaging with the community. 
 
Watch this inspiring conversation on Youtube: https://bit.ly/425PJbR 

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

 


World Water Day 2025 Focuses on Glacier Preservation March 13th, 2025

Contributed by: Bishop Michael Pfeifer, OMI (Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of San Angelo)

Clergy in maroon robe Green, gold, red diocese logo

In 1993 the UN General Assembly designated March 22nd as World Water Day (WWD). This observance is one of the largest international days. Each year the UN selects a theme for World Water Day, and the theme chosen for World Water Day 2025 is Glacier Preservation.

In this article I share much information from UN.org and UN Water. A glacier is a river of ice often covered in snow, slowly moving down a valley from a mountainous area, with its melting waters flowing downstream. The UN points out that glaciers are critical to the water cycle. They provide essential supplies of fresh water for drinking water, for sanitation systems, agriculture, industry, clean energy production and healthy ecosystems. We are told that glaciers are melting faster than ever before.

Perhaps it is a little surprising that World Water Day focuses on glacier preservation, as glaciers are believed to be thousands of miles away from where we live. But we are learning the important part they play in the bigger picture of the importance of water on planet Earth. Water Day is a day to remember that water is an essential element for all life on planet Earth.

First and foremost, on Water Day we should thank our loving God and Creator for giving us this wonderful life-giving gift. In the first book of the Bible, we read how and why God gave us the gift of water in His plan for all of creation. World Water Day is a time to ask how we can better appreciate and use the water we deal with day by day. We start in our homes, asking the question how are we using the wonderful gift of water, or sadly perhaps abusing and wasting this gift.

And we then look at the sources of water that are closest to us like ponds, rivers and lakes and what we should do to keep them safe and clean. Because water is necessary for all of us, we need to take strong action, individually, in our families, in our schools, in our churches, in all our communities, in our workplaces, and in all levels of government about how we can better protect and provide water for our lives, and for all people on planet Earth.

WWD is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis beginning with the place where we live. As water is necessary for all life it is considered a human right for all people throughout the world. But sadly, on this World Water Day we are faced with the reality that 2.2 billion of our brothers and sisters on planet Earth live without access to safe clean water which has devastating impacts on the health and very life of whole societies. Some may ask: Why do people live in places without clean water? Most of these people do not have much choice in where they live. Many reside in the same communities they were born in – which they have called home for generations.

READ FULL ARTICLE: https://bit.ly/3R8utfb 

 

 


Introducing a Champion Tree at the Missionary Oblates Novitiate November 26th, 2024

In September there was buzz around a special champion tree recently discovered on the property at the Missionary Oblates Novitiate.
 
The Basswood tree was recently nominated as one of Illinois’ largest native trees.
 
In this video, Sr. Maxine Pohlman, SSND, Director of La Vista Ecological Learning Center introduces us to the tree and explains the selection process.  
 

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