Activities
St. Joan of Arc parishioners viewed and discussed new Laudato Si’ film
January 21, 2023 On a Saturday afternoon a group of St. Joan of Arc parishioners gathered to watch the new Laudato Si’ film, “The Letter – A Message for our Earth”. This documentary was produced by Academy Award-winning producer Off the Fence and Laudato Si’ Movement with collaboration of the Vatican.
The 29 participants included Fr. Bob and ten members of the two organizer parish groups, Development and Peace and Creation Care Ministry. After the film, small groups shared in very lively discussions on questions such as What is my next step as an individual, with my family or with my faith community?
Participants were invited to explore actions suggested on The Letter film website and Creation Care Ministry’s website. The organizers served fair-trade coffee during the break and promoted purchasing fair-trade products which have positive economic, social and environmental impacts for producers, workers and their communities.
The Letter film tells the story of how the Vatican sent a letter to leaders around the world whose voices are usually ignored in environmental decision-making—the youth, the poor, Indigenous Peoples and wildlife (scientists). They were invited to Rome to dialogue with Pope Francis and to share their personal stories showing the ecological crisis happening right now. The film calls all people to protect our common home.
Thank you for supporting the Healthy Planet Healthy People petition
Creation Care Ministry would like to thank everyone who signed the Healthy Planet Healthy People petition facilitated by Laudato Si’ Movement. The petition called on global leaders at the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) in October and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in November to:
Tackle the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis together
Limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and promise no more biodiversity loss
Ensure equitable global action, including support for those most affected
Protect and respect human rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in climate and biodiversity action
Signatures from over 120,000 individuals and 425 organizations were presented to representatives from the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow alongside many other calls for climate justice from around the world by people of faith. Only the first half of the UN Biodiversity Summit took place online in October. The second half will take place in person in spring 2022. Read the news items below to learn more…
November 5, 2021: Faith activists at COP26—‘We are a small part of something so much bigger’
November 2, 2021: More than 425 Catholic organizations and 120,000 Catholics demand Healthy Planet, Healthy People at COP26
https://laudatosimovement.org/2021/11/02/catholics-demand-healthy-planet-healthy-people-at-cop26/
Intergenerational solidarity at the Global Climate Strike on November 29th
Friday November 29th was the 40th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi being declared the patron saint of ecology. A small group gathered at Queen’s Park for a short prayer led by Creation Care Ministry and then joined others to show intergenerational solidarity with the youth at the Fridays for Future Toronto Global Climate Strike which took place just prior to the UN Climate Change Conference 2-13 December in Spain. According to Fridays for Future over 1 million people in 163 countries participated in climate strikes on November 29th.
St. Joan of Arc Parish celebrated the 2019 Season of Creation
The Season of Creation is an annual celebration of prayer and action to protect creation by Christians around the world. St. Joan of Arc’s Creation Care Ministry organized two events at the parish to deepen our ecological conversion and collaboration.
We began with a Season of Creation Prayer Service on September 7, 2019 following the 5:30pm Mass. Organized jointly with St. Joan of Arc's Development and Peace ministry, it provided an opportunity to pray together for creation and be inspired by the 2019 message of Pope Francis for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.
On September 28, approximately eighty people attended Creation Care Ministry's Ecumenical Season of Creation celebration consisting of a Taizé prayer service, an Indigenous teaching and a fellowship reception. The Native Peoples’ Mission brought a very meaningful dimension with the opening purification ceremony and later teaching given by Elder John Robinson. Focused on the theme "Web of life: biodiversity as God's blessing", participants’ comments indicated the celebration was a wonderful prayer experience and provided a deepening of ecological spirituality and awareness. This celebration was possible as a result of many peoples' generosity with their time, talents and gifts. Creation Care Ministry extends deep gratitude to our neighbouring Christian churches, Native Peoples’ Mission, Thomas Villiger and St. Joan of Arc's ministries: 10:00 AM Choir, Development and Peace, Catholic Women's League, and Lectors for their collaboration, support and participation.