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Understanding circular economy

8/9/2022

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Our lifestyle and choices affect other people and the environment. We do not live in isolation even when we think that we are making private, personal, and individual acts or decisions that do not involve others. Our action and inaction have consequences on others and the world around us.

As consumers in today’s world, it can be overwhelming to make purchasing decisions that have less of a negative impact on others and the environment, as it is not as simple as it seems. For example, not all recyclables are the same. Not everything labeled as “made from recyclable materials” is actually 100% made from recyclable materials as these materials degrade in quality over time. And just because it’s recyclable doesn’t mean it’s actually being recycled especially when these products do not make their way to the recycling facilities. Recycling materials also require so much energy to process that reusing might be a better alternative to recycling. Our heads spin… we can easily burn out and give up.
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In order to make good and responsible choices that support our lifestyle, it is beneficial to understand the concept of circular economy. Watch this six-minute video and learn to see beyond the products as you understand their life cycle and their impact on people and the environment. 
Consider this…
To have dominion over creation is to have the responsibility of caring for a reality that is interconnected. We belong to an entire ecosystem. What affects one part ends up affecting the other parts. As Christians, we need to have the ability to see the whole picture because everything is interconnected.
Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." 

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Genesis 1:26
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Season of Prayer for the Care of Creation

9/9/2020

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The ecumenical Season of Creation is observed annually from September 1, the World Day of Prayer for Creation, to October 4, the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi. Christians and peoples of faith around the world are invited to pray in thanksgiving for God’s gift of creation.

This year, the Season of Creation occurs in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that is impacting worldwide in ways that are inextricably interconnected to the care of creation and the health of humanity.  The Encyclical Letter, Laudato Si, echoes this interconnection.  

“Everything is connected. Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.” – Laudato Si, No. 91.

In March of this year Pope Francis asked the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (“DPIHD”) to collaboratively create a Commission to communicate the Church’s concern for the human family facing the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, to reflect on the emerging socio-economic-cultural dynamics, and to research and propose timely approaches to move forward. In May, I was invited to be one of twenty participants from Canada and the United States to provide feedback to this newly formed Commission.

The Dicastery has now established a Vatican COVID-19 Commission with five Work Groups: 
  • Acting Now for the Future
  • Looking to the Future with Creativity 
  • Communicating Hope
  • Seeking Common Dialogue and Reflections
  • Supporting to Care

In this time of pandemic, we are admittedly being challenged and yet history reveals that it is often in such times of adversity that the resiliency and determination of the human spirit emerges and through God’s grace, people of faith accomplish good works.  In that spirit of confidence and hope, Pope Francis’ message reflects upon the theme for the 2020 Season of Creation, Jubilee for the Earth, as a time to remember, to return, to rest, to restore and to rejoice:

  • A Time to Remember: We need to remember that “everything is interconnected, and that genuine care for our own lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice and faithfulness to others” (LS, 70).

  • A Time to Return: A Jubilee is a time to turn back in repentance. We need to heal the damaged relationships that are essential to supporting us, our common home and the entire fabric of life.

  • A Time to Rest: In his wisdom, God set aside the Sabbath so that the land and its inhabitants could rest and be renewed. 

  • A Time to Restore:  A Jubilee is a time to restore the original harmony of creation and to heal strained human relationships.  To re-establish equitable societal relationships, restoring their freedom, forgiving one another’s debts and ensuring the just distribution of basic goods essential to all human life. 

  • A Time to Rejoice: We also rejoice in many initiatives at local and global levels for the care of our common home and the poor. In the ongoing research to reduce carbon emissions within our energy sector that respects the environment. In the long-term plans to promote the “integral ecology of the human person” which support families, parishes, our schools and universities, our healthcare, business and agricultural institutions, and our First Nations communities. 

If these initiatives aren’t enough, we also have in this Season of Creation two events in late September and one in early October that call us to action, to conversion and renewal through the understanding and application of our Catholic Social Teaching.  

The first is the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Pope Francis’ message for the 106th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Forced like Jesus Christ to flee draws attention to the burdens faced by migrants and refugees and the responsibility to provide refuge. He states, “I have decided to devote this Message to the drama of internally displaced persons, an often unseen tragedy that the global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated. In fact, due to its virulence, severity and geographical extent, this crisis has impacted on many other humanitarian emergencies that affect millions of people, which has relegated to the bottom of national political agendas those urgent international efforts essential to saving lives. But “this is not a time for forgetfulness. The crisis we are facing should not make us forget the many other crises that bring suffering to so many people.”

The second is the release of an Alberta Bishop’s Pastoral Statement on the Impact of COVID-19 and the Call to Christian Renewal on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. It is entitled “Save your people, O Lord, and bless your inheritance”. There are reflections and resources that accompany the statement which are designed to promote dialogue on the social justice issues that have surfaced during the pandemic in light of the principles of our Catholic Social Teaching. 

