Praying, Living, & Loving the Franciscan Way
Saturday, Sept. 26 some 50 people gathered in the Troubadour Room at the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi on South Lake Drive. They reflected on the message of Pope Francis regarding “our common home, our sister earth”. Margaret Swedish, local writer and speaker, led the morning. The USCCB, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops video was shown. It is available on their website. Part 1: Margaret walked us through “Laudato Si” (Praise God! /Him. Taken from Canticle of Creatures by St. Francis of Assisi). Pope Francis creates a brilliant, compassionate, accessible lens of the global south with which to view creation. He is a man of science with a chemistry background and access to the most highly acclaimed academy of science at the Vatican. This is a meditation. Take time to read and reflect on it. He calls us to know the earth as our own flesh and blood, a sister, abandoned. He asks what is happening to our common home in this “throw-away” culture. He points out that the wealth and standard of living of North America is very much at the expense of the Global South! It will take a bold cultural revolution for us to change our comfort, way of life, values and our frame of meaning to make progress in changing direction. Pope Francis summons us to solidarity, to be one with all who suffer from the degradation of pollution in the poorest areas of the world. He does not mince words but speaks of stealing from the future since we have overshot earth’s limits with such a rich and abundant life. We are all called to participate in a new eco-citizenship. It is an urgent call, one that is a new way of life which demands we do it with a community of friends for support. If we do commit to this new way we will be amazed how we can re-create life on this planet. But we need to re-think our usual lives: jobs, sustainability, energy, air, water, food. Part 2 was led by Debra Schneider, initial planner and member of Catholics for Peace and Justice. She directed each person to take a number and go to a table. Tables each held a different topic and a person to explain it: Electricity, Composting, Water, Gleaning, etc. People returned to their tables and shared their knowledge. They were asked to commit to one action to begin to make a difference for the coming year. Part 3: Following was a tour of the grounds led by Sister Helene Mertes. Bees, vegetable gardens, reclaimed wet lands, the apple orchard and the new urban forest on the former athletic field were part of the experience. Sponsorship: Catholics for Peace and Justice, Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, School Sisters of Notre Dame, School Sisters pf St/Francis, The Green Team of Waukesha County Thank you to all who made this a powerful morning of hope and learning!!
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