|
Let hope keep you
joyful,
In trouble stand
firm;
Persist in
prayer.
Romans 12 :12
Fair Trade this
Summer:
Summer
is a great time for a house party on fair trade, or a parish party that
features fair trade items. Invite friends to your home for an informal
evening with fair trade products, a chance to learn more, and purchase some
items. Or, organize fair trade coffee for your parish coffee hour- and
encourage your parish to use its funds for justice and solidarity. Eunice
Park continues to be available to help you organize and educate on fair
trade. Contact her at : eunicejpark@yahoo.com
State Legislative Network:
The
state Catholic Conference will be going online with a legislative network
late this summer or early in the fall. They will invite Catholics to sign up
on their website and then receive action alerts on state issues. Our local
diocese will also get to use that same system for local and global alerts. Watch
for more information.
Resources
online: If you need resources for almost anything start with the social
justice web page…
The Health Care Crisis and
Catholic Social Teaching
Legislative Advocacy and Catholic
Social Teaching
Good Groups and Resources
Climate and CST
Communications:
If
you have an event at your parish, school, or religious community that
you would like to share with others, please feel free to put it in the
Administrative Weekly. Send a short notice with event information to Janaan Garcia at jgarcia@oakdiocese.org
The
Admin Weekly is posted on the Diocesan website weekly and goes to every
parish. www.oakdiocese.org The
deadline is noon on Mondays.
You
may also send news and event information to the Catholic Voice.
Faithful
Citizenship:
A
reminder: the new Faithful Citizenship Document will be online after the
November meeting of the US
Bishops. It will be emailed to the parishes.
Maryknoll
Affiliates start new chapter in the Eastbay. (this comes too late for this
event but the group will be ongoing.)
Do
you feel called to broaden your spirituality within a community that has a
global vision to bring Jesus’ message of God’s love to all
people, especially the poor? A new chapter of the Maryknoll Affiliates
is forming in the Eastbay. The group will meet for a
potluck dinner, prayer and discussion once a month from 6:00 pm to 7:30pm at
the Maryknoll Center (16300 Foothill Blvd., San Leandro) on the 2nd Tuesday
of the month before the Mission Forums. The next gathering will
be Tuesday, July 10th.
Because there is no Mission Forum that night we will gather at 6:30 pm.
If you are interested in being part of this community that shares a common
interest and passion for Christ’s mission, please contact Kris or Matt
at keast@maryknoll.org
or 510-276-5021.
Currently
there are Maryknoll Affiliate groups in San Francisco,
San Jose (Los Altos)
and Sacramento.
Affiliates share in the mission and the family spirit of the Maryknoll
Fathers, Brothers, Sisters and Lay Missioners and are organized around the
four pillars of: spirituality, global vision, community and
action. Although Affiliates witness primarily to the global
mission of Jesus in their local communities, some participate in short term
overseas mission service. To learn more, visit www.maryknoll.us
10 Things You Can
do to Care for the Earth Stewardship From Education for Justice
(Make
your own list, get your community to brainstorm lists, get children
involved… see the Care for Creation list on the sj web page for ideas.)
“Catholic
Social Teaching calls us to take responsibility for our use and care of the
earth. The decisions we make can make a positive difference by heeding the
call to be better stewards and care about our impact on the earth. Global
climate change has been a major topic in the public
spotlight
these days. While everyone from scientists to politicians are joining forces
to address this reality, there are numerous simple things each one of us can
do to make a difference.
1. Plan car trips ahead of time
If
you are like most people who live in their car, take
stock
of the number of unnecessary trips you make in a
given
week. Plan your errands, meetings, pick-ups and
routes
ahead of time in order to cut back on your
contribution
to CO2 car emissions and gas use.
2. Use Earth-friendly cleaners
The
products that you use to clean your home may
actually
be harmful for the earth, containing damaging
chemicals
and upsetting the ecological balance. Seek
“green”
cleaning products that are biodegradable and
designed
with the earth in mind. (don’t buy
soaps that are antimicrobial, take your unused medications back to the
pharmacy-not down the sink.)
3. Use your bike
More
and more cities are jumping on the bandwagon of
cutting
gas emissions by promoting bike paths for
commuters.
Consider using your bike to get to or from
work,
or if that is impractical, consider increasing bike
use
on the weekends to make those shorter trips to the
store,
The earth will benefit and so will your overall
health.
(BART, carpool, or the bus are our local
choices…)
4. Look for the Energy Star
When
making purchases of new appliances, check to
see
that they are carrying the Energy Star symbol
indicating
that they are designed to be more energy
efficient
than other models. Appliances with this label
not
only use less power but can also greatly reduce
your
energy bill.
5. Plant extra veggies
As
the gardening season gets underway, consider
adding
an extra plot of vegetables to provide fresh
produce
for a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter.
The
garden will be bountiful and others will reap what
you
sow.
6. Conserve Water
Water
tends to be something we take for granted, but it
is
quickly becoming one of the precious resources of
the
earth that needs our care and conservation. Be
more
mindful of unnecessary water use and don’t leave
the
faucet running.
7. Change your light bulbs
One
significant place to curb energy use is in the light
bulb
socket. Compact florescent light bulbs (CPL) are
the
newest way a small purchase can make a big
change.
These spiral shaped bulbs may cost more, but
they
use one-fourth the energy and can be found
anywhere
light bulbs are sold.
8. Hang a Clothes line
This
may sound like a return to the 1950’s but using a
clothes
line instead of your heated dryer can cut back
drastically
on energy use. Additional benefits include
that
fresh clothesline scent and a smaller electric bill.
9. Consume less, Share more
Unbridled
consumption is part of the dynamic putting an
increased
demand on the need for energy and fuels.
Assess
your own buying habits and consumerist
tendencies
cut back where you can, sharing unused or
unneeded
items with others. As the saying goes, “Have
less,
be more.”
10. Support a local farmer
Most
of the food we eat travels hundreds and sometimes
even
thousands of miles to reach our grocery
stores
and markets. Do your part to reduce our dependency
on
oil and fossil fuels and buy locally from a
farmer
in your region. Find a farmers market in your
area
through the internet or yellow pages.”
My
note: Start an environmental justice
subcommittee in your parish.
A few last
words:
This
week I am cleaning out my office and email, generating a huge pile of
recycling-what a week for a garbage strike!
Going
through the files reminds me that you are the essential leaders of social
ministry in the diocese. You are the ones who are organizing, writing the
letters, making the soup, teaching, and reaching out in hospitality.
During
the cleanout, I read through a pile of intercessions we all wrote at our
first gathering - those who attended wrote down their hopes and dreams for
social justice ministries in their parishes. It was a blessing to see that
so many of your prayers have been answered, and to see that there are a still
a few challenges as well. While this has been a tremendously difficult few
years in the church and in our country, I am continually amazed and inspired
by your efforts, your creativity, and your dedication.
I
am hopeful that we will find a replacement for me, the resumes are coming in.
Please welcome that person, and offer them your support and patience- it
took me six years to learn to do this job. As we move through this
transition with my position, I ask you to keep praying with each other, for
each other, at each meeting, at each Eucharist, and for those who need our
voices and solidarity.
And
I will pray in thanksgiving for the gift this work has been for me and for
your support that I have felt from the very first days.
God
bless you.
Mary Doyle
|