The third event is the publication on the eve of the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi of a new encyclical which will reflect upon the Catholic Social Teachings during the pandemic – teachings such as human fraternity, the equal dignity of all people, the preferential option for the poor, the common good, solidarity among all peoples, the responsible care of the environment, and the virtue of striving for justice and peace.

Now more than ever we need to relate to one another as sisters and brothers in one global human family. We are called to recognize the responsibilities we have to each other, and take an active role in helping each person achieve their full potential.  And in this Season of Creation, we are being called to live as responsible stewards of creation and thus to see the reflection of God in all of creation.

God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess power and money
that they may avoid the sin of indifference,
that they may love the common good, advance the weak,
and care for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!  Amen.


(Pope Francis, Laudato Si, May 24, 2015)

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Written by Bishop William T. McGrattan
September 9, 2020
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This garden grows with a little help from some real-life Knights!

7/22/2020

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Fr. Jonathan Gibson (St. Peter, Calgary), Peter Dugandzic & Lu Scarpino (Knights of Columbus)
One of Calgary’s newest vegetable gardens is located in the backyard of Elizabeth House (EH), a maternal care home that’s now growing ready-to-eat plants alongside healthy babies. In a world hungry for good news, this project fits the bill, says Michelle Haywood, program manager at Elizabeth House.

Opened by the Catholic Diocese of Calgary more than 20 years ago, Elizabeth House provides supportive housing to at-risk pregnant and parenting women who need a safe place to live. Seeded into two new raised beds, this year’s inaugural garden is busy growing everything from lettuce to tomatoes, carrots and squash. It’s also nurturing at least one young resident’s interest in vegetable production—and it all began with a group of Catholic men who dared ask the folks at EH a simple question: How can we help?

The raised beds, like every other landscape revitalization project undertaken at Elizabeth House since 2017, were built by the St. Peter’s Council of the Knights of Columbus. That’s the year the council’s Grand Knight Peter Dugandzic reached out to Haywood. That conversation laid the foundation of a relationship that’s flourished over four years, thousands of dollars and hundreds of volunteer hours.
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“What the Knights have done here is amazing, but it’s about more than landscaping,” notes Haywood. “There’s also a sense of being cared for by this group of gentlemen offering their hands and hearts to help us. It’s hard to put that kind of support into words.”
Love in action
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By 2018, Dugandzic was leading a group of Knights of Columbus in some serious hands-on work. Together, the men transformed the home’s weed-filled backyard into a summer oasis, complete with new sod and a new patio, outdoor furniture, a barbecue, perimeter shrub beds and an underground sprinkler. That same year, another council based in Airdrie provided the labour to re-side EH’s home and detached garage.

Last year, the Knights tackled the home’s front yard, again adding fresh sod, shrubs and irrigation.

“Everybody was pretty excited when Peter brought the idea to the council,” remembers Lu Scarpino. Sworn in as the Grand Knight at St. Peter’s this July, Scarpino was the council treasurer when the project began. “Elizabeth House is doing great work and it’s nice to be able to support that. I think we’ve built a relationship that will continue for many years,” adds Scarpino.

Fr. Jonathan Gibson agrees. The pastor at St. Peter’s parish, Fr. Gibson says the relationship between the knights and Elizabeth House reinforces the governing principles of the Knights of Columbus. Charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism have all been strengthened by the project, says the priest. He views the relationship between the Knights of Columbus and Elizabeth House as a real-world example of how these knights live the heart of the gospel by doing work that cares for the women and children who live at Elizabeth House.

With the vegetable garden beds built and seeded, Dugandzic and Haywood are now focused on relocating a grotto built on the grounds of the original EH site in the Mission district. The stone work will be done by the same skilled tradesmen who built the grotto and one at the new Our Lady of the Rockies church in Canmore. The statue of Mary is being repainted by Dugandzic’s wife, Dorothy Voytechek. The new grotto will include a glass panel to protect the statue from the elements. 

The grotto will be added to the backyard; already a place of refuge for residents, their children and EH staff, says Haywood. Given the complications of COVID-19, she knows the Knights at St. Peter’s didn’t have their usual opportunities to fundraise in 2020. That means some of the costs incurred were covered by individual knights and their families.

Dugandzic, who’s already working with Elizabeth House on projects for 2021, says he launched the EH project as a way to invigorate the Knights he led. Looking back, he admits the project’s success goes way beyond the physical spaces they created. “Elizabeth House is dear to our hearts. We like the work that they do. That house is nearly always full and it feels good to know our knights have helped make it an even more special place.” 

Written by Joy Gregory for Faithfully 
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Christina's garden

7/22/2020

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Why starting a vegetable garden?

I've loved gardening since I can remember. Every time I saw empty space in my grandparents' or my parents' yard I would plant any seeds I could find from the kitchen. Seeing anything growing always fascinates me and I developed a lot of interest in plants and animals. 

