Against Human Trafficking / Contre la traite des êtres humains

One of the most serious violations of justice is slavery. An International Day of Prayer and Awareness was instituted on February 8, the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese girl who was sold into slavery in the 19th century and later became a nun. This is an opportunity to recall the importance of these crimes, which often remain in the shadows, and which States rarely pursue. Organizations like Talitha Kum are constantly fighting against slavery and human trafficking, and they ask for our prayers and support. https://preghieracontrotratta.org "Journeying in Dignity": Listen, Dream, Act is the theme of the X° International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, celebra...

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Economic Justice - Justice économique - Part 1 of 3

Economic Justice - Justice économique

Economic Justice as a Priority for the Global South     Bro. Alberto Parise MCCJ     Rome, 23rd January 2024 La justice économique, une priorité pour le Sud            voir ci-dessous pour la traduction  The State of the World's Economy The recently published UN report on the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2023, presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos, portrays that we are in the middle of a "polycrisis". In fact, the report states that a series of severe and mutually reinforcing shocks struck the world economy in 2022: a. the impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic still reverberating worldwide,b. the war in Ukraine (a...

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Joint Diploma in Integral Ecology - English

On-line Course on Integral Ecology From Laudato Si' to Laudate Deum An Initiative of the Alliance for the Care of Our Common Home (Pontifical Universities & Atheneums of Rome) In 2015 Pope Francis gifted us Laudato Si', the landmark encyclical letter on the care for our common home, in which he invited all people of good will to "a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet" (LS, 14). However, as Pope Francis recognizes in Laudate Deum, the apostolic exhortation published on 4th October 2023 - on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology, "our responses have not been adequate" and "the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the b...

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Engaging with a World on Fire / S'engager dans un monde en feu

Engaging with a World on Fire / S'engager dans un monde en feu

Fr Richard Rohr OFM, presents on the Centre for Action and Contemplation , 4 key issues that call for us to be engaged in this year, 2024: He draws on Brian McLaren's work: Everything must Change .  McLaren presents 4 Crises: Planet, Poverty, Peace, and Religion.  McLaren Writes Way back in 2007, I wrote a book called Everything Must Change. I wanted to understand what our greatest challenges and threats and problems were here on Earth as a global civilization. I spent a year researching the literature of global crises, and I came away with an understanding of four deep problems that we face. First, we face a crisis with our planet. We are literally destroying our life su...

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Epiphany-the search for Peace / Epiphanie-la recherche de la paix

Epiphany-the search for Peace / Epiphanie-la recherche de la paix

The three Magi from the East brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to those gathered around the new-born child in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph among them. (Matt. 2) However, the beautiful story of the Epiphany suggests that these same travelers from the East bring other gifts, too, both to those in Bethlehem and also to us. These other gifts of the wise, then and now, are channels of peace and reconciliation within a very violent world. The Epiphany speaks to hearts in every age that long for peace and reconciliation in the midst of war, injustice and violence. We are so familiar with the Christmas scene that the magi seem to fit in there very naturally. In reality, they were strangers...

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Global Faith Leaders - COP28 / Leaders religieux mondiaux - COP28

Global Faith Leaders at COP28 / Leaders religieux mondiaux à la COP28

COP28 is the first COP to have a Faith Pavilion, found at  https://faithatcop28.com/ La COP28 est la première COP à disposer d'un pavillon de la foi à  https://faithatcop28.com/ GLOBAL FAITH LEADERS UNITE TO DECLARE SUPPORT      Traduction française - voir ci-dessous – 28 high-level faith leaders from over 19 faiths and denominations unite to sign a statement seeking urgent climate action ahead of COP28. – The document, signed at the Global Faith Leaders' Summit on 6/7 November in Abu Dhabi, shows commitment from faith groups across the world to take swift and decisive action to address the climate emergency. – At COP28, the first-ever Faith Pavilion will b...

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The Middle-East Catastrophe / La catastrophe au Moyen-Orient

Children in Gaza - needing water

Ross Flint, Marist Associate,  Ordained Anglican, Tasmania, offers us his Reflections:       [Traduction française - voir ci-dessous]. In the vastly complex situation that exists in Israel today, there are many issues to deal with and many to discern. For anyone to side with either the Israelis or the Palestinians without listening to the many stories of the events that have unfolded during the 75 years since Palestine was divided to give the Jews a homeland due to the UN Resolution 181 in 1947 will inevitably come to wrong conclusions. To further complicate an already very complex situation, some evangelical Christians (primarily in the USA) have adopted a...

