The Inspirational Efforts of the Environmental Social Justice Action Group at Christs Church Cathedral

Christ Church Cathedral's Environmental Social Justice Group (ESJAG) has been involved in a wide range of social advocacy over the years.  Both advocacy and education are central tenets of ESJAG's Statement of Purpose.

When the Very Reverend Ken Gray of British Columbia met with ESJAG he urged them to make ecological justice a priority which contributed to their decision to add "environmental" to their name and make ecological justice the theme for 2018.  Previous annual themes include homelessness, particularly as it relates to indigenous women. ESJAG actively supported indigenous justice including Truth and Reconciliation and the It Matters to Me campaign. They worked with KAIROS - Winds of Change (Call 62) campaign and they organized a conference with Indigenous educators and students.

ESJAG is also dedicated to promoting Fair Trade. In addition to their Fair Trade kisoques and boutiques, they have offered educational sessions on Fair Trade.

ESJAG's understanding of social justice proceeds from their vision of the Kingdom of God as a world where everyone is valued as a sacred child of God. As explained in the Christ Church Cathedral Social Justice Statement, "God requires justice and calls us to participate in bringing all people into right relationships with each other and with nature."

The statement goes on to say: 

"Many of the structures of our world are unjust, creating inequalities, with the result that many people are oppressed, and subject to violence, lack basic necessities and have little power over their own lives. Overcoming injustice means more than outreach to those in need: it means addressing root causes in order to transform the unjust structures of the world....We commit ourselves to working for social justice in our local community and in the wider world, believing that we are all bound up in each other’s fate, and that only in a transformed and just world will we be fully alive and fully able to enjoy God’s love."

ESJAG supports the work of a number of organizations and projects including PWRDF and Amnesty International's annual Write for Rights event. They also advocate on behalf of refugees alongside the Social Service Society and Action Refugie Montreal  These efforts include Amenesty's My Door is Open campaign.  They have also supported projects that deliver mosquito nets for Masasi and provide water security for First Nations.  

ESJAG has co-organized events with guest speakers and they have sponsored poetry readings. They have cooperated with UCC's Living into Right Relations group, hosted a Mining Extraction Justice event and attended a No Mas event about peace and empowerment for women from South Sudan.

The scope of ESJAG's activities make them a leading social and environmental justice organization in the Anglican Diocese of Montreal.

Click here to see the SEC's short film The Seed.

Related
Introducing the SEC's Eightfold Path of Environmental Action
Right Understanding: Knowing the facts about climate change
Right Thought: How we think about the natural world
Right Speech: Effective environmental communications
Right Action: Making smaller footprints
Right Works: Efforts that benefit the planet
Right Effort: Choosing a cause
Right Concentration: Staying focused on creation
Right Mindfulness: Managing ecological stress