Since I moved into my own place, I started gardening right away. I have been experimenting with growing vegetables from kitchen scraps and commercial seeds; planting fruity bushes, and trees from fruit seeds. It's amazing to see what can live and grow in different types of soil and shade conditions, and how the plants attract various animals and the symbiosis among them. I should add that other than vegetables, I only grow perennials as planting annuals can be really costly. I also believe perennials create a more stable ecosystem in my neighbourhood. 

Another benefit of vegetables gardening is of course, the produce! It supplements my grocery. Gardening has also been helpful for my mental and physical health, especially during the pandemic stay-at-home period. Gardening, composting and landscaping are definitely alternatives for brain and physical exercises. I also joined a couple of gardening communities, a way for me to engage and exchange ideas with others. Landscaping also allows us to express our artistic side. We enjoy hunting for different kind of plants and landscaping materials, and playing around with textures, colours, and functionality.
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Any lessons learned? 

The most challenging things about vegetable gardening are Calgary's unpredictable and extreme/fluctuating weather (lots of rain, dryness, hail, short warm growing season) and pests (mice, rabbits, bugs, magpies and other birds).  If there is anything I would do differently next year, I will spend more research to select plants that can grow in specific parts around the house, based on sun coverage and soil types. 

Any encouragement for those contemplating a vegetable garden? 

Just give it a try! We will find out if we enjoy it (or have passion for it) during the process. Seeing living things grow, multiply, survive the varied circumstances, mutate, and eventually die, all shows me "how great Thou art"! ​

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Christina Candra
Written by Christina Candra, a parishioner of St. Joseph's Parish in Calgary. 
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Joy's garden

7/22/2020

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I grew up in rural Alberta where every house had at least one vegetable garden. My four siblings and I still grow at least some of our own food. Today, my own garden is a testament to how much time I think about food. I grow it. I cook it. I preserve it. I eat it and I share it. As a master gardener, I also study it. Most of my volunteer work involves improving access to food for those who don’t have enough.

​My own yard includes large vegetable beds, fruit trees, a green-house, a row of 5-gallon pails with tomatoes and a deck where I grow lettuce and basil in DIY passive hydroponic tubs. My garden is a labour of love. I read Laudato Si' as a call to make the world a better place from the soil up. That’s what I try to do in my yard; to nurture the sacred gift of creation. All of those warm feeling aside, I am annoyed when I hear people say that vulnerable, food-insecure Calgarians should be growing their own food. In June, I picked more than 350 slugs off seven grown-from-seed Savoy cabbages. The task was every bit as disgusting as one might imagine. Three weeks later, some root-eating worm destroyed one head. Gardening is a tough business!

Written by Joy Gregory, a parishioner of St. Peter's Parish, Calgary
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Joy's hydroponic tub lettuce.
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In the slowing down...

7/22/2020

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If the last several months have reinforced anything, it is the extraordinary grace of an ordinary moment lived well. Faced with an abrupt “stripping away” of the extras that made life very full, our little family has had to work hard to claim, in simplicity and joy, the identity of domestic church. It has been challenging and edifying to see the ordinary, mundane moments through the lens of faith.

​In the slowing down, we are becoming more aware of the opportunity these moments present to us. We have come to understand more deeply the invitation to elevate them and give glory to God through them. We hunger and thirst for Christ in the Eucharist, for the community life of our parish, for song, and the opportunity to embrace our friends. Yet this hunger has also made all the more clear to me that my little family is the microcosm of that greater Church reality!  We are the image of Trinitarian love to the world, through our faithful and fruitful love for each other. As St. John Paul the Great reminds us in Familiaris Consortio, “...the family has the mission to guard, reveal and communicate love, and this is a living reflection of and a real sharing in God's love for humanity and the love of Christ the Lord for the Church His bride.” And so we seek ways to tangibly image His love to our children, and through them to those around us. It is incredible how ordinary realities can become imbued with incredible spiritual symbolism. Take, for instance, a picnic!