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Solidarity with Refugees and Immigrants / Solidarité avec les réfugiés et les immigrants

Share the Journey / Partagez le voyage

Share the Journey Pilgrimage Unites Community in Solidarity with Refugees and Immigrants  /  Partageons le chemin Le pèlerinage unit la communauté en solidarité avec les réfugiés et les immigrants  [ voir ci-dessous ] On Saturday, April 29, Marist School's chapter of Share the Journey organized and embarked on a pilgrimage to foster unity and offer prayers for refugees and immigrants. Students, faculty, and representatives from Marist, Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, and St. Pius X Catholic High School were joined by representatives from the Clarkston Community Center and the Archdiocese of Atlanta's Office of Justice and Peace Ministries. The group set out on a five-mi...

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Become a Laudato Si Animator / Devenez un animateur Laudato Si / Conviértete en Laudato Si Animador

Become a Laudato Si Animator / Devenez un animateur Laudato Si

Dear confreres and friends, the Laudato Si Movement is going to launch the Laudato Si' Animator training next April; kindly find at this link the promotional kit in all languages. Thank you for sharing widely within your network, on the Society of Mary's website and social media. Be aware that the training starts as follows and people can register accordingly: English (next 19th April), Spanish (next 17th April), French (next 19th April), Italian (next 19th April), Portuguese (next 18th April). Laudato Si Animator Training is recommended by our Marist Sustainability Covenant , approved by the SG and Council, 2022. Anyone interested in the Animator of Animators training, please let me kn...

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Anei's witness / Le témoin d'Anei

South Sudanese Refugees - walking to safety

Our blog this week has been submitted by Br Ivan Vodopivec SM - agreed by Anei - a South-Sudanese Refugee who made it to England. Anei requested to keep his original name for his article. Notre blog de cette semaine a été soumis par le Frère Ivan Vodopivec SM - accepté par Anei - un réfugié sud-soudanais qui s'est rendu en Angleterre. Anei a demandé de conserver son nom d'origine pour son article. Name / Nom: Anei                      Country / Nationalité : South Sudan                       Ethnicity / Origine ethnique : Shilluk I was born in Malakal Town South S...

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Our common home - a guide to care / Notre maison commune - un guide pour prendre soin

Our Common Home - A Guide / Notre Maison Commune - Un Guide

Our blog this week was referred to us by Fr Petero Matairatu sm, Director of Marist Training Centre, Tutu, Fiji. The booklet can be downloaded here – in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. It is the fruit of a common endeavor between the Vatican Dicastery of Integral Human development and the Stockholm Environment Institute. It is a useful resource for groups, parishes, schools in addressing current issues in 'Our Common Home'. Notre blog de cette semaine nous a été référé par le Père Petero Matairatu sm, Directeur du Centre de Formation Mariste, Tutu, Fidji. La brochure peut être téléchargée ici – en français, anglais, espagnol, italien et portugais. C'est le fruit d'un effor...

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Christmas - Noël

A Child is born for us - Wonder-Counsellor

A Blest and Joy-filled Christmas and New Year As we celebrate God-with-us. "God gave all things life, and Mary is the mother through whom all things are given new life. Without God's Son, nothing could exist; without Mary's Son, nothing could be redeemed'. [Anselm of Canterbury: 1033 – 1109] Que Noël et cette Nouvelle Année soient bénis et remplis de joie, alors que nous célébrons Dieu-avec-nous « Dieu a donné la vie à toutes choses, et Marie est la mère par qui une nouvelle vie est donnée à toutes choses Sans le Fils de Dieu rien ne pourrait exister Sans le Fils de Marie, rien ne pourrait être racheté [Anselm of Canterbury: 1033 – 1109]

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EN SOUVENIR DE LAMPEDUSA - REMEMBERING LAMPEDUSA

EN SOUVENIR DE LAMPEDUSA / REMEMBERING LAMPEDUSA

Le P. Pascal Boidin sm, membre de la communauté de Notre-Dame de France à Londres, atransmis ce témoignage pour publication dans le n°170 du feuillet EuroInfo de la Province d'Europe. Cette mémoire des migrants morts en Méditerranée montre la préoccupation pour la justice de ces étudiants européens. Fr Pascal Boidin SM, from the community of Notre-Dame de France in London, sent EuroInfo this account of a meeting of students from various countries, on the Italian island of Lampedusa, where a deadly wreckage caused the death of several hundred migrants. It is a remembrance of the need of justice cared for by many young people all over Europe. Bonjour à tous, je m'appelle Charles Vibert. Je sui...

