Year of Grace June 2012

Co-ordinator’s Comments

I love the word “grace”. It denotes gift and gratitude for

which I thank God. One of my favourite Pauline

passages is: I always thank my God for you because of

God’s grace given you in Christ Jesus. 1Cor: 1:4 God’s

grace is all inclusive, non-judgmental and forgiving. It

makes each new day like a new awakening to the

possibilities of LIFE if we are open to using all of our

senses for experiencing it. The problem is that many of

us are so caught up in ourselves that we can be blind and

deaf to God’s grace at work in us and around us. In this

issue Charles Rue alerts us to the gift of God’s grace in

ALL creation. We also share items which highlight our

gratitude for the gift of those with whom we work in

peace, ecology and justice awareness-raising, education

and advocacy. We are truly blessed to able to co-operate

with such committed people. Anne Lanyon

What we’ve been up to

Growing a Culture of Peace Formation Program:

Connecting Peace, Ecology and Justice.

On May 8th

and 29th

nine teachers completed this

program designed by the PEJ Centre team to

specifically make the links between peace, ecology

and justice. (See over page)

10th

Anniversary of Catholic Earthcare Australia

May 9th Fr Charles Rue and Anne Lanyon attended

the Anniversary dinner of Catholic Earthcare

Australia. The dinner was preceded by a mass led by

Archbishop Adrian Doyle in the presence of members

of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

Archbishop Philip Wilson launched Fr Denis

Edwards’ new book, Jesus and the Natural World.

www.catholicearthcare.org.au

Frs Brian Gore and Charles Rue of the Centre for

Peace, Ecology and Justice were involved in the early

formation of Catholic Earthcare Australia. Several

planning sessions were held at the Columban Mission

Institute when it was at North Turramurra.

Conducting Lectures and Workshops The following are a sample:

• March 26th

Presentation on Catholic Social

Teaching and Asylum Seekers to

parishioners of Frenchs Forest (Jack

Evans),

• April 17-19th

Lecture and tutorials to students of Religious Education at ACU

(Jack Evans and Anne Lanyon),

• Presentation on Chocolate labour issues to

the Mercy Action Group at Monte Sant’

Angelo College, North Sydney (Anne

Lanyon)

.

Archbishop Bathersby, Peter Garrett, Christine

Milne and Michael Costigan 2001

Grace and Education

To paraphrase the words attributed to Oscar Romero,

We in PEJ cannot do everything and there is a sense

of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do

something, with the help and partnership of others. It

may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along

the way, an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and

do the rest.

The Growing a Culture of Peace Formation program held in May was a partnership with the

Catholic Education Office, Archdiocese of Sydney

Eastern Region, in particular the Senior Religious

Education Advisor, Mr Chris Hopkins. The

presenters were Fr Jack Evans, Fr Charles Rue, Sr

Kateia Kaikai from the PEJ Centre and Luke Tobin

from St Scholastica’s College, Glebe. The facilitator

was Anne Lanyon. Because there is so much pressure

on teachers in the crowded curriculum, it is a

challenge to help schools to see that education for

peace, ecology and justice is not an extra burden. It is

a way of seeing and being that should come through

in their existing programs. Forty two people have

now completed the program and we trust that a

network of committed teachers is implementing their

new insights in their schools.

Training for Transformation is an education model

for community change based on the methodology of

Paulo Friere. It is being run by The Grail movement

for those concerned with the process of transforming

society for the empowerment of the poor and the

care of the natural world. Anne Lanyon and Kateia

Kaikai are participating and have completed

sessions on Mobilising the Grassroots, learning

about finding generative community themes and

strategic questioning. Contact The Grail at Tel: 02

9955 3053, Email: grailsydney@ozemail.com.au

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlm7GUbZ4W8

The Gifts of the Universe: Living into

Gratefulness. Anne Lanyon attended a three day

seminar by Larry Edwards which was put on by the

NSW Congregation of Religious Leaders and

Earthkin. Larry is a scientist from the USA with

knowledge about the chemistry of photosynthesis.

He spends much of his time teaching about the

history of the Universe. This 14.7 billion year story is

our new creation story, our new understanding of who

we are, where we are, how we came to be, and what

our role has been and must be within the greater

community of Earth life. It is interesting to note that

Belgian priest, Fr Georges Lemaitre is accredited with

proposing the Big Bang Theory. (See the documentary

“The Father of the Big Bang

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01jmtxt/Father_of_th

e_Big_Bang/

Science has given us the gift of knowing the history of

the universe of which we are just one minuscule part.