With four small children there is nothing perfect about the planning, preparing, and living out of a picnic adventure! There is mess, there are spills, there are little hands fumbling at sandwich making and mommy working very hard to keep her patience, while daddy sweats to load enough supplies in the car for what seems like a month’s trip. There is immense effort in the instruction, between the extra time everything takes and the imperfection of the end result. Truly, my humanity rebels a little against the effort when it could be done so quickly and neatly by only me! However, I know that this is a perfect moment of learning in the schools of service and forgiveness. Inevitably I will slip in my patience once or twice as we prepare our food or load it all up. I apologize and ask for forgiveness, and they willingly grant it. I have come to realize that family life is made all the more vibrant by the ready asking for and granting of forgiveness. Certainly, the outcome of our preparations will be rustic. Yet, I am convinced that we have no idea how these moments of family unity, service to each other, and joyful celebration imprint themselves as bookmarks of joy on our children’s little souls. ​
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Every good picnic begins with the preparation. As we plan what we will bring and how we will prepare it, we look to both simplicity and beauty. We pause to admire the vibrant red of a strawberry, the perfection of the inside of our watermelon, or even the gorgeous seedy crust on a loaf of bread. I say out loud, “thank you Lord for the gift of this beautiful food!”. In that moment our children are formed in the habit of gratefully walking through the day communicating with their Creator. We remind them often that grateful people are joyful people. Is there a more beautiful reflection of God’s love to the world than our joy? Possibly not! Even more profoundly, we can recall that the word Eucharist comes from the greek, eucharisteo, or thanksgiving! In this way our simple, thankful, picnic preparations remind us of the Bread of Life. 

The time comes to enjoy the fruit of our labour.  With our feet in the earth and our lungs filled with healing air, again we give thanks for beauty so tangible as to point our hearts directly to the Giver of all these good gifts. While we enjoy our simple picnic meal together, my husband and I meet each other’s gaze. We do not need to use words to communicate to each other that we are rejoicing in this sacred moment. Our sweet children, noticing that gaze, feel safe and sound in our family’s love. Their little hearts know, despite the chaos that may be in the world around us, that life is very good and we are held by Love. This is the extraordinary grace of an ordinary moment lived well.

Written by Emily Packard for Faithfully. Emily and her family are parishioners of St. Patrick's Parish in Calgary. 
​Photos courtesy of Emily Packard
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Sr. Pat's garden

7/22/2020

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Sr. Pat's garden plot in Midnapore Community Garden.
My “roots” are from a gardening family and from growing up in open spaces I always felt at home in the outdoors. My father was a gardener in his home town of Matlock, UK. Once he was settled well in Calgary and was able to have a small “acreage” home at the edge of the city he resumed his gardening habits…  and it was a large garden. As a family we helped in this garden. 

I grew up with home grown vegetables and helped a little with the harvesting… mostly eating the peas, carrots, radishes and rhubarb as I picked them. I also loved the outdoors as our house was surrounded by wild prairie land, flowers, close to the River, wide open spaces and hills for winter tobogganing and frozen waterways for skating. In the various communities where I lived as a Sister of Charity of St. Louis, if there was some garden space I usually planted a few veggies and flowers as well.

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The most successful garden I worked on was in Penticton, BC  where there was much sunshine and heat, and an early spring helped to produce an abundant crop in a small space. The most difficult place to grow a garden is on a balcony with limited sunshine. Last year’s crop of just radishes, lettuce and tomatoes was a failure - a few lettuce leaves, 5 or 6 radishes and tomatoes that were still very small and green by early September. As well as pesky squirrels that love “digging” in pots and planting their own peanuts!  A shady balcony in my experience will not grow vegetables very well, as it lacks sunshine. So I only plant flowers on my balcony this year.

This spring I rented a plot at the Mid-Sun Garden at the Midnapore community centre. Marvelous!! Small, but with abundant growth which is flourishing and already supplying radishes, onions, lettuce, swiss chard and a few peas (which I eat ). At this location there are also other gardeners to share experiences with, and to get advice and gardening tips. It is a community effort as we share various upkeep tasks in the larger garden space by keeping the weeds at bay,  maintaining the compost piles,  and various other tasks.

I have always experienced gardening as a time to be refreshed by the sights, sounds and smells of nature. It is a contemplative time to just experience the beauty and abundance of God’s Creation, including the small creatures and birds’ songs which are always present. It is a time and place to find rest, relief from stress or worry  and to be refreshed in God’s creative Spirit.

From a scientific view, plants in the garden take in CO2 and release oxygen, improving air quality where I am spending this outdoor time. Then there are the vegetables that are free from toxins and are free from the various plastic packaging,  have not travelled  hundreds of miles before arriving at my door, and are tasty and fresh. Gardening is also a benefit to our stressed environment at this time of increasing climate change on our common home.  

Even if you only have a small space to plant some veggies give it a try and enjoy the benefits of sunshine (and rain storms ), fresh air, bird songs, tasty veggies and some time to relax and to praise God  in the wonders of Creation. As well as the squirrels -  also God’s Creation.

Written by Sr. Pat Derbyshire, SCSL
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Sr. Pat Derbyshire, SCSL
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The Rochford Garden

7/22/2020

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The Rochford's garden in Strathmore.
Why growing your own vegetable garden?
 
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t involved in gardening of some sort. From my earliest years my parents and grandparents passed on their knowledge and love for toiling in the soil, always including my siblings and I in gardening. I try to keep that spirit alive with my own children, as they help me to plant, tend, water, weed and harvest. There’s such satisfaction in seeing tiny seeds grow to huge plants that bear much fruit. What’s more, one feels such delight and gratitude when eating one's own preserved produce throughout the cold winter months, while dreaming of next year’s gardens.
 
