ROME — In its effort continually to educate Franciscans around the world about ecology and the need to care for creation, the Order’s International Animation Committee for JPIC has produced two studies: “Environmental Justice” and “Care for Creation in the Daily Life of the Friars Minor.”
Joseph Rozansky, OFM, and Br. Fabio L’Amour, OFM, of the OFM Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, emailed the documents this month, suggesting that provinces “find creative ways to share them with the brothers of your entities and with the people with whom you work.”
The two documents were produced as a follow-up to the 2009 JPIC course at the Antonianum in Rome on Integrity of Creation.
After the course, the International Animation Committee for JPIC discussed ways “to promote concern for these issues in our life and ministries. One idea that surfaced was to prepare two studies, one on ‘Environmental Justice,’ and the other on ‘Care for Creation in the Daily Life of the Friars Minor,’” according to the email.
Ecology & Justice
“Environmental Justice” deals with the relationship between ecology and justice. “It begins with a reflection on Francis and our Franciscan spirituality,” according to Joe and Br. Fabio. “It shows how our founder and our charism inspire us to be concerned with the current environmental crisis in which we find ourselves. It then explains the concept of environmental justice, and offers four situations from around the world where Franciscans are dealing with these issues.”
“Care for Creation in the Daily Life of the Friars Minor” is somewhat of an “environmental audit that invites us to reflect on our ecological footprint,” the JPIC Office staff said. “The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth’s ecosystems. It compares human demand with planet Earth’s capacity to regenerate. It represents the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and render harmless the corresponding waste. The document deals with nine areas that will help us to consider our impact on earth and its resources. It invites readers to choose at least one of the areas where their fraternity or ministry can make concrete decisions to begin to address ecological questions in daily life.”
The JPIC Office staff invites those with questions to contact Joe and Br. Fabio at pax@ofm.org Information about the resources can be found on the “New Material about Ecology from the JPIC Office” section on the Order’swebsite.
Belated Curia News
The most recent issue of the newsletter of the OFM Office of JPIC provides an article titled “Franciscan Spirituality and Environmental Justice.” This June issue of Contact describes a gathering in India earlier this year at which Joe Rozansky spoke.
— Jocelyn Thomas is director of communications for Holy Name Province.