Renewing the Sacred Balance

FREE registration for #LiveLaudatoSi Learning Webinar: In Solidarity with Migrants

Date: March 10, 2021, 3:30 (EDT)
Location: On-line webinar
Register:  GCCM Canada Webinar: In Solidarity with Migrants
Contact: Agnes Richard · [email protected]

In celebration of the SEASON OF CREATION, September 1 - October 4

“In the present condition of global society, where injustices abound and growing numbers of people are deprived of basic human rights and considered expendable, the principle of the common good immediately becomes a summons to solidarity and a preferential option for the poorest of our brothers and sisters.” LS 178

Date: September 16, 2020, 1:30 (EDT)
Location: On-line webinar

Register: https://www.faithcommongood.org/gccm_canada_season_of_creation_just_transition_gccm_webinar
Contact: Agnes Richard · [email protected]

In Celebration of Laudato Si' Week
Join us for a FREE Webinar

#LiveLaudatoSi Canada Learning Webinar:
Women of Faith EcoLeaders

Celebrates 5th Anniversary of Laudato Si'

“I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone...” Pope Francis, Laudato Si’(14)

By CJ Martin and  Agnes Richard

#LiveLaudatoSi Canada Learning Webinar: Listening to Youth

“Intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us.” Pope Francis, ¶ 159 Laudato Si’

Learn how Canadian Catholics can act in support and solidarity with Indigenous and Youth environmental leaders.

Time/Date: February 19, 3pm (Toronto Time)

Location: On-line webinar

Purpose: To introduce three dynamic young Canadian women who are defending land, water, culture and our future.    Hanna Edenshaw of the Haida Gwaii Nation, Sadie-Phoenix Lavoie an Anishinaabe Two-Spirit from Sagkeeng First Nation and Rebecca Rathbone will share their experiences, the projects they are currently working on and how we can support them. We will also be discussing the disproportionate impact that climate change and unsustainable resource extraction have on Indigenous Communities in Canada and elsewhere.

Register:  https://www.faithcommongood.org/listeningyouth

Contact: Agnes Richard · [email protected]

Vatican and Ecumenical Faith leaders support the Season of Creation

This year for the first time, the Vatican called on Church leaders to participate in the Season of Creation. They included an invitation to communities highlighting the Season of Creation, the Synod on the Amazon and resources available to implement Laudato Si’ and help “protect every creature in God’s beautifully complex web of creation”.

Christian faith leaders have signed a letter in support of the Season of Creation, calling for prayer and action to protect the web of life. This is an excerpt from the letter:

“Every species, indeed every being of every species, is precious because it is made by God. All reflect an aspect of God. “How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.” (Psalm 104:24)

Photo credit:  USFWS Midwest Region from United States [CC BY 2.0]

This summer, Care for our Common Home focuses on the ecumenical Season of Creation and its 2019 theme of protecting God’s web of life. The Season of Creation runs from September 1^st to October 4^th, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and invites Christians around the world to pray and care for creation. Resources are suggested to help with planning a Season of Creation event. They can be adapted for other times as well.

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.

Adopted from a keynote address at the Grand River Interfaith Breakfast held in Kitchener, ON on April 25, 2015

By: Dr. Hind Al-Abadleh
Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Wilfrid Laurier University

I had the honour and privilege to stand before 350+ attendees from the Waterloo Region and deliver the keynote on a topic that I’m passionate about at the Grand River Interfaith Breakfast, just three days after the world celebrated Earth Day. I provide below an edited version of my talk.

I started by acknowledging that “we are on the Haldimand Tract, traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnaabe, and Haudenosaunee peoples.” The indigenous people of this land have so much to teach us on how to care for it as it was their ancestors who were connected to this land, understood its seasons and rhythms, and welcomed settlers into their ever-expanding circle.

I have structured my brief talk with one goal in mind that I wanted to leave the audience with, which is that humans need to rethink and restore their relationship with and dependency on nature, and that people of all faiths are uniquely qualified to lead in this area.