Earlier this fall a new Eco Ministry began at Holy Cross parish in Toronto. They have planned projects that focus on reducing waste and enriching the natural environment at the parish such as establishing new native pollinator and vegetable gardens.  On December 2nd they held a Breakfast Social Fundraiser with a soup and bake sale and silent auction. A table was set up where people could donate an unwanted item and pick up another item in exchange.

I dropped in at their busy event to hear more about their initiative and enjoyed some food and coffee—served on real dishes and not disposables. Great Advent gathering!

Blessing of Bread and Salt, Photo: Courtesy Chris Pidwerbeski

Submitted by Christopher Hrynkow, Chair, Communities Inspired for Environmental Action Central Saskatchewan

The Ecumenical Patriach Dimitrios I inaugurated the World Day of Prayer for the Environment on September 1, 1989. As part of Pope Francis’ ecumenical outreach and as an expression of his concern for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation undertaken in the spirit of St. Francis, in 2015 Pope Francis’ established the practice in the Catholic Church. As a result, Catholics are now called to participate in the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation annually on September 1st. Here, Francis is also taking up a recommendation made in the Charta Oecumenica in 2001. That document, jointly issued by the Conference of European Churches and the Council of European Bishops Conferences recommends the establishment of an ecumenical day prayer for “the preservation of creation”.

Photo courtesy of The Anglican Diocese of Fredericton

Check out the wonderful coverage in the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton news of our recent workshop and tour of the Christ Church Cathedral buildings -- anglican.nb.ca/news/workshop-delves-into-future-of-diocesan-cathedral-buildings. 

Boldly exploring the challenge of faith building regeneration and adaptive re-use in Fredericton, NB!

Next stop? Join us on Nov 3 in Winnipeg, MB to continue the conversation!

“The protocol is not very complicated; it's just a matter of making sure the doors are wide open for people to come into our air-conditioned environment, and making sure water is available at all times.” — Matthew Pearce, the CEO of Old Brewery Mission
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/matthew-pearce-heat-wave-homeless-1.4732065

The Lighthouse Project in Hamilton has been building a network of residents and community stakeholders in the interest of preparing neighbours for the impacts of increasing extreme weather events. This network is newly named as Community Resilience to Extreme Weather (CREW) Hamilton.

Click on this image to find out how you can become involved with Faith & the Common Good.

Growing from an effort to broaden and deepen the work of Churches for Environmental Action, Central Saskatchewan's new interfaith group to promote inspired sustainable living, Communities Inspired for Environmental Action, invites you to join us!

To plan our launch event (for November 29th) and shape our vision, we will be meeting in the front welcome area at St. Francis Church on Tuesday, October 2nd, 2018 from 7-9pm. St. Francis is located at 222 Willow Street in Saskatoon.

Faith & the Common Good is currently seeking a dynamic Deputy Executive Director to guide, build, and help tell the story of the organization’s raison d’etre and diverse array of programs. The successful candidate will demonstrate skills at developing, funding, evaluating, and executing programs, managing administrative operations, fostering strong community and cross sectoral partnerships, and realizing the organization’s vision and strategic goals. The position will be considered as the next-in-line for the role of Executive Director.

On June 24th, Divest Waterloo and Parkminster United Church partnered on Water and Spirit: Allyship in Action — a lunch and Indigenous Allyship gathering designed for people who are wondering about how to go beyond land acknowledgements, curious about terms, or wanting to discover positive best practices for working with Indigenous peoples. Melissa Ireland (pictured on the right above, bio below), Manager of Indigenous Student Services at Laurier University, facilitated this participatory gathering employing a circle approach to help participants self-discover where they sit in their Indigenous Allyship journey.

Following this, Mary Anne Caibaiosai (pictured on the left above, bio below) shared her stories and prayers for the water and plans for the All Nations Grand River Water Walk that will be held from September 15th through the 29th. The workshop and lunch were free, with donations to support the Water Walk gratefully accepted.