Call to Faith Communities to Advocate for Climate Change Action Now

"The environmental challenge that we are experiencing, and its human causes, affects us all and demands our response."  

- Pope Francis, February 2016, Mexico

Dear Friends,

WATERSPIRIT is a center committed to informing, inspiring and enabling people to deepen their consciousness of the sacredness and interdependence of all creation. At this time of climate crisis on our common home, we are urging all communities of faith to act now and to advocate for the Care of Creation.

We are sure that it is no surprise to you that Pope Francis, in his encyclical “Laudato Si' - On Care For Our Common Home”, calls for a “bold cultural revolution” to confront the environmental crisis Earth is currently facing. We are inviting you to heed the Pope’s call by supporting, and, if possible, joining in the March for a Clean Energy Revolution (CER) this July in Philadelphia, PA.

Sunday, July 24, on the eve of the Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, thousands will march and present climate action demands directly to our current and future national leaders. Integral to the CER and the global movement for climate action is the voice and advocacy from the faith community. 

 

“An authentic faith which is never comfortable or completely personal always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better than we found it. We love this magnificent planet on which God has put us, and we love the human family which dwells here, with all its tragedies and struggles, its hopes and aspirations, its strengths and weaknesses. The earth is our common home and all of us are brothers and sisters.” - Pope Francis

Leaders from different faith communities have collaborated and created a “A Call to Communities of Faith and Spirit” statement for the CER with an opportunity for faith communities to sign on to the statement online. We invite you to review the faith statement and to consider signing on for the community you are representing, or for yourself individually. Here is the link to the faith statement on the CER website: Link to Faith Statement (Please feel free to share and forward the CER Faith Statement and information).

“The future of humanity does not lie solely in the hands of great leaders, the great powers and the elites. It is fundamentally in the hands of people and in their ability to organize. It is in their hands, which can guide with humility and conviction this process of change.” - Pope Francis

Climate Change is a moral, ethical and justice issue. Climate change action is a matter of justice. Justice for poor people who will be most severely impacted by changing weather and rising seas and who have the least capacity to adapt. Justice for future generations who will inherit an unstable climate and potentially catastrophic rises in sea level, migration of tropical diseases, and disrupted agricultural production. Justice for all of creation that is threatened by climate change. 

 

Together we can magnify the moral and ethical call for climate action by advocating for the implementation of renewable energy solutions now. As said by Mark Jacobson of Stanford University, a leader in the transition to renewable energy, “The main barriers to getting to 100 percent clean energy are social and political, not technical or economic.” We urge you to support the CER and the Faith Contingent of the March for Clean Energy Revolution. 

 

Thank you for your consideration of this important action on behalf of all life and the safety of our planet, “Our Common Home”. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at WATERSPIRIT 732-923-9788 or water@waterspirit.org. For more information on the CER go to: http://www.cleanenergymarch.org/.

In Peace,

Sr. Suzanne Golas, csjp

Director

WATERSPIRIT

"We can no longer remain silent before one of the greatest environmental crisis in world history."
- Pope Francis, February 2016, Mexico

          “Care for Our Common Home”

Standing on the steps of the Trenton State House, surrounded by people waving posters, I had just

finished speaking at a press conference announcing the formation of a new coalition, The NJ Clean Energy Coalition. I had been asked to speak about the connection between this event and Pope Francis’

encyclical, “Laudato Si – Care for Our Common Home”. Standing there, I saw this excited young woman coming toward me. “Look, look,” she said with enthusiasm and a great smile, “I have a Pope poster!” She showed me her homemade poster which read, “Listen to the Pope. Stop fossil fuels.” Scanning the crowd, I noticed a sprinkling of other “Pope posters.”

The NJ Clean Energy Coalition, composed of a growing group of thirty-six environmental, labor,

religious, community and citizen groups, is advocating for a movement toward clean, safe energy.