Any lessons learned?
 
My most memorable fails: For the life of me I can’t seem to grow a cucumber here in Alberta, no matter what I try; and one year gophers ate my garlic bulbs underground! I went to harvest my garlic and found that there were only greenish stalks with nibble marks at the ends where the bulbs should have been. Since then I’ve found that companion planting has really helped my gardens by attracting beneficial insects and repelling pests, all while adding interest and colour to the garden plot. 
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Any encouragement for those contemplating a vegetable garden?
 
My advice for first time gardeners is that they should not let the perfect stop them from doing the good.  I think this is something that applies to many areas of life, even the spiritual life. It is easy to feel intimidated by beautifully manicured gardens when setting out a small backyard or patio garden that seems inadequate, but there is so much reward and joy in being close to nature through vegetable gardening. It is easy to start small - perhaps with a little lettuce planted in containers - and gain confidence through small successes. I also find that gardening - especially my front yard vegetable garden - can be community-building. It’s an excuse for conversations with neighbours and passers-by that may not have otherwise taken place, while also allowing for a joyful sharing of God-given gifts - be it lettuce, zucchini, a warm smile, or a friendly disposition.
 
Saint Augustine said, “Question the beauty of the earth… the order of the stars… the living creatures that move in the waters… They will answer you: ‘Behold and see, we are beautiful.'  Their beauty is their confession to God."  I find that all of creation really sings God’s praises. Small seeds can grow to be huge plants, bearing much fruit, just as the Word of God plants seeds of faith in our hearts and then by His grace they blossom, giving glory and praise to God.  I love to putter about in the garden, meditating on the psalms, or offering up a string of Hail Marys, asking Our Lady to keep my heart free from spiritual weeds and rocks. Vegetable gardening also offers us a perspective on farming and food production, helping us to have a genuine sense of thanksgiving for all the work that goes into putting food on the table and stocking grocery stores. Weeding in the hot sun or worrying about my garden through a hail storm reminds me to pray often for our ranchers and farmers to whom we owe so much. Finally, growing my own herbs and vegetables prompts me to strive to live a life full of gratitude for all the gifts that God has given.  ​
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Emily Rochford
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Written by Emily Rochford. The Rochford family are parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish in Strathmore, AB. 
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Living global solidarity through little daily actions

10/4/2019

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The attention to our “common home” is highlighted each year during the ecumenical Season of Creation which is from September 1, the World Day of Prayer for Creation, to October 4, the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi. The celebration of this Season is to awaken in all Christians and peoples of faith throughout the world to pray in thanksgiving for the gift of creation, to promote action to protect the environment, and to commit to a more sustainable lifestyle. 

Pope Francis reminds us in his Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, that Christian life is not one of passive observance from the margins, but rather one that calls us to journey with those who are marginalized, attending to the many wounds which increasing secularization is inflicting on our society. In what cannot be described as anything other than a hostile culture, Pope Francis sees in the daily perseverance of the faithful “the holiness of the Church militant.” This holiness is not that of the clergy alone, but of “our next door neighbours, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence.” (paragraph 7)

Consumerism and materialism are sins that blind us from the effects of our throw-away lifestyle and culture not only on our environment but especially on the underprivileged people who manufacture our latest obsessions. It falls to each of us to do what we can to become good stewards of God’s gifts and people, and the opportunities to make sustainable lifestyle changes are right before us in our daily living. 
There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how education can bring about real changes in lifestyle. Education in environmental responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly and significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights, or any number of other practices. All of these reflect a generous and worthy creativity which brings out the best in human beings. (Laudato Si, 211.)
Here are two simple starting points for becoming better stewards.  The first is an Ecological Examen which was developed by the Jesuits Ignatian Solidarity Network “to embrace ecological justice and respond to Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home”. (http://www.ecologicalexamen.org/)   The second is to do what is possible within our own set of lifestyle choices to reduce, reuse, recycle, repurpose, repair, restore, re-gift, and refuse.  The combination of praying and living choices which support a sustainable future holds the hope that we will “attune to the moral imperative of assessing the impact of our every action and personal decision on the world around us” so that “we will truly be able to develop a different lifestyle and bring about significant changes in society.” (LS, 208.)

