FROM THE DIRECTOR

New Year’s Blessings

“To love another person is to see the face of God,” sings the dying Jean Valjean to his adopted daughter, Cosette, his son-in-law, Marius, and the ghost of Fantine in Les Miserables.  I grabbed the handkerchief for the forth or fifth time to dab my eyes and blow my nose.  I’m a sentimental old fool about this musical production.  And will admit that, next to having my kids home for the holidays, seeing the film was a highlight during my Christmas vacation. 

What is it about this story that brings forth the tears?  I suppose it is the themes of cruelty and mercy, poverty and privilege, desperation and hope.  Through poetry and music, costumes and sets, it packs an emotional punch in just a few hours.  We see ourselves in each of the characters in some way and they mirror our own complicated lives and of those of the people we love.  But the end of the film strips away those complications and offers a simple and profound truth: we will see God when we love others deeply.  The trick, it seems to me, is to expand our circles of love to embrace all of humanity and all of God’s goodness in all of Creation.  

FROM A PARTNER

CRS Rice Bowl Webinar: January 17

Coalition partner Catholic Relief Services will host a webinar on their Lenten Rice Bowl program on Thursday, January 17 from 2-3:30 EST.  The webinar is designed to provide information on integrating Rice Bowl activities into a parish youth ministry program.  Parish directors of religious education, youth ministers, youth ministry teams, catechists and other parish staff and volunteers are encouraged to join in the webinar. 

Each year, Rice Bowl raises funds and educates Catholic youth on international relieve and development work.  Part of the education includes an examination of climate impacts on the work of CRS around the globe. 

To join the webinar on the 17th, click here.  Call-in: (866) 386-4210 , Conference Code: 7379899828.  To learn more about CRS Rice Bowl, go here: http://www.crsricebowl.org  Please pass this along to others who might be interested.

FROM A COLLEGE

Sun Come Up Screening at Xavier University

In October 2012, the Coalition sponsored a nationwide screening of the Academy Award-nominated film Sun Come Up that depicts some of the world’s first climate change refugees.  (If you'd like to host a screening too, click here.)  One of these 375 screenings was held at Xavier University in Cincinnati.  Ann Dougherty, the school’s Sustainability Coordinator, wrote the following about the event:

We enjoyed showing Sun Come Up during the Feast of St. Francis.  The idea was brought to the Sustainability Committee by a theology professor who subscribes to the Coalition’s newsletter. We showed the film twice: an evening showing for 40 students (extra credit was given by professors for attendance), followed by discussion led by Prof. Elizabeth Groppe of Xavier and Sr. Leanne Jablonski http://meec.udayton.edu of the University of Dayton. The next day, the Feast of St. Francis, a lunch showing for 18 staff (sponsored by the Office of Mission & Identity) was followed by a discussion of what can be done on campus. There were no dry eyes in the room, but there was a renewed sense of the relevance of sustainable action.

After the film, 12 students subscribed to the Coalition newsletter and there are two additional exciting results: 1) Edith, an environmental science major, is developing two sustainability weekend retreats exploring: a) agriculture systems and the Land-Food Connection and; b) our relationship with all of creation and all creatures. After Edith pilots these with students this spring and fall, they will be offered to other groups. 2) We are showing the film again at a lunch series in January called Lunches with Loyola. The film will compliment the first two sessions that will focus on sustainability and Lenten practices.  On January 24, the film will help link sustainability and mission to energy use.  There will be a discussion of what we can do as individuals and then a tour of the Central Utility Plant with explanation of the university’s plans to reduce energy further.

FROM THE WIRE

Church agencies bring relief during year's storms, drought, typhoon

The Archdiocese of Boston’s newspaper carried a Catholic News Service article that says, [a]mid this year's hotter-than-average temperatures and extreme weather-related events including floods, droughts, storms, wildfires and a recent typhoon, church agencies in the U.S. and around the world mobilized to provide short and long-term relief. 

The article highlights the relief work of Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA (both Coalition members), and quotes Dan Misleh, Executive Director of the Coalition: What has been clear is that the scientists for many, many years now have said that the extremes -- droughts, floods, more severe weather -- are going to become more common not only in the U.S. but around the world.  Regardless of the costs, we have a responsibility for alleviating the immediate suffering [of victims of weather-related incidents and Catholic organizations are] in a pretty good position to help out.

FROM THE WIRE

International Jesuit Ecology Project now online

Recently, EcoJesuit published an article describing that “[f]ollowing through from the Chicago workshop last October 2012, the International Jesuit Ecology Project (IJEP) is now online, and activities are being lined up in the development of the Living Text, titled Healing Earth.”

The article explains that [t]he IJEP is a three-year collaborative project between Loyola University Chicago faculty and scholars from Jesuit institutions around the world to create an online Living Textbook that addresses select environmental science challenges from an integrated scientific, moral, and spiritual perspective.  This Living Textbook will be a curricular resource in environmental science for teachers and students in Jesuit institutions of higher education and secondary schools worldwide. 

The article continues: The IJEP emerged as a response of the Higher Education Secretariat to the challenge of Father General Adolfo Nicolás to the Society of Jesus to redouble its commitment to environmental stewardship in gratitude to God for the gift of the natural world, contained in his 16 September 2011 letter to Jesuits around the world and where he referred to the document Healing a Broken World (HBW).

FROM A DIOCESE

Coalition’s Honorary Chairperson to Speak in Portland

The Archdiocese of Portland has announced that Most Reverend William S. Skylstad, Bishop Emeritus of Spokane, Honorary Chairperson of the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change, and Past President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will be the keynote speaker at the Fourth Annual Earth Care Summit on Monday, January 28, 2013. 

A promotional flyer for the event describes that [w]ith the theme “Living Waters,” the Summit will explore big picture water issues we are facing on global, regional and local levels, and provide practical ideas on how to address the issues at home and in your congregation…Roundtables and presentations will explore water theologically and ecologically from a broad perspective and provide practical ideas on what you can do at the home, congregation and community levels.

FROM The Coalition

Expanded Social Media Presence

For the last three years, the Coalition has maintained a regular presence on Facebook and Twitter (if you haven’t already, you can Like us at http://www.facebook.com/catholicclimatecovenant and follow us @CatholicClimate https://twitter.com/CatholicClimate). 

Now, the Coalition has expanded its social media presence by utilizing Pinterest.  If you are on Pinterest, we encourage you to follow us at http://pinterest.com/catholicclimate/.  We will be expanding our board in the coming weeks and months, and urge you to repin our material so that we can continue to expand our growing network of Catholics committed to caring for God’s good gift of creation!