Friday, June 26, 2009
Schools, Parishes Join Campaign on Climate Change
More than 70 Jesuit schools, parishes, communities and organizations across the nation committed themselves to an unprecedented campaign to help reduce climate change which disproportionally impacts the poor and vulnerable. As part of the Ignatian PeaceAction, students from Jesuit schools, parishioners from Jesuit churches and Jesuit communities have committed to pray and act on climate change issues with a particular emphasis on mitigating the negative effects of climate change on the poor.
"The effects of climate change, such as those caused by natural disasters like flooding and droughts, have the greatest negative consequences for those who are the poorest, "said Fr. Jim Stormes (MAR), Secretary for Social and International Ministries for the Jesuit Conference. "And the potential solutions for reducing the changes we are making on the environment have costs associated with them that disproportionally impact those who are least able to take on the additional financial burden. When considering the possibilities to reduce climate change, the Church always tries to bring the voice of the poor to the discussion."
In a poll released today by Zogby International, 55% of the 1,100 U.S. Catholics polled agreed that climate change is a serious problem with two-thirds agreeing that while all of the causes of global warming may not yet be understood, action must be taken now to lessen its impact. 94% of those surveyed said they have or are willing to act on behalf of reducing global climate change and believe that doing so is consistent with their faith.
With the theme "Peace with Creation", this year's Ignatian PeaceAction supports and promotes the St. Francis Covenant to Protect Creation and the Poor, sponsored by the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change. Participants come from all sectors - from Christian Life Communities to Jesuit high schools, universities, parishes and from Jesuit communities. They have agreed to pray together for a more sustainable relationship with creation and for those impacted by changing climate, reflect on the Church's teaching about environmental stewardship and assess their lifestyles for ways to reduce their carbon footprint on the planet.
The St. Francis Covenant to Protect Creation and the Poor campaign is directed by the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, a collaborative partnership of national Catholic organizations including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Jesuit Conference of the United States, Catholic Charities, USA, Catholic Relief Services and others.
As part of their PeaceAction activities, parishioners at St. Ignatius Loyola in New York cleaned up an urban garden lot in the South Bronx that is part of the Community Resource Center for the Developmentally Disabled. After their day of service, they will be joining fellow volunteers from St Peter's College in Jersey City later in the day for Mass and an opportunity for prayer and to reflect on what their work means for the environment and how they are also working in service to the poor.
"In bringing together people for a day in care of creation and in service to the poor, we want to actively show that we are committing our collective efforts to raise awareness about environmental change in a practical way that also benefits those in our community who are the most at need." said Fr. Mark Hallinan (NYK), Assistant for Social Ministries at the New York province.
For the students at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., the Center for Service and Justice has started a year-long campaign calling on students and faculty to consider the simple ways that they can each individually make a difference and find ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
"At Creighton, we are working with facilities management on a sustainability awareness campaign targeting undergraduate dormitories and apartment residences along with offices campus-wide. Simple activities like walking to campus or riding a bike instead of driving, turning off computers and lights and even taking shorter showers - all of these small things can collectively make a big difference in the resources that we consume at our university," said Chadi El-Khoury, student coordinator at the Center for Service and Justice at Creighton University. "Though Americans make up just four percent of the world's population, we produce 25 percent of the carbon dioxide pollution from fossil-fuels. But this pollution doesn't just impact us; it affects everyone on the planet via the effects of global warming."
At the Church of the Gesu, a Jesuit parish in Milwaukee, Wis., during the Sunday and daily Masses in late April and early May, parishioners recited a novena for the environment. The church will culminate their PeaceAction activities with the Father Robert F. Purcell Peacemaker awards ceremony on May 3 when 11 students from local Catholic elementary, middle and high schools will receive recognition for their exemplarily efforts at being peacemakers and promoting peace.
Also in Milwaukee, volunteers from the Jesuit Volunteer Corps set out earlier this month to clean up the neighborhood around their urban location and participated in a prayer walk.
"All of these efforts across the nation at Jesuit schools, parishes and ministries reflect a true effort and commitment to be faithful stewards for the environment and to advocate on behalf of the poorest among us who are impacted the greatest by environmental change," said John Sealey, Assistant for Social and International Ministries at the Wisconsin province. "It is all of our combined efforts and our faith in action that is helping bring awareness to this issue."
Source:http://www.jesuit.org/PublicationsMedia/NJN/NJNministries/1022.aspx
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