The Coalition is calling for a 30% increase in energy efficiency and 100% carbon free electricity production by 2030. The Coalition is also committed to stopping the various oil and gas projects threatening New Jersey—projects such as the proliferation of pipelines, oil trains and proposals for fracking waste storage, and a natural gas facility off the NJ coast. These projects threaten drinking water, open space, the ocean, communities and neighborhoods.

This new coalition is the type of action stressed in “Laudato Si.” The encyclical talks about the

importance of local efforts and the coming together of people and groups who may have disagreements on some issues, but who recognize the urgency of addressing climate change and the need to work

together on this common threat.

It is in that spirit that the encyclical is addressed not only to Catholics, but to “the whole human family.” “The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.”

In an address at the UN, Cardinal Peter Turkson, who has been a key consultant and author in producing the encyclical, listed some of the main points that are emphasized in “Laudato Si”:

• Humanity is not separate from the environment in which we live; rather humanity and the natural environment are one. Everything is connected. Everything is interrelated. We are one and humans have a moral obligation to care for this community of oneness. Pope Francis says, “The human environment and the natural environment deteriorate together; we cannot adequately combat environmental degradation unless we attend to causes related to human and social degradation.” Pope Francis calls us to hear “both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”
• The grave errors that increase our disastrous indifference to the environment include a throwaway-culture of consumerism, and a naive confidence that technological advances and undirected commercial markets will inevitably solve our environmental problems.
• The accelerating change in climate is undeniable, catastrophic and worsened by human activities, but also amenable to human intervention.
• We must address the ethical nature of our crisis, both through dialogue, and by recovering our fundamental spiritual dimension.

We are part of a universe in which all of creation – water, soil, mountains, ocean – everything that is speaks of God's love. Our role is not one of mastery over creation, but rather protection of creation. The meaning of “Laudato Si” is “Praise be to You, O Lord,” the beginning of the prayer of St. Francis, which acknowledges the sacredness of all creation.

In the encyclical, Pope Francis speaks to groups like that which gathered on the Trenton State House steps, perhaps especially to those young people proudly waving their “Pope Posters.” He says, “I want to recognize, encourage and thank all those striving in countless ways to guarantee the protection of the home which we share.”

WATERSPIRIT is energized and thrilled with the emergence of “Laudato Si” as a growing global catalyst and voice for the global shift in consciousness for the care of creation and climate change action!

- Suzanne Golas, csjp

In the dark of the moon,

In the flying snow, in the dead of winter

War spreading, families dying, the world in danger

I walk the rocky hillside, sowing clover.

- Wendell Berry

With the world in danger from climate change, we walk the rocky hillside of our world in danger from 

climate change sowing the clover of light, hope and action.  We gathered at WATERSPIRIT at Stella Maris Retreat Center on December 7th to pray, create, meditate and send, in concert with Mother Earth, positive energy, light and thoughts to the world leaders gathering in Lima, Peru. We hope that this light intention, from faith gatherings around the world, will help enable the world leaders to come to enabling positive decisions and actions for the sake of Mother Earth and her communities of life.

As we know, Earth is at a tipping point.  Can our global leaders once and for all, at this crucial time in history, make the tough, difficult decisions to shift societies away from massive extraction and consumption of fossil fuels, to move us towards a transformative renewable energy future with more socially just, equitable ways of living in harmony with nature?  We do not have all of the answers to this vision, but we do know that as we move away from our disconnectedness from nature, and we realize humanities interconnectedness with the life systems of the Universe, we will see change and be the change.   We see change at local levels, in cities, in communities.   

Now we are calling for the global, international leaders to join the change, to see the possibilities.  We can make this transition with our divine human spirit and love for life, enabled by the cry and energy of Mother Earth. We as a global community can bring forth this transformation for the sake of all life.

We implore our world leaders to be enabled to enter into a dialogue that welcomes change, that welcomes communion for Earth, that welcomes transformation, that welcomes making the hard choices and decisions for climate change action that will save the ecosystems that sustain all life here on Earth.