This discovery leads us to wonder at the unfolding

story of its immensity, its intricacy, its diversity and at

the mystery of its Creator. (See

www.journeyoftheuniverse.org/ )

Keep War From Our Door, Wave of Hope

Science is also being used for profit and power by

developing tools of domination, death and

destruction. The PEJ Centre has joined a network

committed to presenting an alternative to Australia’s

support for the USA military machine and its

presence on Australian soil. Charles Rue attended

the launch of this network at Parliament House. One

of the key concerns is the growth in the use of

drones – killing by remote control. Find out more at

http://www.keepwarfromourdoor.org/ or contact the

Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies

http://sydney.edu.au/arts/peace_conflict/research/ind

ex.shtml

Anne Lanyon

Grace and Earth

Love Earth Do you love me was the question the risen

Jesus three times put to Peter. In this time of massive

ecological destruction Jesus might re-phrase the

question to us: Do you love me in my gift of Earth?

Grace is God’s Life In the 1960s, the study of the

Grace Tract in seminaries was revolutionised. Rejected

were divisions between active, sanctifying grace etc

where grace was imaged in functional, mechanical and

measurable terms. Refreshingly, theologian Peter

Fransen wrote of grace as the presence of God, the very

life of God relating to us and where we live. All grace is

one and God’s Life is its essence.

Grace is pure Gift This phrase has great resonance

with Nature as gift. Joseph Sittler connected God’s

grace and ecology in this writings over decades.

www.josephsittler.org/biography/ Calling God

“Creator” recognises the earth’s diversity as gifts – the

air we breathe, the water we drink, the fruits we eat, the

beauty we enjoy. These are pure gift, not earned or

created. As conscious beings we give thanks for them,

do them no harm and care for them where we are, as

embodiments of the Giver’s love.

Earth Altar The stories we can tell about the grace of

God are changing. While we rightly give thanks for the

grace of family and belonging within a community, we

see a bigger picture of belonging within the total earth

community which nourishes us.

Our minds have been stretched by geographers and

ecological scientists to place ourselves within an ever

widening array of complex blessings. No wonder

Tielhard de Chardin said we were called to offer our

Eucharist on the altar of the world, a phrase taken up by

Pope John Paul II as Father Denis Edward’s recent

book, “Jesus and the Natural World”, reminds us.

Grace and Sin Interpretations of the teachings of St

Augustine on grace has often put an emphasis on sin,

original sin in particular. It led many to be fearful of

the body and the earthiness of human existence that it

represents. (cf. ACR ‘Gratuity of Creation’, Oct 2011

PP. 462-477) A positive story about our earthy

belonging would be dangerous if it fell into

romanticism but neither can we fly from growing

‘earth’ into our evolving Christian story.

www.earthcommunity.org

Earth Story Ecological science tells of the realities of

nature’s systems, the harsh as well as the beautiful.

Teaching on sin, Pope John Paul II in 1984 expanded

our ethical frame beyond the individual as he taught

about structures of sin. Systematic abuse of earth’s

gifts is an example. He later warned that super-

development and economic systems that support it can

be sinful, abusing both the earth and the peoples that

depend on the earth. Structural ecological sins are now

part of Church teaching.

Earth Redeemed St Paul in Romans logically argued

on the freely given gifts of God. As Jesus disciples we

know that we cannot earn the life of God flowing

within us. It is gift. Further, in Ch. 8 Paul writes that

all creation manifests that giftedness as it too waits to

be freed in the Risen Lord, a freedom integral to the

Resurrection. At WYD Sydney, Pope Benedict said

that theologies of Resurrection and Creation have

grown apart in recent times and need to be

reconnected. www.columban.org.au/our-works/JPIC-

Justice-Peace-Integrity-of-Creation/climate-change/

Grace and Harmony We now know that it is evil to

despoil God’s gift of an earth graced with dynamic

harmony – not too hot, not too cold – and divert it

from God’s purpose. Just as we commit ourselves to

action on averting the worst consequences of Climate

Change reveals our moral and spiritual stance on the

breadth of God’s grace.

