Earthcare
E Newsletter
June 2010
Edition
Editorial
Dear friends,
Welcome to our June 2010 e-newsletter edition.
It has been a very energetic quarter, as usual! It is important for me to share much with you about the work of Earthcare over the last four months so that you can delight in the breakthroughs and make the changes that God longs to see in the world.
This edition of the newsletter begins with a prayer from Good Samaritan Sister Monica Sparks who has returned to the Diocese of Geraldton to serve in remote and rural communities in the Rangelands of WA. As always this newsletter features stories about a school, parish, and organization within the Catholic Church that have taken new steps on their ecological conversion journey. If you would like to share a story about an initiative happening at your school, parish or organization please click here to contact the editor by email.
One of Catholic Earthcare’s ongoing tasks is to support ecological endeavours within the Church through developing our national network. The Catholic Secondary Principals of Australia Conference in Hobart was just such an opportunity. It was good to hear the first steps that secondary schools are taking and it is exciting to support leaders as they plan their whole school approach for sustainability. For instance, since the ASSISI staff spirituality day at St Clare’s Secondary College in the ACT, the college is producing their weekly school newsletters electronically – a considerable effort to transform a key communication system through modelling a sustainable school bulletin. A great step on the journey to best practice!
In this last quarter, the ASSISI formation program has been transformed to incorporate Habermas and Groom’s pedagogy of praxis. The fit with ecological praxis is beautiful and the depth of what emerges from the newly developed ASSISI praxis approach is immense. We have successfully piloted this approach with whole organizations and continue to tweak the process during this pilot phase.
In partnership with the Catholic Education Office of Adelaide, Catholic Earthcare has been working with a group of 12 schools on a ‘sustainability enquiry journey’ program. A learning community for sustainability has developed over the two full day gatherings, the first in 2009 and the second day in April 2010. Each school is discerning their inquiry program for their unique community and catchment. This systems-based approach for change is outstanding and one for other Catholic Education Offices around the country to watch.
In the Catholic Health sector, a new model has been developed through our collaborative work with St John of God Health Care Group. The model is guiding our formation program with the groups’ Directors and CEO’s. The new ‘Sustainability Ethos’ model and formation program will be showcased in August at the Catholic Health Australia Conference.
I had the opportunity to visit the Mercy Sister’s Education Centre for Sustainability, Rahamim, in Bathurst. I learned that Rahamim is a Hebrew word for mercy and I shared a wonderful celebration with the local community, called Green Drinks. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Peter Hill, the Director of the CEO, and I look forward to our next work in this historic Diocese.
The whole state of Queensland is waking up to sustainability with the theme, “YES -Year of Environmental Sustainability’. Queensland’s Catholic Education Commission has chosen the theme, “Called to be Stewards of the Sustainable Future” for Catholic Education Week. The sustainability theme was also picked up at the Queensland Catholic Primary Principals Conference in Townsville. The launch of the conference at Reef HQ was superb and the Torres Strait Islander dancers were brilliant. The level of awareness in Queensland this year is high - a great model for other states to follow.
The ASSISI pilot phase is due for completion at the conclusion of 2010. In preparation we have begun finalising the discrete programs that are offered through ASSISI. Luke Edwards is busy piloting the ASSISI Youth program and we are aiming to offer training for Youth Ministry Coordinators early in 2011.
Finally, just to mention that I will be lobbying federal politicians in Canberra in partnership with ACF later this month. Catholic Earthcare’s staff and consultants have recently been trained in ‘The Thinking Environment’. And Church Resources is the first Catholic agency to start measuring its ecological footprint with our ECIS tool. I encourage all organizations to request a web demonstration of the ECIS tool to see how easy and effective it is to measure, track and report their footprint.
I hope that you enjoy celebrating World Environment Day on June 5th. Have a look at our calendar of environment days to see the great opportunities ahead for raising awareness in your community to help flourish God’s Creation.
Take gentle care,
Jacqui
Reflection with Sr Monica Sparks -
At the moment I have returned to Mt. Magnet ministry in the Murchison District W.A. The parched land is in stark contrast to the wildflower extravaganza I experienced last September and 
October. Through eleven years of drought in the once productive ‘Rangelands’ country, the pastoralists have extreme need to maintain the stations' biodiversity...more.
Schools in Action - Sacred Heart Primary School Villawood
Sacred Heart Primary School, Villawood began a local garden some years ago. Planting a variety of vegetables and fruit is twinned with chooks so that the vast majority of their canteen production comes from this garden. The children are able to understand the food cycle by planting, looking after, harvesting and then using their produce...more.
Parish in Action - Our Lady of Good Counsel, Deepdene Victoria.
Our Lady of Good Counsel in Deepdene Victoria have hosted forums on Stewards of Creation. The OLGC “Vision for Outreach” calls on Social Justice to “Look beyond its Borders and Boundaries” and to undertake a project that will draw the whole parish to the Stewardship of the earth to which we are all called. This project will provide real opportunities for “Every parishioner to witness Christ in their own way, every day”...more.
NATSICC Youth Gathering 2010 - Luke Edwards
The NATSICC Youth Gathering 2010 was held in Brisbane from May 13-16. The gathering brought together Aboriginal youth from every state and territory of the country. The forum provided an 
opportunity to explore matters of faith and spirituality in the context of being a young Indigenous Catholic person today. Apart from listening to a range of speakers, the gathering also provided the space for these young people to express their hopes and fears. It was an amazing privilege to witness such thinking and insight...more.
World Environment Day - 5 June 2010
This year's World Environment Day is entitled "Many Species. One Planet. One Future". Celebrate World Environment Day at your school or in your parish or organisation. Plant a tree, start a vegetable garden, give the things you don't use anymore to Vinnies, take your cloth bags everywhere and say no to plastic bags.
In Pope Benedict XVI's World Day of Peace message he said:
"Human beings let themselves be mastered by selfishness; they misunderstood the meaning of God’s command and exploited creation out of a desire to exercise absolute domination over it. But the true meaning of God’s original command, as the Book of Genesis clearly shows, was not a simple conferral of authority, but rather a summons to responsibility."
So take responsibility this World Environment Day and become caretakers of God's creation.
National Tree Day - Sunday 1August 2010
Schools National Tree Day - Friday 30 July 2010
LIFE IS BETTER WITH TREES
National Tree Day gives all Australians an opportunity to get 
involved with their local environment at a community level. Whether you're an individual, school, community group, sports club, church, family, group of friends or a business of any size there is a way that you can participate by coordinating a site, volunteering to plant or offering your support in other ways.
Take another look at...
Freshwater is Sacred Water
This revised edition of our Fresh Water is Sacred Water CD-ROM is an educational resource for students P-12. Catholic Earthcare Australia first produced this interactive CD to encourage and assist schools in celebrating water in 2003, during the International Year of Freshwater...more.