The WATERSPIRIT Team

The Wisdom to Survive Wednesday, January 21, 2015 2:00PM & 7:00PM

Come and Join us on 

Wednesday, January 21, 2015 

at 2:00 PM or 7:00PM 

for a screening of "The Wisdom to Survive"

 followed by a Q&A with Co-Director and Co-Producer John Ankele.

People's Climate March in NYC - Sunday September 21st

People's Climate March in NYC on Sunday, September 21st
We will be taking the train from the Long Branch train station at 8:06am (arriving at 9:46am in NYC) for the People's Climate March (PCM).  Come and join us!  For discounted train tickets from Long Branch to NYC go to this link ($20 round trip): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/long-branch-nj-train-to-the-peoples-climate-march-tickets-12733055913.

Logistics
The PCM is scheduled to begin at 11:30AM north of Columbus Circle. For details of the PCM route go to:  http://peoplesclimate.org/logistics/ .             
   
Other Transportation
If you prefer to leave from a different location closer to home, go to this link for other areas of transit (there are many!) that are being organized by the PCM, some with discounted tickets:  http://peoplesclimate.org/transportation.

For More Information
http://peoplesclimate.org/
http://greenfaith.org/resource-center/coming-events/people-of-faith-the-people2019s-climate-march
https://www.facebook.com/peoplesclimatemarch

Disruption - the Movie
To build momentum for the march and to encourage substantial attendance at the PCM, the documentary Disruption will be streaming free online this Sunday, September 7th.  Disruption is a one hour documentary about climate change and the movement towards action.
View the trailer here:  http://watchdisruption.com/.

We and our partner organizations are encouraging as many people as possible to attend the PCM and to recruit as many people as you can to attend the PCM.  As we are all well aware of, this is a critical time for the Earth community. 

Given the enormity of the march and the amount of people entering the city, we do not expect to have the ability to coordinate to meet with people in the city on that day to march along side them.  Our experience from past "marches" is that we are lucky if we can just keep together with the people we arrived with!  So we hope to hear from you that you are attending the PCM or that we will be seeing you at the Long Branch train station.

Please call or email us if you have any questions.

The WATERSPIRIT Team
732-923-9788
waterspirit@stellamaris.comcastbiz.net

Winter Solstice

May you believe in your resiliency when you are wintered.

May you have the strength you need to bear life's burdens.

May you trust the love and mystery within yourself to uphold you.

May your winter times of darkness become fruitful sources of growth,

gifts to be given to yourself and to our wounded world.

Winter Solstice

Mark your calendar 

 Winter Solstice 

Sunday, December 15 

 7:30-9:00 PM

Pause in the midst of busy holiday preparations and experience the sacred in the darkness and the coming of the light of the Winter Solstice.  Ritual darkness followed by the lighting of fire enhanced by music and liturgical dancers help all who participate to spark hope and deepen peace. 

Spirit

Spirit of God, Present in the North, the place where water is snow and ice, we greet you.  You are the Spirit of the cold and biting wind that blows across our land, that strips the Earth of all that is dead and decayed, that robs us of the false securities so easily blown away.  Teach us to plant our feet securely on the Earth and to see creation as it really is, that your coming may find us standing firm in integrity.

Your winds bring the snows of winter with their fury and their solitude.  It is you who blanket the Earth for sleep.

Strengthen us for whatever is cold and uncertain in our lives.  Help us to be faithful when the struggles are hard.  Teach us, Spirit of the North, in the silence of winter, to wait in darkness with the sleeping Earth, believing that we, like the Earth, already hold within ourselves the seeds of new life.

Sprit of God, present in the East, where the sun comes up over our Atlantic Ocean, we greet you.  You usher in the dawn with diamonds of light sparkling on the waving surf.

You promise new birth – birth of babies, birth of puppies, birth of ideas, birth of friendship.  You bring us the hope of a new day, hope that we can live in harmony with one another and with the whole community of life.

Spirit of the East, fill our bodies with your breath, bring us light, invigorate us that we might reach out boldly to grasp the miracles that come to birth with each new dawn.