Written by Bishop William T. McGrattan, October 2019.
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Most Rev. William McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
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Caring for all creation

10/2/2019

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Young parishioners enjoy the Parish Garden at St. Joseph. Photo credit: Fan Fan Sutikno
With climate change getting so much media coverage, it’s easy to see why some Catholics are asking questions about what they can do to support the papal call for Christians to unite in caring for what Pope Francis calls, “our common home.” Other Catholics don’t spend much time thinking about it. They’re too busy planting, weeding and harvesting food, flowers—and faith.
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This summer, volunteers planted a 3,000-square-foot vegetable garden at the Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre at Cochrane. The potatoes, carrots, squash and swiss chard were put to good use; the food is shared between Feed the Hungry’s (FTH) Sunday dinners at St. Mary’s Cathedral and the Calgary Food Bank. “The food bank really is a ‘bank,” says Linnea Ferguson, program lead for the Calgary Catholic Diocese’s FTH program. “We take from that bank for our Sunday night dinners, so it’s nice to deposit some food there, too.” 

Although FTH is more closely aligned with social versus environmental causes, the connection between food and life is obvious, notes Ferguson. “By actively participating in the production of local produce, I think Feed the Hungry shows care for our common home and how much we respect the dignity of the people we feed.”

Care for Creation

Over at St. Joseph’s parish in northwest Calgary, parish council has adopted some care for creation initiatives sparked by the 2015 papal encyclical, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home. This spring, Knights of Columbus planted a courtyard area with plants donated by a long-time parishioner. “It’s really beautiful,” says parish council member Marilou LeGeyt. “We’ve got a variety of flowering plants, including roses, monkshood and black-eyed Susan. Next year, the Knights will divide those plants and sell the extras as a fundraiser.” 

After all the planning and planting were done, the project yielded three wins for the parish. The garden is a fundraiser, a beautiful space by the Church entrance and its gives parishioners an opportunity to take an ecological piece of their church community home to their own gardens.

In late September, the courtyard hosted a Blessing of the Animals. The event attracted dogs, fish, cats and turtles! In line with Laudato Si and its focus on dialogue, St. Joseph’s parish is also exploring the addition of a vegetable garden on the church property. The concept is meant to nourish St. Joe’s place in the wider community, says LeGeyt. 
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St. Joseph's parishioners Jim Hoffman & parish council member Marilou LeGeyt.
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St. Joseph new courtyard garden with perennials donated by Jim Hoffman.
At St. Peter’s parish, a team of volunteer gardeners is taking responsibility for the gardens built as part of a major reconstruction project. Led by parishioner Sylvie Fung, who’s also active with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, the grounds include several well-kept flower pots, ground-level plots and a new grotto. The latter includes an outdoor rosary. 

To help the growing number of faithful who visit the space to pray, Fung tucks several rosaries and prayer cards into two solar lamps at the garden entrance. “People take the rosaries, so I’m always looking for more,” says Fung.

Members of her garden team take turns watering the pots and checking to make sure the freshly-landscaped shrubs and perennials are doing well. But the job can get a little prickly. While the space between the church and alley has been beautifully landscaped, these beds include a number of Canada Thistle, an invasive (not Canadian!) weed species known for its thorns and deep roots, both of which complicate eradication. 

Fung encourages her fellow gardeners to weed these “beds of thorns, beds of suffering” as an act of faithful sacrifice. “It’s the perfect job to recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy,” says Fung with a smile. 
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Beautiful flower garden at St. Peter's Church, Calgary

Written by Joy Gregory for Faithfully
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Caring for our neighbours

10/2/2019

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Christians living in the Holy Land and the Middle East are a minority group who often face persecution. “They are small in number and they are being forced out of their homes due to war and violence,” said Melodie Gabriel, development officer for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association Canadian bureau. 

Pope Pius XI founded CNEWA in 1926 to aid Christians in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe and it continues today under the leadership of Pope Francis. 

Since 2003 more than 2.5 million Christians have been displaced. According to CNEWA Christians represent 2 percent of the population in the Holy Land, numbering 175,000 in Israel and 50,000 in Palestine. In Syria, before the Arab Spring, Christians numbered 2 million or 10 percent of the population, that number has been cut in half. There are only 250,000 Christians left in Iraq, making up 1 percent of the population.  
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Photo: CNEWA
Many are internally displaced or flee to neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan. Some, Syrians in particular, have settled in parts of Canada, including Calgary, but for those who stay or have gone back, their homes are often destroyed and require a lot of rebuilding.  “Sometimes people don’t feel safe moving back to their town,” said Gabriel. “There have been cases of kidnapping, harrassment, discrimination. There have been times that they’ve been killed because of their faith.”
 
Due to difficulties crossing check points, Palestinian Christians aren’t always granted a pass to attend Easter Mass in Jerusalem.  “The locals can’t experience Easter there, but the tourists have no problem,” said Gabriel. 

She organizes pilgrimages with CNEWA to the Holy Land for those wanting both a spiritual experience and a snapshot into the life of local Christians. The next one is being planned for 2020. “The Christians are always very grateful when we come and visit them. They feel supported,” said Gabriel. 

