Retreat - Eco-theology 101: Christian Thinking on our Relationship to Creation

Eco-theology 101 will take place on Friday April 29th from 5:00 pm to Sunday May 1 at 2:00 pm in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Retreat leader is Br. Robert L’Esperance.

We face a modern environmental crisis unprecedented in scale in the history of mankind. This retreat is an introduction to Christian thinking that seeks to expand both our religious understanding of humankind’s relationship to the created order as well as our proper place in that order.

Christians Give Up Fossil Fuels for Lent

As reviewed by Grist, the Washington Post recently reported how Christians in the UK gave up fossil fuels for lent. This is noteworthy for those in the Anglican Church of Canada who will be voting on a fossil fuel divestment motion later this year and specifically the Diocese of Montreal which has already voted to divest but has yet to act. 

Here is an excerpt from the Grist article:

A new initiative in the United Kingdom is not only calling for Christian communities to band together in support of clean energy, but actually helping them get their own electricity that way. The Big Church Switch, which launched Wednesday, aims to inspire both individuals and churches to make the switch to renewable energy sources — and they’re already gaining support from church leaders in the country.

Jesus Calls us to Take a Stand Against Fossil Fuels

You’re basking in the glow of a glorious Palm Sunday. Your plans are ready for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. But how are you commemorating Table-Turning Monday?

"Jesus wasn’t crucified just because he said he was the son of God. He was crucified because he took a public stand against political and religious corruption that hurt the poor."

— Rev. John Helmiere, Valley and Mountain Fellowship (UMC)

Table-Turning Monday marks the day after Jesus enters Jerusalem—the day when he overturns the tables of the money changers in the Temple. This critique of the ways in which religious, political and economic powers collude to oppress common people set the course for Jesus’ journey to the cross. "Jesus wasn't crucified just because he said he was the Son of God," says Rev. John Helmiere of Valley and Mountain Fellowship in Seattle. "He was crucified because he took a public stand against political and religious corruption that hurt the poor."

Canadian Anglicans and The Right to Water Initiative of the National Youth Project (Diocese of Huron)

In commemoration of World Water Day (March 22) here is an article that addresses fundraising and educational efforts that are part of the Right to Water initiative in the National Youth Project in the Diocese of Huron.
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Fundraising and education efforts in the Diocese of Huron are providing a vivid example of how young Anglicans can support the ongoing Right to Water initiative of the National Youth Project (NYP).

Earth Hour Activities of Anglicans Faith Communities and Spiritual Groups Around the World

WWF's 10th annual Earth Hour takes place between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 local time on Saturday, March 19, 2016. Six continents, over 170 countries and more than 7000 cities and towns are expected to participate. This annual event calls everyone including people of faith and spiritual communities to turn off their non-essential lights and focus on environmental stewardship and climate action throughout the year. Participating spiritual organizations are being asked to register their involvement and add themselves to the online Earth Hour map.

This year's theme is: Protecting the places we love. We are encouraged to consider the places we love and what impact climate change may have on those places now and in the future.

Christ Church Cathedral Hosts Earth Hour Concert

On Saturday, March 19, CBC Montreal and the Choeur des enfants de Montréal are teaming up to present the 3rd annual Earth Hour concert. Five youth choirs will perform in the hopes of raising awareness for this global event. In keeping with the essential concept of Earth Hour, all of the Cathedral's lights will be extinguished and candles will be lit.

The concert is open to the public. There is no cost, but there will be a free-will offering at the door.

Christ Church Cathedral Montreal (635 St. Catherine Street West) Saturday, March 19, 2016
8:15 - 9:30 p.m.

Another Indigenous Environmental Activist Murdered in Honduras

Less than two weeks after the assassination of Honduran indigenous environmental activist Berta Cáceres, another member of her organization has been murdered.

We mourn and condemn the murder of Nelson Garcia, a faithful member of the Council of Indigenous Peoples of Honduras (COPINH).

Berta Cáceres and Nelson Garcia sacrificed their lives to protect their people’s land and river from destruction by the Agua Zarca Dam, one of the world’s largest dams that would cut off the ethnic Lenca people from water, food and medicine.

Remembering Berta Cáceres on International Women's Day

On International Women's Day 2016 we mourn the loss of Berta Cáceres, a truly heroic environmental organizer. On March 3rd she was gunned down in her hometown of La Esperanza, Intibuca in Honduras. Her assassins are still at large and unlikely to ever be brought to justice.

Berta was an indigenous women who championed land and resource rights. In 1993 she co-founded the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). She was a dedicated protector of the natural world who bravely stood up to powerful corporations, corrupt governments and police with ties to death squads.

Pope Francis' Homage to Wildlife

Early in December just ahead of the successful conclusion of the COP21 climate talks in Paris, Pope Francis hosted a moving photographic homage to wildlife. This show was part of a wider initiative by the pontiff to address environmental degradation and climate change in particular.

The show was titled “Fiat Lux: Illuminating Our Common Home” and it was inspired by the Pope's recently released "Laudato si," meaning ‘Praise be to you,’ a phrase commonly used by Saint Francis, the Pope's namesake. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals and ecology. He is one of the most famous Saints in all of Christianity and in one well known miracle St. Francis is said to have tamed a wolf that was terrorizing the people of Gubbio.