Sr. Gladys Enanoria, smsm - Chulucanas, Piura, Peru – writes:   /   Sr Gladys Enanoria, smsm - Chulucanas, Piura, Pérou - écrit  [ voir ci-dessous] A powerful cyclone called "Yaku" - March 2023 - unleashed torrential rains, battering hundreds of homes causing major disruptions and devastations and has generated a lot of pain and suffering to the lives of the people in the north of Peru. Cyclone Yaku is an unusual phenomenon that has caused the rains to intensify in the north of the country. Officials say, the havoc can be traced to unseasonably warm ocean temperatures off the Peruvian coast that generate intense rainstorms and has caused Peru to receive 10 times...

This week's post was sent to us by Fr Francois Grossin SM, New Caledonia, from NZ Catholic, 6th March 2023. It is an address from Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi who is the first ever cardinal from Tonga and the youngest member of the College of Cardinals. He is also the President of Caritas Oceania and represents the region on key issues, especially climate change.    Traduction française : voir ci-dessous : Across the Pacific, people are picking up the bones of their ancestors like shells on the beach. Burial grounds are being washed away by rising tides. Communities are shoring up seawalls with old tyres. I was raised on the beautiful island of Tonga. When I was a child, my par...

Extrait du "Rameau de Pâques", bulletin de la maison de formation mariste Saint-Pierre Chanel de Yaoundé (Cameroun). Un article de Luigi Salvodelli sm See below for English Translation: From "Le Rameau de Pâques", a bulletin published by the Marist Formation House Saint-Pierre Chanel at Yaoundé (Cameroon). A contribution by Luigi Salvodelli sm.   THE ENCYCLICAL "LAUDATO SI" TO DATE LA RÉALISATION À CE JOUR DE L'ENCYCLIQUE "LAUDATO SI" Ces derniers jours, le Pape François est revenu une fois de plus sur le contenu de l'encyclique "Laudato Si", en soulignant son sens le plus profond, qui nous encourage à revenir à l'essentiel et à la terre, selon la pensée de saint François d'As...

For your consideration … "Overshoot" - Professor William Rees   /   « Overshoot », le dépassement des ressources de la terre   By Ross Flint – Marist Associate  /   Par Ross Flint – Associé mariste    -   faites défiler vers le bas pour la traduction française    This week (March 2023) I have been listening to an esteemed Canadian professor Bill Rees who gives a dire assessment for our future on this planet. His conclusion is that the climate change issue is actually a symptom of a more serious problem, what he calls "Overshoot". William E. Rees with Nate Hagens: "The Fundamental Issue - Overshoot" | The Gre...

POSITION PAPER: LAUDATO SI' AND MARIST OCEANIA                LAUDATO SI' ET L'OCEANIE MARISTE   traduction ci-dessous                                                  Fr Samu Tukidia sm Introduction This position paper specifically attempts to weave together certain themes in Laudato Si' and their applications and implications for us Oceanian Marists. It discusses three points. First, current steps taken by the Society of Mary to support the thinking of Laudato Si' is presented. Second, Marist ecological visions o...

San Isidro Care Centre was founded by the late Br. George van der Zant of the Society of Mary in 2007. Sr. Maria Fe Rollo SMSM  continues Br George's dream of changing the lives of deaf students in the Solomon Islands. Sr. Maria Fe Rollo has been a Missionary Sister of the Society of Mary for 15 years. Born in Davao City, Philippines, she joined the congregation when she was 36, drawn to its missionary charism of going out to the frontiers, proclaiming the Gospel inspired by and confident in Mary's help. She trained as a secondary teacher but has taught religious education in primary, secondary and tertiary settings, mostly in Davao City, Maitum, and General Santos City in the...

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...

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...

Fr Donato Kivi SM presented the following "Care for our Oceans" to the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania - a regional grouping that comprises the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands and the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC) – which includes Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Northern Mariana Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Wallis and Futuna. At their recent Assembly held in Fiji from 5th – 10th February. Care for the Oceans Ferdinand Magellan and his exploration group g...

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...

Aotearoa/New Zealand poet, Brian Turner has written a poignant little poem called Sky. Made all the more poignant with the recent weather bomb in Tāmakimakarau/Auckland it reads; If the sky knew half of what we are doing down here it would be stricken, inconsolable, and we would have nothing but rain.[i] This poem points to what American ecologist Eileen Crist calls the human supremacy complex[ii].In such a complex the human community and all its noble endeavours reigns supreme. Human industry takes over our planet home in almost every sphere. Extreme, and all too common, examples of human supremacy show up in what are called sacrifice zones[iii]. Almost every nation on Earth has its sacrifi...

Child Labor- now and then   [article sent by Jim Carty sm - Australia] The NOW How many times each day do you use your iPhone, or your Cell-Phone of whatever you call it. Next time you do, think of the "rare-earth" metal cobalt hidden inside- a critical component- Then ask yourself: where did it come from and who mined it and how was it mined? Chances are it came from the so-called Democratic Republic of Congo which is the world's largest cobalt mine, and was mined by either a large international Company or by one method known as artisanal mining That is to say, by a small-scale miner (ASM) who is a subsistence miner not officially employed by a mining company, but works independen...

Prière pour un Futur qui émerge Source de compassion, toi qui contiens toute vie, Rejoins-nous alors que nous tendonsvvers un futur qui naîtra de nos humbles efforts. Guide-nous dans ton futur qui émerge. Donne-nous la force de réduire les dommages que nous causons. Transfigure nos désespoirs, qu'ils deviennent les champs fertiles où germera un monde renouvelé. Nous t'invoquons, Esprit de bonté, pour que tu enveloppes toute chose d'une plénitude de bénédiction. Ouvre-nous à la force de vie qui anime tout ce qui vit, donne-nous le courage, enseigne-nous l'art de la co-création dans notre monde. Whaea nui o te Taiao katoa, inoi mō mātou. Mère de la nouvelle Création, prie pour nous Peter ...

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]

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...

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...

Fr Hermes [Larry] Sabud reports on recent efforts at Peace-Making in Thailand: INTERNATIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL DAY OF PEACE   Ranong, Thailand   21 September 2022 Peace is possible. Let's make it happen. This was the theme that the Marist Asia Foundation (MAF) Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (IRICD) Program adopted during the celebration of the International Day of Peace alongside the celebration of the MAF Intercultural Day. The celebration started with the Painting for Peace Exhibition participated by the three schools: The Guiding Star Learning Center, Phichai Rattanakhan School and MAF Burmese Migrant Secondary Program. The IRICD [Inter-religious and In...

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....

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...

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...