In August, Gabriel spoke at the national Catholic Women’s League (CWL) Convention held in Calgary because CNEWA is one of the charities CWL supports at the national level. Two of the projects CWL funds are a centre in Jerusalem that provides tutoring for at-risk youth and a centre near Bethlehem providing healthcare for women and their babies. 

National CWL President Anne-Marie Gorman went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and met some of the local Christians, including entrepreneurs who left to seek education in the United States, but returned to open a brewery.  “Things seem to be so unstable, so I’m thinking if they have enough faith to go home and settle back in the Palestinian occupied territory, it behooves us to support them as best we can,” said Gorman. 

“Our past spiritual adviser Bishop Martin Currie said the Holy Land is in danger of becoming like Disneyland, just a tourist site that people go see what it used to be like. But when I was there, it was all about these people being living stones. These are the people that haven’t left.” 

St. Bonaventure parishioner Kathleen Kufeldt is one of many Calgarian donors who financially support CNEWA. For several years she has organized a raffle at her parish for CNEWA during the annual CWL fundraiser.  “I think we are so blessed here to practice our faith. My heart goes out to the Christians in the Middle East,” said Kufeldt.

​“I feel it must be one of Jesus’s wounds that the area where He was born and grew up is so difficult for His followers.” 

Written by Sara Francis for Faithfully
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Canadian Catholic women pass resolutions that show care for everyone

8/23/2019

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Nearly 900 Catholic Women’s League (CWL) members from across Canada gathered at the Hyatt Hotel in Calgary Aug. 18-21 for the 99th Annual National Convention. 

Each year members debate and vote on resolutions, forming League policy and guiding their advocacy work. The CWL members passed two resolutions concerning the rights of the unborn and a nuclear arms ban. 

The first resolution to pass was — Canada to Honour its Commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Canada ratified this United Nations agreement to protect the unborn 20 years ago, yet there is still no Canadian legislation protecting the unborn at any stage of development. 

“When you sign something and ratify it, you’d expect some legislation to appear,” said CWL President Anne-Marie Gorman. “What we are looking for is legislation. You said you were going to do it, so why hasn’t someone done it. We’ll be asking that question.”  

The second resolution to pass asks the Canadian Government to honour the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. CWL wants the federal government to support, sign and ratify this treaty which the UN adopted in July 2017; so far 25 countries have ratified it.  

Once members adopt a resolution an executive committee prepares to bring the concerns to federal politicians in Ottawa on behalf of all 78,000 members in the coming months. 

Each convention also has a spiritual, educational and cultural component. Four Calgarians spoke on this year’s theme “Care For Our Common Home.” Dr. Peter Baltutis, Dr. Timothy Harvie, Sr. Madeleine Gregg and Marilou LeGeyt unpacked the topic from both theological and practical perspectives.  
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Sr. Dorothy Ederer, Keynote Speaker
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Dr. Peter Baltutis, CWL Chair for Catholic Studies
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99th National WCL Convention Attendees
Dressed in a white sweater jacket and matching pearl earrings Sr. Dorothy Ederer, a Grand Rapids Dominican Sister from Michigan, delivered a high-energy, entertaining and emotional keynote address titled “What is our common home? We care for our homeland, our homes, our hearts.” 

“Everyone take out your phones,” said Ederer. “What would God be calling to tell you if He were on the other line?”

Ederer proceeded to tell her captivated audience for the next two hours how each person is called to be Christ-like and loving toward their neighbour using a series of personal stories from her time in ministry and mission, interspersed with inspirational songs and tidbits of wisdom. She highlighted topics such as daily prayer, finding your passion and reconciliation.  

“What kinds of values do we want to leave to our children or those coming after us?” asked Ederer. 

She used the phrase “more is caught than taught” to highlight how her mother would keep a holy hour each morning before getting on with her day. “Kids imitate us,” she said. 

“Find your passion, live it, but don’t compromise your morals and values,” she said. 

She urged the Church to be a place where people are loved and forgiven. 

“To forgive yourself is one of the hardest things we have to do as Christians,” she said. “If you hold anger in your heart it’s destroying you. It’s like taking a glass of poison and pouring it down your throat.”   

Her last message was one of hope and love. “I want to tell you how loved you are.” 

Conventions are an opportunity for renewal and Gorman said she hopes all CWL members will take what they’ve learned and share it with their communities. 

​“I hope they leave appreciating who they are and that God loves them,” said Gorman. 