Spirit of God, present in the South, with its warm, tropical waters and currents, we greet you.  You warm our oceans and nurture our land.  Your mighty rain forests breathe life into our Earth.

You are the Spirit of all that is soothing, gentle and refreshing.  We ask you to give us this spirit of growth, of fertility, of gentleness.  Caress us with a cool breeze when the days are hot.  Give us seeds and rain that the flowers, trees and fruits of the Earth may grow.  Give us the warmth of happy families and good friendships.

Oh Spirit of the South, thaw and soften our coldness and hardness that we may, like children, rejoice in the simple signs of life.

Oh Spirit of God present in the West, where water finds its home in both sparse desert plants and in the wild surf of rugged, jagged coastlines, we greet you.

We turn to you in praise of sunsets and in thanksgiving for changes.  It is by your power that the sun hangs suspended for endless moments before you catch it with your breath and carry it off into the night.

You are the great colored sunset of the red west which illuminates us.  You are the powerful cycle which pulls us to transformation.

O Spirit of the West, keep us open to life’s changes.  And guide us at the end of each day that, filled with your peace, we might rest securely in your great mystery of night until morning calls us forth again.

We greet you, Great Spirit of the Earth.  It is from you we came and from a mother; you nourish us still and give us shelter.

Teach us to walk softly on your lands, to use with care your gifts, to love with tenderness all our brothers and sisters, humans and non-human, who have been born of your goodness.

And when the day comes when you call us back to yourself, help us to return to you as a friend, to find ourselves embraced, encircled, enfolded in your arms.  Amen.

O Antiphon for Autumn

O HARVESTER OF WISDOM,

Come, Come fill us with the waters of wisdom.

Show us the beauty of aging with grace.

Prepare us for the long, dark nights.

Gather from our lives all that has potential.

O Come!

“The Mystery of Sandy”

Fri., August 2, 2013 7:30 p.m. –

Mon., August 5, 2013, 1:00 p.m.

(A light supper will be served at 5:30 p.m. on Friday)

Many of us have lived through and some may still be living through the heart wrenching experience of Sandy and its aftermath.  This experience may include anxiety, anger, frustration and even doubt about the presence of God in nature.  Are there also messages of healing and transformation in this experience?  Are we being called to a deeper understanding of ourselves and our connection with Earth and both the nurturing and destructive powers of her waters?

Come away to where water meets shore for a gentle time of hope, reconciliation and 

re-energized faith.

 Presenters/Facilitators

Suzanne Golas, csjp               Joan Carey, ssj

Registration Deadline: July 2, 2013 Cost:  $325    

Deposit: $75.00 (non-refundable)

Enjoy this special program at Stella Maris Retreat Center on the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. 

For more information call us at 732-923-9788 or email us at waterspirit@stellamaris.comcastbiz.net

Happy Earth Day!

"There is a new story waiting to be born, waiting to redeem the planet and nourish our souls. It is a story of a oneness that includes the diversity of creation in a self-sustaining whole, a story that can bring back the magic within nature that is needed to heal our damaged planet. It is a story of co-operation rather than competition or conflict. And it includes the mystery of life as well as the understanding that science can give us. It is also a new story, arising from deep within the psyche of humanity and the world soul at this moment in our and its evolution. We are not the sole creators of this story, because it is the story of life evolving, recreating itself anew, but we are needed to midwife it into existence. As with all births it needs to come from the inner to the outer world."   ~ Llewllyn Vaughn-Lee

Please join us for 

FRACKING, THE FOODOPOLY AND OUR FUTURE 

(WATERSPIRIT is on the Host Committee!)

Thursday, April 4 at 7PM

Reception with light hors d'oeuvres begins at 6PM

Two River Theater

 21 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, NJ 07701

Join Food & Water Watch for a panel discussion featuring experts on energy policy and our food system to understand how the rush for natural gas development and the deterioration of our food system are intricately linked together.

