Catholic Climate Ambassadors in USA

In December, the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change trained their first “Catholic Climate Ambassadors”. They are leaders from around the country who will reach out, educate and empower people in their local dioceses, parishes, schools, and religious communities to be engaged in this critical issue. They will provide a uniquely Catholic perspective and pay particular attention to the im- pacts of climate change on people in poverty in the U.S. and around the world.


The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change was launched in 2006 to help the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic community ad- dress issues related to climate change. The Coalition is comprised of over ten national Catholic organisations in the United States, including the bishops’ con- ference, Caritas members Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA, and men and women religious leadership conferences.


In order to expand the reach of the Coalition and its members, an ambitious pro- gramme of training 25 Catholic leaders from around the country to engage Catholics at the local, state and regional levels was launched in the summer. Over fifty applicants applied. Twelve were trained in December. A second training is scheduled in March 2011.


The ambassadors will give talks on climate change in their local Catholic commu- nities and help to grow a network of people willing to be engaged in advocacy, education and prayer. In addition the ambassadors will promote the Catholic Cli- mate Covenant and St. Francis Pledge as a key tool enabling Catholics to live out their call to be stewards of God’s creation.

The weekend training enabled the trainees to gain a familiarity with Catholic teaching on the environment and climate justice. Science and theology were brought together while weaving in illustrative stories of communities impacted by the changes in cli- mate from around the world. At the end of the two days, the trainees were asked to develop an outline for their own presentation on climate change which the group eval- uated and provided suggestions.
The ambassadors come from a variety of backgrounds, including a university profes- sor, women from religious communities, a retired chemist, a union organiser, a cardi- ologist, a non-profit leader, a hospital chaplain, and an adult and youth religious educator. They are from all over the United States. Each is seen as a leader in their local community and have ready access for speaking venues. The Coalition will pro- vide marketing, educational, and resource support as they go forward. Webinars are planned to further educate the ambassadors in such areas as Catholic social and moral teaching and advocacy.


In the absence of comprehensive climate change legislation this year and to provide Catholics with a voice from their own community on climate change, the Ambassador programme is an opportunity to advance understanding and awareness.


For more information please visit the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change website at
http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/about-us/catholic-climate-ambassadors/ 

Hearing on Marcellus Shale

This is a testimonial account from Sister Mary Elizabeth Clark on September 28, 2010 about the drilling for gas in Marcellus Shale.

My name is Sister Mary Elizabeth Clark, a Sister of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia. I am director of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center in Chestnut Hill. I am also Special Assistant to the President for Sustainability of Chestnut Hill College and a Board Member of Genesis Farm in Blairstown, NJ.


For the past eleven years, our Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph have had a com- mitment to the issue of Sustainability of our Planet Earth with special attention to the issue of water.


As a result, we have educated and advocated about the respectful treatment of water. The issue of drilling for gas in the Marcellus Shale region of PA has serious moral consequences and thus for this reason is a concern of ours.


I urge you as our immediate representatives in City Council to insist that the ethical standards of purification of our drinking water be enforced on any possible contami- nants from the drilling. There ought to be a moratorium on drilling until it has been shown to be absolutely safe for the Delaware River the source of our drinking water. This is only one of the issues that threaten our Planet caused by the potential drilling. Another issue such as deforestation is also a major concern.


Legislation prior to the actual drilling for gas in the Marcellus Shale region of PA ought to include investigation into the health-related effects of any toxic chemicals or radio active ingredients resulting from the drilling and then entering the Delaware River.


In addition, when researching the components of hydraulic fracturing fluids that may seep into the ground water investigations by the DEP ought not to be funded by any money coming from vested interests in the profit of the drilling. The ethical implica- tions of political gain or profit by individuals must be examined by those creating legis- lation to protect the health of PA watersheds. Every means available for honest investigation ought to be employed by the State legislature. As members of our City Council, you are in a prime position to call for this ethical behavior. 

Dr. Vandana Shiva Visits

Dr. Vandana Shiva from India visited Philadelphia on July 14 to speak at a program hosted by the Academy of Natural Sciences. Dr. Shiva spoke of the significant changes in agriculture brought on by genetically modified seeds. She encouraged Gardens of Hope and Seed Saving Sanctuaries. Her center in India, called Nav- danya, is a program of the Research Foundation for sci- ence, technology and ecology, a participatory research initiative she founded. In 1984 the violence of the Punjab and the Bhopal tragedy demanded a paradigm shift in the practice of agriculture. Navdanya was born of the search for non-violent farming, which protects biodiver- sity, Earth, and small farmers. Navdanya fights against patents on seeds and plants and stands for seed sover- eignty, people's right to food and water security. 

Dedication Ceremony

Here are some photos of the dedication ceremony that took place in June 2012 at the new location at Chestnut Hill College.

Sacred Earth: Spirituality and Sustainability Conference

Dates: June 11 to 13, 2010

"Both education and religion need to ground themselves within the story of the universe as we now know it through our empirical ways of knowing. Within this functional cosmology we can overcome our alienation and begin the renewal of life on a sustainable basis....We might reflect that a fourfold wisdom is available to guide us into the future: the wisdom of indigenous peoples, the wisdom of women, the wisdom of the classical traditions, and the wisdom of science"

Thomas Berry, The Great Work (1999)

Conference sponsored by Chestnut Hill College School of Graduate Studies, the Holistic Spirituality Program, and the Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center and with support from the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.

The conference was held at Sugarloaf Hill, at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. Our Friday night keynote speaker was Miriam Therese MacGillis, OP, co-founder of Genesis Farm.Program Schedule (.pdf) 


Related Links:
School of Graduate Studies, Chestnut Hill College
Genesis Farm
Holistic Spirituality Program at Chestnut Hill College
Lenape Nation
Sisters of Saint Joseph Commission for JusticeThe Shalom Center

Sister Clark Appointed as President Assistant at Chestnut Hill College

Sister Mary Elizabeth Clark, Director of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center, has been appointed to the position of Special Assistant to the President for Sustainability of Chestnut Hill College. The appointment was announced by Sister Carol Jean Vale, President of Chestnut Hill College on March 10, 2010, at the Chestnut Hill College In- service Day for Deepening of the Core Values of the College, at which the value high- lighted was “Concern for Earth.”