When the call came in, we answered: “Yes!”
On Saturday, June 10, a group of young people from 18 to 35 years of age on a pilgrimage throughout Montreal, expressed the desire to visit the heart of Marguerite Bourgeoys and the Mother house chapel. How could we possibly refuse welcoming them for a moment of reflection and sharing?
On Sunday, June 11, about fifteen CND sisters attended a Mass at Marguerite- Bourgeoys Parish in honour of the parish’s patron saint, our holy foundress. The church was completely filled; the children’s choir, well directed; the parish priest, enthusiastic; and the young families, devoted. All this demonstrated that Christ lives in our world.
Our thanks to Sister Sophie Mbougoum, who played a fille du Roy, and to Sister Violaine Paradis, in the role of Marguerite Bourgeoys, for having led the interactive conference from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Photo from J Hanrahan, CND’s Testimony before Congressman Ranking Member Raul Grijalva of the US House of Representatives Committee of Natural Resources Public Forum held in Big Stone Gap, Virginia June 10, 2017. (Photo, courtesy of Congressman’s Grijalva’s Office.)
The Forum was on the impacts of Mountain Top Removal Coal Mining in the Central Appalachian Region. Along with her remarks, Sr. Hanrahan formally submitted into the record the two Church documents, "Laudato Si" (June 2015) and "The Third Appalachian Pastoral: The telling Takes Us Home" (Dec. 2015). Both these documents are also constituent voices along with all the voices of our region. "Laudato Si", from the Church’s magisterium speaks with love for all in our Common Home. "The Telling Takes Us Home", is from the magisterium of the poor. It speaks with the authority of a voice form the oldest mountains on Earth, holding mountain communities of created subjects who have survived already two extinctions. These two letters acknowledge a practical wisdom that affirms the science on climate change and goes beyond climate change to acknowledge that wealthy high consuming nations, and wealthy consuming entities in our own nation are the prime drivers of change in Earth Systems. The work of Congress must resist the influence of PAC money to promote only profit. Rather the oversight of the Natural Resource Committee must require both an integration of environmental science and religion, and recognize that good politics must include the awareness of a planetary stewardship as a necessary foundation of our economic systems. “Business as usual” is not sustainable transformation. Our aim for Congressman Grijalva’s committee is for zero emissions from fossil fuels and investment in renewables particularly in the coalfields.