Panelists:

Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food & Water Watch and Foodopoly author 

Dean Nelson, Dean's Natural Food Market 

J. Stephen Cleghorn, PhD, Paradise Gardens and Farm, LLC 

Cindy Zipf, Executive Director of Clean Ocean Action

Free & Open to the Public!

Sign up here!

For more information contact us or Emily Reuman at 978-844-2164 or email ereuman@fwwatch.org

The WATERSPIRIT Team 

Fracking Waste Ban Bill Lobby Day - March 21, 2013

 We reached over 30 legislators from both sides of the aisle asking to protect our waterways from toxic fracking waste 6 months after the Governor vetoed the bill. Here we are with Assemblyman McKeon who has been a leader on this issue.  Thank you to Kate Millsaps and the NJ Sierra Club for organizing this day!

Lobby Day in Trenton on Thursday, March 21 

Come to Trenton this Thursday, March 21, to advocate for clean safe water in NJ.  We will be joining with our coalition partners to advocate for an override vote of Governor Christie's veto of the Ban Fracking Waste Bill.  We are only six votes short, and will be contacting nine Assembly Members who either voted yes or abstained on the original vote.  Come to Trenton if you can!  We need as many people as possible!

Sign up here:   http://frackingwaste.eventbrite.com/

Healing Energies of Spring

Spring Equinox

Sunday, March 10, 2013

7:30-9:00 PM

Stella Maris Retreat Center

Join WATERSPIRIT

as we anticipate the coming of Spring, a time for renewal of life within ourselves and within Earth.  For many, "Superstorm Sandy" has sapped energy and hope.  In the midst of reality, we tap into Spring's possibilities for healing energy.  Musician Dorothy Sikora will enhance our reflection with the healing tones of Crystal Bowls and the melody of the harp.

Forward on Climate Rally Washington DC

1. 

   
   

   We joined 40,000+ people at the Forward on Climate Rally on February 17th in Washington DC. We traveled with a great group of people (A bus of 55!)  and enjoyed advocating for Earth at our nations capital. Big thanks to all who participated - we enjoyed hearing all of the speakers - especially the ones who reminded us that we are all interconnected and how important clean water is for all of life.  

   
   

   A special thanks for the hundreds of organizations that joined together to make this possible - especially the two main organizers - Sierra Club & 350.org.

   
   

   Forward on Climate!

Join us TODAY FRIDAY JANUARY 25

 in a National Advocacy Effort

 for Water and Earth.

Today is National Call-In Day to the President.

Please call him NOW at 1-888-660-2594

 (or 1-866-946-1451) 

Tell him " Fracking threatens the air we breath, the water we drink, the communities we love and the climate on which we all depend. Don't pursue policies that promote fracking and the export of natural gas. We need to ban fracking now."

Here is the link for the facebook page should you want to share it:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=248324935301034&set=a.230216623778532.59110.227645514035643&type=1&theater

Happy New Year Everyone!

"Although the time we have been on the planet is insignificant in the context of life of the planet itself, we have reached a defining moment in our story. 

Let us remember that, whoever we are, we all have our part to play, our sacred responsibility to the future. And let us remember that our responsibility grows alongside our privileges... 

Our successes or failures, personal and collective, determine the future of the planet." 

- Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew

Our partners Clean Ocean Action

have organized a massive volunteer day
for those impacted by Hurricane Sandy for this

Saturday, December 8.  

Go to the below website for more information on the numerous projects

they are organizing throughout New Jersey and New York. 

Go Clean Ocean Action!

http://fortheshore.org/

Come, enter the mystery of the Winter Solstice. 

Together, let us await Earth's turning toward the Sun. 

As the days begin to grow longer, take some quiet time to reflect. 

 Through song, readings,

and the grace of liturgical dancers,

explore the meaning of darkness and light in your life

and the life of Earth.

"Winter Solstice" 

Sunday, December 16, 2012 

7:30 - 9:00 PM

WATERSPIRIT at Stella Maris Retreat Center

Please call us or email us

to let us know you are coming:
732-923-9788
waterspirit@stellamaris.comcastbiz.net