Global Warming:
A Catholic Perspective Forum & Kick-Off Event

Global Warming, it’s not just for scientists any more!!! At least the thousand people who packed the pews of Pax Cristi for the first Catholic Perspective Forum on Global Warming didn’t seem to think so. They were there with pens and notebooks, young and old, casual and sedate alike. It seems the Office for Social Justice and Congregations Caring for Creation is taking it seriously. It seems the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in 2001, gave a call for Dialogue, Prudence and the Common Good – their response to the rumblings being heard about global warming. This is what they said:

“At its core, global climate change is not about economic theory or political platforms, not about partisan advantage of interest group pressures. It is about the future of God’s creation and one human family. It is about protecting both the “human environment” and the natural environment……”
Where have we been since 2001? Is this the wake up call? A distinguished group of speakers seem to think so. Paul Douglas the chief meteorologist at WCCO-TV talked on Global Warming in Minnesota. Will Steger, Explorer, lecturer, writer (we’ve met him at Joan of Arc), talked about Global Warming- An Explorer’s Story, sharing what he’s seen of the impact of global warming in the Arctic and Antarctic . John Hart Ph D., Professor of Ethics at Boston University, talked of Melting Glaciers, Burning Farms: Global Warming and Catholic Faith. Hart shared the changes in environment he’s seen in Montana as a result of global warming. Each speaker explored the role of each of us as shepherds, responsible for the earth’s resources and spoke with passion about the reality of the disaster taking place all around the world.

We at Saint Joan of Arc have been exposed to the concepts of Eco-Spirituality, listened in awe as we learned more about the unfolding of creation, responded as we were encouraged to see the graphic proofs presented by Al Gore in AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH and watched with hearts stopping as Tom Brokaw and a team of eminent scientists showed clear evidence of the effects of global warming speaking of the rapid changes in the earth’s water supplies and the disappearance of life forms.

Sunday at Pax Cristi, ninety parishes and other Catholic institutions, including St. Joan of Arc, joined together to support the forum being held there. Archbishop Flynn greeted the attendees via video message; Bishop Richard Pates made his statement. The members of the SJA Ecospirituality Committee were in evidence as active volunteers – as they are every Sunday morning.

Asked for his impressions, Tom Myott-Smith, the liaison between St. Joan of Arc and the Ecospirituality Committee, made these comments:

“While I didn’t work as a volunteer, I talked with a lot of folks both from St. Joan’s (we must have had 25-30 parishioners there) and from other parishes, sharing what we’ve done and answering questions about our wind power campaign, about how you have conversations with others about global warming, and about creating the Global Warming Action Team. Several folks from St. Joan’s who have not been active on the Eco-Spirituality Committee said they wanted to represent St. Joan’s on the Action Team. I thought all the speakers brought a special dimension to the issue.’
Ronnie Angelus says: "There are three things that make my life work: Talking to my daughter who opens vistas to me and makes me laugh; being in the circle of the Divas, my writing group, who shout "go girl" and give me standing ovations with their smiles and tears; sitting next to Mary and Claude Paradis during Sunday Mass at St. Joan of Arc, which is as close to pure goodness as I will know in this lifetime."
It isn’t stopping with a “feel good Sunday.” A KEY PURPOSE OF THE FORUM WAS TO FORM AN ARCHDIOCESAN GLOBAL WARMING ACTION TEAM. All the people at the forum, all the people in all the churches are being invited to a meeting of the Global Warming Action Team that will be held Thursday, November 16 , from 7:00 p.m to 9:00 p.m,.. at the Archdiocesan Hayden Center, 328 Kellogg Boulevard in Saint Paul. Contact: 651-291-4477.

The Ecospirituality Committee will be meeting at Saint Joan on Friday, December 1st AT 7:00 PM in conjunction with the showing of the movie, Inconvenient Truth.

See the Ecospirituality Website for ideas about how you can respond positively to the threat of global warming. There will also be a wide ranging list of websites you can visit to learn more about this important topic. The time is now. There may not be time later.

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