PRAYER - STUDY - ACTION
PAX CHRISTI SAN ANTONIO April 2023
Our Collective Amnesia About Nuclear Waste
Pax Christi TX Quarterly Social Justice Forum
Thursday, April 13, 2023 at 7:00 pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84424158092?pwd=L3hZVFJSQW45NWZkTHNTNjZzQ281QT09
Presenter:
Cynthia Weehler has decades of experience as an anti-nuclear activist and educator.
While residing in San Antonio, TX, she taught high school chemistry and astronomy, and also organized a coalition which was responsible for stopping the building of two new nuclear reactors at the South TX Nuclear Project in 2009.
After retiring from teaching, she returned to her home state of New Mexico and continues to educate the public on nuclear issues. Her present focus is on the transportation of nuclear waste to the WIPP repository in NM and the Department of Energy shipments through highly populated areas, mainly in Texas, but also puts neighborhoods in ten states at risk.
What keeps her going is what she learned from her friend and mentor, Maria Antonietta Berriozabel, the first Latina on San Antonio’s city council, that doing the work is what matters and that sometimes you succeed.
For more information, contact: Arthur Dawes, arthurdawes@att.net
Links to recording of the First Quarterly Social Justice Forum
of Pax Christi Texas: January 26, 2023
https://vimeo.com/796843084/0a21376bc2
https://youtu.be/q_KH1DGauNo
PAXCHRISTIUSA ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Our world is in a climate crisis. As Pope Francis stated in Laudato Si’, we cannot ignore the Earth and her people’s desperate and urgent cries for environmental justice. As heat waves, wildfires, famines, melting glaciers, and rising sea levels sprawl across the globe, the poorest and most vulnerable are being disproportionately affected. Climate change not only forces people in poor and struggling countries to migrate, but fuels poverty, food insecurity, displacement and violence in communities around the United States. As a community of conscience, we stand together and call on the United States to declare the climate crisis a national emergency by recommitting to the Paris Agreement, reinforcing the Clean Air Act, investing in clean energy sources, and pursuing a comprehensive justice approach as expressed in the U.S. Green New Deal.
CARE FOR CREATION
Laudato Si
In preparation for the Second Quarter Social Justice Forum of Pax Christi Texas... and for consultations with youth who will inherit our mother Earth....
Reflections for studying the encyclical of Pope Francis
You are asked to read the encyclical "Laudato Si", and to reflect on this summary of reflection points, and share what resonates with you.
By Arthur Dawes, MA, MSW
Consultation Issues
On the Encyclical Pope Francis on the Care of Creation
1. Earth is our home, a gift to all. Reference St. Francis and his intimate appreciation for all of creation 1, 3, 10, 11.
2. The rate of consumption is unsustainable.
Resources are limited. "We need a reuse model." 21, 22, 50
3. The Gospel of Creation 65, 71, 86
4. Human Roots/The Common Good 116, 123, 157, 161
5. Ecological Education/ Interior peace 211, 225, 234
Summary
1. St. Francis of Assisi: "Our common home is like a sister....We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will."
3. "Now faced as we are with global environmental deterioration, I wish to address every person living on this planet."
5. ”A global conversion is needed… Little effort has been made to safeguard the moral considerations for an authentic human ecology.”
10. “Francis of Assisi was particularly concerned for God’s creation and for the poor and the outcast. He loved, and was deeply loved for his joy, his generous self-giving, his openheartedness. He was a mystic and a pilgrim who lived in simplicity and in wonderful harmony with God, with others, with nature and with himself. He shows us how inseparable the bond is between concerns for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society, and interior peace.”
11. "He communed with all creation, even preaching to the flowers, inviting them "to praise the Lord, just as if they were endowed with reason."
15. " I will review several aspects of the present ecological crisis...I will then consider some principles drawn from the Judeo-Christian tradition."
Chapter One: What is Happening to our Common Home
18. “What is happening… more intensified pace of life and work which might be called ‘rapidification’, the speed with which human activity has developed contrasts with the slow pace of biological evolution.”
