An updated Canadian video
Kevin Moynihan produced an excellent video overview that I promoted in 2015 as an introduction to Laudato si’. “Laudato Si' - A Canadian Response” (35 minutes)
He has now produced an excellent update (Feb 2021 – 40 mins) in response to the Vatican’s Journeying Towards Care for Our Common Home: five years after Laudato Si (2020).
Suzuki mentions that Pope Francis has broadened the view of human and environmental ecology by stressing that everything is connected. Kureethendam reminds us that “humans” are derived from “humus” (soil) and that should reminds us to be humble and care for the earth. He also reminds us that it was a Franciscan (Leonardo Boff) whose book Ecologia: grita da terra, grita dos pobres (1995, Ed. Ática, São Paulo; and in English 1997, Ecology: cry of the earth, cry of the poor, Orbis, Maryknoll, NY.) tied the two cries together regarding Amazonia. N.B. This phrase was adopted by the Québec Bishops in 2001 and repeated by the Social Affairs Commission, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops: “The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor are one” in 2003.
The Laudato Si' + 5 video also reminds us of the Catholic See, Judge, Act method. Maude Barlow is featured on water; Catherine Abreu said that in 2016, the oil and gas extraction sector accounted for $29.5 billion or 10 percent of Alberta’s nominal GDP so, it should not be too difficult to transition to sustainable energy.
See more here:
- https://www.canadianenergycentre.ca/fueling-canadas-economy-how-canadas-oil-and-gas-industry-compares-to-other-major-sectors/
- https://www.canadianenergycentre.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/CEC-FS-18-Jobs-and-GDP-FINAL.pdf
Sister Margo Ritchie, CSJ tells us how on the 2019 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, leaders of Canada’s 64 Congregations of Catholic Sisters called on the country’s politicians to respond to the climate emergency declared by Parliament by taking concrete steps to avert it and described what they themselves were doing. Learn more.
One of the things they have done is join the Blue Communities which recognise water as a common good and oppose privatisation of this vital resource. See more. Other interesting things were Halifax’s plan. Another thing mentioned was a Just Recovery. See more about that here.
Good Ideas to observe Lent 2021:
From Caritas Canada (D&P)
Here is Share Lent 2021 - Webinar 1 - Development and Peace's mission and Catholic Social Teaching (1 hr 10 mins) [I found it excellent!]:
And from GCCM:
Would you like to know how the Pope Francis’ Encyclicals, #LaudatoSi and #FratelliTutti, are connected? See this video (56 mins) with Fr. Augusto Zampini, Adjunct Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and Lorna Gold, Vice-Chair GCCM Board, or for a summary go to Franciscan Voice Canada/Andrew's Blog.
Ways of the Cross
Excellent to combine prayer with See, Judge, Act: GCCM links to two:
1. Ecological Stations of the Cross 19 Feb 2021 by GCCM Africa: [I loved it!]
This is quite long (1 hr 10 mins) and has a few technical problems occasionally with sound and smooth flow but bear with them it is worth it. Br Ben Ayodi, OFM Cap and GCCM Africa are the leaders. The pictures make it worthwhile and the background reflections to each station link cries of the earth and cries of the poor with Laudato Si’.
2. And under GCCM’S Laudato Si' Lent you will find they link to Caritas Canada (D&P)’s 2016 Solidarity Way of the Cross: Create a Climate of Change (no pictures, text only; so about 25 mins?) which you can also access directly here.
3. A virtual Way of the Cross from the Holy Land. The virtual Via Crucis will come to an end on Holy Tuesday to make way for the celebrations of the Easter Triduum and Easter from the Places of the Redemption. The appointment is therefore from the start of Lent, every Tuesday and Friday on the social media of the Custody of the Holy Land (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). Also available here.