Written by Sara Francis for the Diocese of Calgary
Photos courtesy of Annie Chirka, St. Peter's Calgary 
See more photos here: https://st-peters.ca/cwl/ ​
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I’ll be out in the garden, walking with God

4/2/2019

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In the weeks to come, Edie Pujo will seed a 60-square foot vegetable garden on her acreage east of Calgary. On the semi-arid plains of southern Alberta, a region notorious for drought, hail, wind, slugs and aphids, Pujo’s garden is an act of defiance. It is also a beacon of hope—and a place of immense spiritual comfort. To Pujo, time in the garden is “one-on-one time with the Big Guy. It’s so peaceful. I plant, and I pray. My time in the garden is time with God.”
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This spring, Pujo will also work alongside vegetable growers—and fellow believers—at Calgary’s St. Albert the Great parish. Located in the southeastern community of McKenzie Towne, the parish added a community garden to its property in 2018. The 3x3-foot beds rented quickly—simultaneously producing fresh vegetables and nurturing a new community of gardeners. 
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An idea germinates

The St. Albert the Great Community Garden began in 2017 after a couple of people talked to the parish priest. Pujo chatted with Father Julian Studden (now in Airdrie) about her love of gardening. Together, they mused about the spiritual connection between growing food and caring for the Earth as a gift from God. Pujo, a Vincentian, also talked about how nice it would be to include home-grown vegetables in hampers delivered by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SSVP). When another parishioner pointed out an under-used space beside the church as a problem area—good for nothing but grass—Father Julian urged the two to chat. 

Before long, Pujo and fellow parishioner Mike Alvares were co-chairing a community garden committee. Scott Harrison, another member of the fledgling group, teaches culinary arts at a Catholic high school. He linked the group to a not-for-profit that teaches groups how to build the portable wooden garden frames now used at St. Albert the Great. Other committee members, James Dalton and Paul Schneider, brought their expertise and passion. 

By the spring of 2018, the group had prepared 42 beds for planting. The entire project, including eight fruit trees, was completed with grants and donated products. “This was a real community project, and it was 100 per cent self-funded. We didn’t ask the parish for any money,” says Pujo.

When one would-be gardener had to back out after renting her bed, she donated the $20 plot to SSVP. Quick to recognize the opportunity, Pujo assumed responsibility for the bed and seeded it all to beans. “I can’t tell you the number of hampers that got green beans last year, but it was a lot.”

Feed the Hungry
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Closer to the city’s core, Linnea Ferguson has her eye on five small garden plots at the FCJ Centre near the Calgary Pastoral Centre. Ferguson, who coordinates the Diocese’s Feed the Hungry Garden, used the plots last year to grow onions, garlic and parsley. Guests of the dinner sowed the parsley seed and all were harvested for use by Feed the Hungry chefs. Last fall, Ferguson helped young women from Elizabeth House harvest the garlic and plant a new garlic crop for 2019.

Ferguson also organizes the work crews that plant, weed and harvest about an acre of potatoes east of Calgary. Donated by Annette and Theo D’Souza, parishioners at St. Gabriel the Archangel, that land will eventually be used to grow other vegetables. “It made sense to grow potatoes for the first few years as that helps to prepare the soil,” explains Ferguson.
The Feed the Hungry Garden, started a few years ago after the D’Souzas approached Joann Churchill, Development manager with the Diocese. Churchill talked to then-Bishop Frederick Henry, “and he loved the idea from the start. He wanted us to open the door and see where it takes us.” Today, Feed the Hungry uses what it can and donates the rest of its harvest to the Calgary Food Bank. That agency supports Feed the Hungry, “so this is a great way for us to give back to the Food Bank,” says Churchill.

“There has been such an outpouring of support from so many,” adds Churchill. Every year, a Red Deer farmer donates the seed potatoes, while garden neighbours and generous community volunteers contribute their time, expertise and in-kind services. Companies have donated equipment and tools and St. Gabriel parish has embraced the garden, too.
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The harvest is plenty—and the labourers are pleased
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The Feed the Hungry Garden is a great way to combine Church teachings about food production, caring for the marginalized and building community,” adds Ferguson. Spring and fall are the busiest times and Ferguson always reaches out for volunteers. “The Bishop comes to the planting and gives a special blessing. It really ties what we’re doing to the bigger issues about our role in caring for the environment and serving the marginalized.” 

Last fall, the youth group at St. James in Okotoks sent 45 young people to help with the harvest. “It was really something to see all of those young people helping out,” notes Ferguson.

Edie Pujo admits it’s the young people who catch her eye—and heart—at St. Albert the Great’s garden. Experienced gardeners “all got such a kick out of everyone learning about where food comes from.” The garden, which includes a stepping stone pathway and a picnic table, is also a popular stop for locals out for a summer walk. “People often stop and ask questions about what’s growing, so we’re getting to know the community. The garden really fits into the neighbourhood.” 

To demonstrate the garden’s place in the larger environment, the site includes a compost area and two 1,000-gallon water tanks that will eventually collect rainwater from the church roof. “We do want to use the garden to teach people about growing vegetables in a sustainable, environmentally-friendly way,” says Pujo. 

Information about community gardens in Calgary neighbourhoods is available from the Calgary Horticultural Society. For details on how to donate your own garden’s bounty, reach out to your SSVP or the Calgary Food Bank.

Written by Joy Gregory
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