The old psalms, with some renovation, can be voices of lament over climate change, pandemics, extinctions and other scourges whipping on Earth. They can also inspire thanksgiving. We’ll use the psalms to open our eyes, minds and hearts.
Restor(y)ing Creation: a good-night story for Earth Day Eve Wednesday nights, 7:00 p.m. EST (1 hr. + Q&A) Fr. Kennedy SJ will present on the meaning of Earth day and draw from his book Reupholstered Psalms: Ancient Songs Sung New. Experience an illustrated, ecological parable that explores the places of activism and faithful trust in …
Jesuits of Canada Spring Series, with Fr. Gregory Kennedy PhD Read More »
One of the good things about technology is that it enabled me to see Br. Paul Desmarais, SJ, and hear his laughter all the way from Zambia. Books on agriculture (academic or otherwise) were stacked from his desk to his bookcase and everywhere in between. It was against this backdrop that he described how …
Brother Paul Desmarais: Sowing the Seeds of Knowledge Read More »
“Sometimes I find it hard to look at the deforested mountains in some departments,” says Br. Marcel Charélus, SJ, director of the Centre de Spiritualité Pierre-Favre in Port-au-Prince. Fortunately, Haitian Jesuits such as Br. Marcel and Br. Mathurin Charlot, SJ, are involved in some reforestation projects. The latter, an agricultural technician and one of the oldest Jesuits in Haiti, works in the Artibonite Department with the Project to Support Reforestation and Agricultural Development (PAREDA). Br. Marcel describes their …
The Ministry of Fresh Mangoes, Meaty Coconuts and the Shade of Trees Read More »
After months of being under lockdown in Montreal, I was happy to go to Ferme Berthe-Rousseau, an organization located on forty acres of land in Durham-Sud whose mission is to welcome and provide accommodation to people living in difficult circumstances. Marie-Ève Barbeau, one of the persons in charge, received me with the joy and passion that were already apparent when we spoke on the phone. Although the farm is nondenominational, it is in fact part …
Cultivating Land and Soul: The Work of the Ferme Berthe-Rousseau Read More »
“The best week of my life was spent on a canoe-camping trip with the Pioneer Scout. We paddled a hundred kilometers, we only had five minutes of rain, and it was extraordinary,” said Brother Bernard Hudon, a Jesuit from Quebec, after I had asked him to share some of the moments of deepest consolation that …
“The Indigenous peoples of the Amazon can help us to move forward on the path of spiritual growth,” says Jean-Claude Ravet, former editor-in-chief of Relations and now an interim member of the editorial team, commenting on the latest issue of the journal. The idea for this issue, entitled “In Defense of the Amazon and Its …
Saving Our Common Home: Relations Highlights the Wisdom of the Amazon and Its Peoples Read More »
Photos/Ignatius Jesuit Center The Ignatius Old-Growth Forest Project is one of the ministries of the Ignatius Jesuit Center in Guelph Ontario. It consists of nearly 100 protected acres of trails, forests, meadows, wetlands, and waterways that are home to a rich biodiversity of plant and animal life. The project encourages the sharing of the sacredness of …
The Support Group for Rural Development (GADRU) is a nonprofit organization founded on November 16, 1992, by Fr. Jean-Marie Louis, SJ, not only to oversee and promote the rights of those living in rural communities but also to participate in the construction of an inclusive, fair, and democratic society. According to GADRU’s founding philosophy, the …
Multidimensional Development: Empowering Haiti’s Rural Communities Read More »