Bulletin Boards

image: Dangjin Newspapers   Reflection/Quote We pray that the Trump Administration, in consultation with both scientific experts and faith-based communities, will find pathways to promote environmental sustainability and secure justice for future generations.  Climate change is not a partisan issue — it is a human and moral issue that requires the commitment of all people of goodwill across political lines to protect God’s creation and care for the future of our common home. Text taken from Catholic Climate Covenant Eco Challenge Let us speak up for the people in need and give them a save place in our community. Enlighten those who possess power and money that they may avoid the sin of indifference, that they may love the common good, advance the weak, and care for this world in which we live. The poor and the earth are crying out. O Lord, seize us with your power and light, help us to protect all life, to prepare for a better future, for the coming of your Kingdom of justice, peace, love and beauty. Praise be to you! Amen.                      Pope Francis, Laudato Si’, 2015  

image: pexels.com November Reflection/Quote: “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.”  --Pope Francis, Laudato Si, p. 217                                                                  Eco Challenge: Take some quiet contemplation time each day this month to ponder the sights and sounds of creation around you.  Hear the “hymns of praise” of other creatures.   Facts/Education St. Augustine, St. Bonaventure and many others taught that God wrote two sacred books:  the book of Scripture and the book of Creation.  It is important that we use both.

  image: https://laudatosimovement.org/news/laudato-si-part-2-an-ongoing-dialogue-of-the-signs-of-the-times/   September Reflection/Quote Consider the proverb popular in Kenya: “you must treat the earth well.  It was not given to you by your parents.  It is loaned to you by your children.”               Fr. Joseph Healey, MM   Eco-Challenge Read Laudate Deum, the Apostolic Letter by Pope Francis, on humanity’s obligation to the environment and act on it—both individually and in a communal way.    Facts/Education When it comes to climate change and global warming, the people living in Africa are very vulnerable.  Kenya is on the equator.  Countries in Eastern Africa are presently alternating between terrible drought and excessive flooding, resulting in mud slides.

Creation Day: A New Liturgical Feast? The role of Catholic organizations in the process   Online and in person in Rome, in the headquarters of UISG - Piazza di Ponte Sant'Angelo, 28 Throughout this past decade, many of us have enthusiastically celebrated “Creation Day” on September 1 (also known as “Feast of Creation” or “World Day of Prayer for Creation”), which opens the larger “Season of Creation”. Inspired by the day's ancient symbolism as the commemoration of the creation of the world (in Orthodox tradition), an ecumenical process is currently underway to elevate Creation Day to become a new feast in the liturgical calendars of various churches. This event, addressed to leaders of Catholic organizations and congregations (e.g. president, superior general, others with governance or executive roles, JPIC coordinators, etc), will share more background about the proposed feast, its theological foundations, and ways for Catholic organizations to contribute to the process.   DATE: 30 September 2024, 3pm - 4.30pm (Rome time) ORGANIZED BY: Laudato Si' Movement, JPIC, USG, UISG, Laudato Si' Research Institute   IN COLLABORATION WITH: Focolare Movement, Inter-Franciscan Commission Roman VI, International Catholic Conference of Scouting, Order of Augustinian Recollects (Arcores), Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Society of Jesus (SJES), Society of Mary, and World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations   LANGUAGES: English, Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese   more information:  https://www.uisg.org/en/meetings/126/Creation-Day-New-Liturgical-Feast/

image: https://www.pexels.com/search/coffee%20farmer/   Reflection/Quote Let us choose life.  Let us choose the future.  May we be attentive to the cry of the earth, may we hear the plea of the poor.                                                                        Pope Franics   Eco-Challenge Buy coffee beans, chocolate, produce, and more from a fairtrade certified company. Fast from overconsumption.  Refrain from shopping one day a week and use the money to support your civic community in some way.   Facts/Education Farming is the single largest employer in the world.  Fairtrade supports a fair deal for the farmers and workers who grow our food.

  Image: https://pixabay.com/ko/images/search/local%20veggies/   July Reflection/Quote If one thinks of tilling the ground as a form of service, one is led to envision a relationship to the Earth involving service or caring for, as opposed to ruling over it.  Let us take time to evaluate our service to God’s earth in the individual practices of our life and in our collective efforts in the realm of public policy.                                                         Sr. Helen Graham, MM   Eco-Challenge Commit to buying local, in-season produce.  Locally produced food grown during natural seasons is fresher and requires less energy to produce and transport.   Facts/Education Air pollution in the U.S. still remains a public health issue.  For 50 years, the Clean Air Act has driven dramatic improvements in air quality across the country.  The law requires the federal government to place limits on harmful air pollution, including greenhouse gases that cause climate change.  We need to stop the oil and gas industry that violates limits on toxic air pollution.

  Image: https://pixabay.com   June Reflection Quote “We will recover our sense of wonder and our sense of the sacred when we appreciate the universe as a revelatory experience of that numinous presence whence all things came into being.” Thomas Berry   Eco-Challenge Several times this month take time to gaze at the stars, the moon, the night sky—and thank God the Creator for this wonderfully made universe.   Facts/Education In the past several decades we have become increasingly and painfully aware of how we have failed as a human race to serve and care for God’s earth. We witness extreme weather events including devasting floods, prolonged droughts, raging wildfires, violent storms, and deadly heat waves. We are seeing species extinction due to the effects of climate change and our inadequate response to the urgent needs of our day.

image:google.com   May Reflection/Quote “The Anthropocene is a new geological epoch, which names an astonishing turning point in the history of our planet, since never before have homo sapiens lived in such an era, in which, overwhelmingly, humans have significantly altered all of the earth systems: the atmosphere, the oceans, the continents and ecosystems, the entire community of life on earth.” Cardinal Michael Czerny Eco-Challenge I will stop buying laundry detergent in plastic containers. I will purchase one container of laundry powder or laundry strips to try out and encourage others to do the same. Facts/Education Laundry detergent sheets are highly concentrated, low-sudsing, pre-measured detergent strips that you just toss into your washing machine. They come in eco-friendly recyclable paperboard packaging, and they live up to their eco-friendly credentials. Consumer Reports gave Earth Breeze Laundry Sheets a good rating, noting they are one of the most effective laundry strips at removing dirt, body oil, blood, chocolate and grass stains.

For Our Earth in Laudato Si’  All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.  Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.  We thank you for being with us each day.  Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace. Activities to celebrate Earth Day Organize a "clean-up." Enjoy a green smoothie. Create a "pollinator" garden (that will attract bees). Plant a tree! Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Conserve Water! Garden without pesticides. Play a nature-themed bingo game. Have an Earth Day drawing competition. Make a compost heap in your back yard.

image: https://www.planetfriendlyliving.co.uk/post/top-tips-for-drying-clothes-outside     April Reflection/Quote “Learning something leaves us different than we were before we knew it.  Learning is our lifeline to the fullness of ourselves.  We wake, if ever at all, to mystery.”. Annie Dillard Eco-Challenge Commit to saving energy by drying some or all of your laundry outside on a line when weather permits. Or use a drying rack inside.  Commit to this eco challenge at least one day this month!  Invite your family and friends too! Facts/Education The dryer is one of the biggest energy users in homes or apartments.  We can reduce our carbon footprint by an average of 2,400 lbs. per year by hang drying instead.  If drying outside is not an option, consider using a drying rack inside, or a shower rod or towel bar.