Education Resources
Education to make JPIC Activity mainstream within the Australian Church:
1) Inviting International JPIC Speakers to Australia
Father Sean McDonagh will be speaking on church responses to the extinction of species crisis worldwide under the title The Death of Life: The Horror of Extinction. His schedule in Australia will include:
2) Supporting Australian Church Groups working for JPIC aims
- Catholic Earthcare Australia: The initial meeting of CEA took place at the Columban College, and ongoing support continues. This includes preparation of a working document for the Climate Change Conference, Canberra, 18-20 November www.catholicearthcareoz.net [archived document available post 20 November]
- Lecturing to Groups: Renewal Programs for Religious; CEO in-service days for teachers; Parish based Social Justice Groups; Church agencies such as Caritas Australia or Catholic Mission … [archived outlines of presentations on Eco-Spiriuality, Evangelisation and Environmental, Climate Change etc]
3) Encouraging Catholic Communities to cooperate with Secular Green Groups
- Nature Conservation Council NSW (NCCnsw)– The Council is developing Education resources. A new website and offering skills-development workshops are two major resources being developed. These will be available not only to members of NCCnsw but to community and church groups, schools and individuals. www.nccnsw.org.au
- Food First – The Bentleigh Catholic community and a local group are campaigning for Safe Food. In particular they target supermarket labelling. Good support has been given by the True Food environmental group. www.foodfirst.org.au
4) Care for Earth
- 1990 New Year Message of John Paul II Peace with God the Creator, Peace with all Creation "Christians, in particular, realize that their responsibility within creation and their duty towards nature and the Creator are an essential part of their faith", and in a General Audience 17 January 2001: “If we scan the regions of our planet, we immediately see that humanity has disappointed God's expectations …” http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/index.htm go to John Paul II, Messages, Peace 1990.
- The 1992 Catechism of the Catholic Church promotes respect for Earth as a grave matter. Bishops Conferences and bishops around the world have published extensively on Environmental issues. Vatican site; www.catholicconservation.org [cf collection of Catechism Quotes on Environment by C Rue]
- Social Justice Sunday Statements originating with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference were published in 1991 and 2002. That year, the Conference established a permanent commission to address Earth issues in an ongoing way. ACSJC web; and www.catholicearthcareoz.net
- Sean McDonagh - Since the 1980s Father Sean McDonagh has published 10 books drawing attention to care for Earth, the role of international companies in the rape of Earth, the risk to world food security posed by the collusion of agri-chemical companies, genetic engineering and the extinction of species. www.columban.com
