World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5. “Only One Earth” was the slogan for the 1972 Stockholm Conference; 50 years on, this truth still holds – this planet is our only home. With nature in emergency mode, the Only One Earth campaign for World Environment Day 2022, wants you to celebrate the planet through collective environmental action. Only One Earth advocates for transformative environmental change on a global scale. The campaign shines a spotlight on climate action, nature action and pollution action while encouraging everyone, everywhere to live sustainably. GOD’s CHILDREN By Rosemary Albon, ibvm There is a story to be told about God, Earth, Children and their children’s children. Out of Good, God birthed Earth. God laughed, clapped and danced with joy. And all the children laughed, clapped and danced with joy. The children played gleefully in Earth’s messy mud and splashes covered their hands and feet. And all the children laughed, clapped, and danced with joy. Until one day, the mud dried up and cracked hard beneath their feet. And the children cried and hid in fear. Then the children played hide and seek in the rain forest and sang sweet songs. And all the children laughed, clapped and danced with joy. Until the fires came. And the children cried and hid in fear. Then the children looked up to the blue sky and named the clouds drifting above. And all the children laughed, clapped, and danced with joy. Until one day, came the grey in the air. And all the children cried and hid in fear. Then early one morning, God’s wisdom touched and embraced Earth. And all the people began to shout: “No more To save our children Can we not change our lives?” And God clasped all the children and they laughed, clapped and danced with joy. Take Action Support the fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, which calls for no new fossil fuel infrastructure, the protection of indigenous rights, and a just transition to clean energy for all. Sent letters to your Member of Parliament holding Canadian Mining companies accountable for how they conduct their business in the global south. Sample letters to follow

“Today is the Church’s birthday ... the most brilliant feast in the liturgical cycle. If there is ever some time when the feast of the Holy Spirit takes on an element of urgency, then I believe that time is now when we experience so much confusion, so many false voices of redemption, so much materialism and selfishness, so much hatred and violence. It is a wonderful time to experience a longing for freedom, for justice and for truth ... a profound desire of the human person that can only be filled by the Spirit of God who ... fills the emptiness.” (St Oscar Romero, Homily 1979) The more contemporary writer, Anthony Gittens, (A Presence That Disturbs, 2017) expands on Romero: “It has been suggested that the history of Christianity can be largely read as tales of defeats of the Holy Spirit. Triumphalism, imperialism, the use of force and fear are not what God’s Spirit had in mind. The Spirit is trying to break through ... but humanity is muzzling the Spirit as we resist the cries of the poor, blame victims, justify our own comforts and separate the “us” and the “them”. He says that the Spirit wants to instill in us a hunger and thirst for justice that will stimulate us to disturb the status quo by fighting for the transformation of our unjust world, the restoration of human dignity for all and hope in a better future. The Holy Spirit comes to instill resolve in human hearts. Gittens then asks: “Where are the indications in our time that the Holy Spirit is trying to make all things new? Does God’s Spirit seem to inspire or animate any institutions that we know?” In the Church, is Pope Francis in his words and example and especially his encyclicals Laudato Si! and Fratelli Tutti and in his promotion of “synodality”, an instrument of the Holy Spirit? In society, is the United Nations Agenda 2030 and its action plan expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals, an instrument of the Holy Spirit? Is this true of other organizations like the Laudato Si! Movement? Are they not advocating for “a renewal of the face of the earth”? Are we promoting them? For us Ontarians, as we approach the Provincial election in June, is there any political party that we can trust to address the issues that have always been there but have been made more visible by the COVID pandemic? Among the vying Political Parties, which one seems to offer the best prospect for new life arising from the current crisis? We hear people saying that there is no sense in voting but our vote DOES matter because it can turn our Members of Parliament and hence our Government toward greater justice. The Catholic Charities’ 2019 election guide “For Heaven’s Sake Vote” is worth a look. As we celebrate Pentecost, let us be open to this “presence that disturbs”. For Gittens “the Holy Spirit is Jesus’ promised legacy to the Church, invisible to all but those with the eyes of faith, silent to all but those who listen attentively and overlooked by all but those who live in hope.” For Romero “At Pentecost, the glorified Christ, the Spirit of God, comes to the people who want to follow Him. The Holy Spirit makes the Church a new creation, renews the actual world and fills the hearts of the faithful.” If Christianity must be caught rather than just taught, can we spread it as easily as we spread COVID?

The weeklong global event will mark the seventh anniversary of Pope Francis' landmark encyclical on creation care and unite the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics to listen and respond to the cry of God’s creation. Catholics will rejoice in the progress we have made in bringing Laudato Si' to life, and intensify our efforts through the Vatican’s new Laudato Si' Action Platform. Each day of the week will be highlighted by a global event held in-person, online, or a combination of the two. The events will lift up Catholic teaching on biodiversity, responding to the cry of the poor, divestment, education, and eco-spirituality. Join an event Download reflections for Laudato Si' Week

A commitment for all

Prayers and intentions for May and June 2022

Everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable Earth Day 2022 - April 22, 2022 - is focused on pushing forward solutions to combat our greatest threat, climate change, and to activate everyone to do their part. We need to act (boldly), innovate (broadly), and implement (equitably). It’s going to take all of us. All in. Businesses, governments, and citizens — everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. A partnership for the planet. Let us Pray "Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure." To succeed we must combine heart and mind in effective action. Let us first consider the following: In order to come together in care for our planet we must respect and care about one another. People of all creeds and persuasions find agreement in the three most important words in human history, “Love One Another." They were uttered by Jesus, the man most recognized in history as wise and good. Heartfelt love, faith and prayer are increasing around the world. While great differences exist in creeds and social issues, more and more people are finding common ground. There is growing awareness that we are one human family and must now take charge and take care of our planet. We can and must now come together where we agree – leaving room for differences on matters where we don't agree. And in the words of Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmentalist, political activist, and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Loreto alumna: We are called to assist the earth to heal her wounds and, in the process, heal our own – indeed, to embrace the whole creation in all its diversity, beauty, and wonder. Watch A Prayer for the Earth – based on Laudato Si Prayer Learn more

Praise God! Christ is Risen! Seek God’s house in happy throng; Crowded let His table be; Mingle praises, prayer and song, Singing to the Trinity. Henceforth let your souls always Make each morn an Easter Day. Poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins 1844 - 1889 Let us celebrate Easter and welcome a beautiful spring ahead. May God fill our world with peace, hope, and love. Warmest Easter blessings from our Sisters and Associates

Psalm 22 All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; ‘Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver— let him rescue the one in whom he delights!’ For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shrivelled; I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me; they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid! The King of Glory Comes A Palm Sunday Prayer Let us enter the city of God today, And shout hosanna to our King. Let us join the walk toward freedom, And follow Christ's path to wholeness. Let our hearts ache For justice and mercy. And weep For peace and freedom. Let us turn our backs on the powers that grasp for control, And follow the one who brings life. Let us walk in solidarity with the abandoned and the oppressed and welcome the broken and the sick. Let us touch and see, as God draws near, Riding in triumph towards the Cross. Christine Sine The Servant Song No Greater Love

A commitment for all

Psalm 126 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. Holy is His Name - Talbot

Labour trafficking includes forced and child labour. It means a service offered by a person who acts under obligation and in circumstances that could be dangerous to his/her own life or the life of a relative or close person. 67% of the victims of labour trafficking are men, and 14% are women. One in four victims of modern slavery is a child.