21. "Each year hundreds of millions of tons of waste are generated, much of it non-biodegradable, highly toxic and radioactive, from homes and businesses, from construction and demolition sites, from clinical and industrial sources. The earth , our home, is beginning to look more and more like an immense pile of filth."
22. “Throwaway culture… we have not managed to adopt a circular model of production capable of preserving resources for present and the future. generations.”
30. “Tendency to privatize water… Access to safe drinking water is a basic and universal human right.”
46. “The social dimensions of global change include the effects of technological innovation on…and inequitable distribution and consumption of energy.”
50. “Besides we know that approximately a third of all food produced is discarded, and “whenever food is thrown out it is as if it were stolen from the table of the poor.”
53. “Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years.”
56. “Whatever is fragile, like the environment, is defenseless before the interests of a deified market, which becomes the only rule.”
61. “But we need only take a fresh look at the facts to see that our common home is falling into disrepair… the present world is certainly unsustainable from a number of points of view. “
Chapter Two: The Gospel of Creation
65. “We were conceived in the heart of God, and for this reason, each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.”
71. “All it takes is one good person to restore hope. Those who tilled and kept the land were obliged to share its fruits, especially with the poor with widows, orphans, and foreigners in their midst. Lev. 19 : 9-10
79. “The Church must protect mankind from destruction.”
82.” When nature is viewed only as a source of profit and gain, this has serious consequences for society. This vision of ‘might is right’ has engendered immense inequality.”
86. “God wills the interdependence of all creatures. The sun and the moon, their countless diversities and inequalities tells us that no creature is self- sufficient. Creatures exist only in dependence each other, to complete each other, in the service of each other. “
Chapter Three: The Human Roots of the Ecological Crisis
105. “We stand naked and exposed in the face of ever increasing power, lacking the wherewithal to control it.”
116. “An inadequate presentation of Christian anthropology gave rise to a wrong understanding of the relationship between human beings and the world…. Instead our ‘dominion’ over the universe should be understood more properly in the sense of responsible stewardship.”
119. “We cannot presume to heal our relationship with nature and the environment without healing all fundamental human relationships.”
123. “It is also the mindset of those who say: Let us allow the invisible forces of the market regulate the economy and consider their impact on society as collateral damage. In the absence of objective truths or sound principles other than satisfaction of our own desires and immediate needs , what limits can be placed on human trafficking, organized crime, the drug trade, commerce in blood diamonds, and the fur of endangered species? … This same ‘use and throw away’ logic generates so much waste, because of the desire to consume more than what is really necessary.”
124. “According to the biblical account of creation, God placed man and woman in the garden he had created (cf. Gen2;15) not only to preserve it (keep) but also to make it fruitful (“till”).
“The Lord created medicines out of the earth , and a sensible man will not despise them.” (Sir 38:4)
129. “To stop investing in people is bad business for society. .”
130. “It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly… All such use and experimentation requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.”
Chapter Four: Integral Ecology
134. “Productive land is concentrated in the hands of a few.”
140. “We live and act on the basis of a reality which has previously been given to us, which precedes our existence and our abilities.”
145. “The disappearance of a culture can be just as serious, even more serious, than the disappearance of a plant or animal.”
146. “In various parts of the world, pressure is being put on them to abandon their homelands to make room for agriculture or mining projects which are undertaken for the degradation of nature and culture.”
157. “The common good calls for social peace, the stability and security provided by a certain order which cannot be achieved without a particular concern for distributive justice; whenever this is violated, violence always ensues. Society as a whole, and the state in particular, are obliged to defend and promote the common good.”
159. “The environment is part of a logic of receptivity. It is on loan to each generation, which must hand it on to the next. “
161. “The pace of consumption, waste and environmental change has so stretched the planet’s capacity that our contemporary lifestyle, unsustainable as it is, can only precipitate catastrophes. The effects of the present imbalance can only be reduced by decisive action, here and now.”
Chapter Five: Lines of Approach
173. “Enforceable international agreements are urgently needed, since local authorities are not always capable of effective intervention.”