Grace and Freedom One of the great ironies of our

belief is that grace confers freedom. It is not

deterministic. Humans are free to choose a path that

leads to death, even death of life on earth as humanity

has known it. Ecologists tell us that earth will survive

but most humans may not if they do not change from a

lifestyle of fossil fuel dependence. Grace is a two

edged sword. We can embrace the very Life of God

present in nature or reject it. Charles Rue

Grace and Justice for the Poor and the Earth

We give thanks for and join with the inspired people and

organizations who act from a sense of compassion and

justice when people are oppressed and nature under threat.

Stop Debt Vulture Campaign With Jubilee Australia, we

prepared church resources for Jubilee Sunday, May 20th.

This and background material on the issue of debt vultures

was sent to Religious Congregations and Catholic High

Schools across Australia. www.columban.org.au Many

have sent cards to their MPs. Jubilee Australia is in

Canberra as this goes to press lobbying for the anti-debt-

vulture bill to be passed. The motion is being presented in

the Upper House this week. We urge you to contact your

MP to support the motion when it is presented in the Lower

House, hopefully in a few weeks. Their contact details are

at www.aph.gov.au See http://stopdebtvultures.org.au/

for more information.

Chocolate and Fair Trade We published an article to

promote fairly traded Easter eggs. We discovered that there

are plenty of opportunities to pester the supermarkets to

actually stock Fair Trade Easter eggs next Easter. So if you

want to get involved, in the latter part of 2012 when they

are ordering, just ask the supermarket manager to order

Fair Trade Easter eggs. Pester power works – we joined

those who wrote to Ferrero Rocher to go Fair Trade. After

refusing they have now agreed.

Tax Justice Network Tax is essential for good

government, yet tax havens are allowed to continue. It is

estimated that 50% of world trade passes through 70 tax

havens. It is a major reason why the gap between the rich

and poor is growing. We have joined the Australian Tax

Justice Network, part of the global Tax Justice Network

www.taxjustice.net The Australian Government is

supportive of combating illicit money flows. We have

supported the TJN letters to the Finance Minister to push

this agenda at the G20 meetings currently under way in

Mexico.

Inquiry Into Australia’s Export Credit Arrangements

In March, Carmelan Polce, Deputy Director of Jubilee

Australia, fronted the Productivity Commission Inquiry

into the Export Finance and Insurance Agency (EFIC).

This came about because of Jubilee Australia’s research

into export credit and mining. The report, Risky Business,

shone a light on EFIC and the Australian Government that

had never been shone before. This small band of talented

people is managing to draw attention to unjust government

and business practices and bring about change. Anne

Lanyon is on the board of Jubilee Australia in the role of

community outreach. Jubilee needs your support.

www.jubileeaustralia.org.au

Publish What You Pay Another aspect of global

justice is the need for extractive industries (mining,

fishing and logging companies) to disclose what they

pay foreign governments for access to their

resources. We are members of the Publish What You

Pay Australia which advocates a) for companies

listed on the stock exchange to disclose such

payments. In the US this is occurring and is known as

the Dodds- Frank Act, b) for the Australian

implementation of the global Extractive Industries

Initiative. For more information see

www.publishwhatyoupay.org/

Faith and Financial Ethics Anne Lanyon attended

an interfaith session hosted by the Wahroonga

Quakers on ethical finance underpinned by social

justice. Mr Chaaban Omran spoke about Islamic

banking and investment. Phil Jones from Jubilee

Australia spoke about changes needed to the Bretton

Woods institutions. Stephen Newnham spoke about

Australian Ethical Investment which uses

environmental, social and governance guidelines in

its investments.

Other Advocacy Anne Lanyon and Sr Kateia Kaikai

have been active on the following issues:

The US backed naval base in Gangjeong, Jeju To

support Fr Patrick Cunningham who was protesting

this action in South Korea, we published an article in

the Columban E-News and wrote to the Korean

Ambassador, the President of South Korea and the

Governor of Jeju. http://savejejnow.org

Hunting in NSW National Parks Anne Lanyon

attended a rally outside Parliament House protesting

the NSW Government’s outrageous decision to allow

hunters into parks and reserves. www.nccnsw.org.au

Proposed mining in Ben Bullen State Forest We

wrote to the NSW Department of Planning and

Infrastructure and the Minister for the Environment

to object to Coalpac’s project for an open cut mine

which would damage the most amazing stone pagoda

natural formations. www.colongwilderness.org.au

Trans Pac Free Trade Agreement. We wrote to the

Minister for Trade asking him to not give into US

demands on issues that are vital to Australia’s people

and environment. www.aftinet.org.au

Anne Lanyon