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Marist Charism & Peacemaking

Marist Charism & Peacemaking

Marist Charism and Peace-making This last week, on 01 December, Marists from 4 corners of the world made Presentations on our Marist Charism and Peace-making.The Marists Presenting were: Fr Hermes [Larry] Sabud – Ranong Thailand; SMSM Sisters Gisèle, Christiana, & Monique – Ngozi, Burundi, Africa; Fr Miguel Contreras – Peru, South America; and Fr Donato Kivi – Fiji, Oceania. The invitation came from the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission – JPIC Roma – who organize a workshop each year to train JPIC Promoters for Religious Congregations around the world. The Workshop was run this year from 28 November until 02 December, and had the Theme: Pacem in Terris and Laudato Si i...

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World - on highway to climate hell

World on the way to climate hell

Ross Flint, Marist Associate, and ordained member of the Anglican Communion, Tasmania, sends this short, stark, report – in the context of COP27 "World is on 'highway to climate hell",  - United Nations General Secretary warns at COP27 summit. António Guterres tells leaders 'global climate fight will be won or lost in this crucial decade – on our watch' In 1992, countries joined an international treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as a framework for international cooperation to combat climate change by limiting average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and coping with impacts that were, by then, inevitable. https://unfccc....

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Notre Dame Refugee Centre

Notre Dame Refugee Centre - London

Fr Damien Diouf SM, NDF London, Chair of our Migrants and Refugee Commission, recently sent this report: Notre Dame Refugee Centre has been working with refugees and asylum seekers for more than 25 years, thanks to the generosity of those who share our aims and beliefs. Originally, it was set up by Notre Dame de France in 1996, in response to changes in asylum and immigration laws that year. It was then registered as an independent charity in 2007. Like many of our supporters, many of our visitors are French speaking, but we have welcomed visitors from 98 different countries over the five past years. We remain a bilingual English and French speaking refugee centre.  Our immigration team...

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What an Angel looks like

A Choir of Angels - San Felipe

New Zealander, Fr Tony O'Connor-Hickman SM spent 12 years in the parish church of San Felipe in Brownsville, a town on the border between the US and Mexico. It faces the Mexican town of Matamoros, divided by the Rio Grande and by the border wall.  He previously had been on mission in Venezuela and Peru. San Felipe parish has been at the forefront of the migrant crisis in the US border lands. Thousands of unaccompanied minors seeking safety and a better life have been detained by the US Border force. Fr Tony and his San Felipe team have cared for, and ministered to many of these children. Following is an appreciation of his ministry.  [note: ed: By Michael Seifert - f...

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Lest we forget - Nuclear warfare

Lest we forget - Nagasaki 09 August 1945

Fr Jim Carty sm, Aussie Marist, calls us, in our current world situation, to remember the tragedy of Nuclear Warfare The secretary general of the United Nations warned on Monday (1stAugust 2022) that humanity was "just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation," citing the war in Ukraine among the conflicts driving the risk to a level not seen since the height of the Cold War. "All this at a time when the risks of proliferation are growing and guardrails to prevent escalation are weakening," the official, António Guterres, said. "And when crises — with nuclear undertones — are festering from the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula to Russia's invasion of U...

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Sacred Sleep - Ministry with the homeless

Sacred Sleep - Working with the homeless

 Mary Ghisolfo, Lay Marist serving with Notre Dame des Victoires, San Francisco, California, writes to answer the question:  "Why Does Ministry Among the Poor Awaken for Us the Critical Role of a Marist Vocation?"  "At our best, we are instruments of God's mercy working to help others taste the boundless love of the Lord, especially those who find themselves on the margins." (Statement of Identity, US Province of the Society of Mary – Assembly and Chapter June 2013 The parishioners at Notre Dame des Victoires Church (NDV) are committed to supporting the Gubbio Project, an organization which serves the homeless, hungry and those in need of various health services...

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Giriteka - Regain your dignity

Giriteka - Regain your dignity

Sr Christiana Nshimiyimana smsm - Rawandan Marist Missionary Sister - gives us this news from Ngozi, Burundi:   GIRITEKA is a project set up to respond to the phenomenon of street children in the city of Ngozi which, in recent years, has experienced accelerated expansion with its corollary of new problems. One of the consequences of this reality is the sad situation of street children given their ever-increasing number. The Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary (Marists), called by the Bishop of Ngozi, sought ways to "recover" street children with a view to social reintegration. The reception Centre was set up in 2003. Since the beginning, we have been in contact with...

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