174. “Let us mention the system of governance of the ocean.”
Chapter Six: Ecological Education and Spirituality
206. "Purchasing is always a moral and not simply an economic act."
211. "If the laws are to bring about significant, long-lasting effects the majority of the members of society must be adequately motivated to accept them and be personally transformed to respond."
"There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how education can bring about changes in lifestyle.”
“Ways of acting:
Avoiding the use of plastics and paper,…Reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public transport and carpooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights.. reusing something instead of immediately discarding it, when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love which expresses or own dignity.”
217. “The external deserts are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast. The ecological crisis is also a summons to profound interior conversion.”
225. “Interior peace is closely related to care for ecology and for the common good, because lived out and authentically, it is reflected in a balanced lifestyle together with a capacity for wonder which take us to a deeper understanding of life.”
234. "St. John of the Cross taught that all goodness present in the realities and experiences of this world is present in God eminently and infinitely, or more properly, in each of these sublime realities is God. 'All things are God.'"
The Listing of Eco Tours for the Care of the Earth Training
Headwaters Incarnate Word
San Antonio Botanical Center
Mitchell Lake Audobon Center
Kirchoff Ranch in Floresville
Bramberger Ranch in Blanco County
Helotes Preserve
The San Antonio Water System
Gardotopia Community Garden
Eco Centro
Garcia Street Community Garden
San Antonio River Authority
Alan Montemayor Home
The A & M Arboretum
Heavenly Gardens
h!ps://us
2web.zoom.us/j/83542887623?pwd=VDY1K2V4QUxBN0paMmZYalYxQklVZz09
Also, please see:
Video clip of Ray McGovern’s message made January 10, 2023
Made for Germany’s EWTN-TV, the Catholic TV network
A plea to Pope Francis I
h!ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsaN2rZLuT
TCADP San Antonio, TX
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Check the notices for details.
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Schedule of Executions and collaboration with the Texas Citizens Against the Death Penalty
HOME | DEATH ROW | Death Row InformationDeath Row InformationScheduled ExecutionsScheduled ExecutionLinkLast NameFirst NameTDCJ NumberDate of Birth
Ivan Cantu 999399 6/14/73
Join us in opposing the death penalty.
* Summary of Pax Christi Social Justice Principles 2020
There are many, many social justice issues, which at times find us overwhelmed and wishing we could be more effective. The Pax Christi principles will be listed here in summary and should you have an interest in addressing one or more in our meetings, please share your thoughts and resources.
Learn more of San Antonio Pax Christi and consider joining our monthly zoom educational gatherings. Also learn of more at paxchristiusa.org
Pax Christi Statement of Principles (Extracts from the election 2020)
Land Acknowledgement: We acknowledge the displacement of Indigenous peoples.
Acknowledgement of the Legacy of Slavery: We recognize the profiteering and the continuing to benefit.
Acknowledgement of the Role of the Catholic Church: We acknowledge and repent for the sins of anti-Black racism, enslavement and segregation.
On Racial Justice: Violence inherent in systemic racism is an affront to the God who creates.
On (Im)migration: Migrants and refugees are fleeing poverty, violence, and environmental devastation. We support refuge, citizenship and justice.
On Climate Change: We support action on a condition which fuels poverty, food insecurity, displacement and violence.
On Militarism: We support the abolition of nuclear weapons, the funding of nonviolent solutions to conflict.
On Palestine: We support pressure of the leaders of Israel toward a just peace.
Covid-19: We support people of color, the elderly, people with disabilities.
Healthcare: We support a universal healthcare system.
LGBTQ+ Equality: We affirm the right to equality and an end to criminalization.
Mass Incarceration and the Death Penalty: We support restorative justice practices and an end to the death penalty.
On Education: We support an educational system which supports a historically accurate curricula.
Homelessness and Housing: We support affordable and accessible housing.
Gun Violence: We support reasonable measures and universal background checks.
On Labor: We support the dignity in all work, fair wages, and the ability to join unions.
The complete reference to the Principles are located at:
https://paxchristiusa.org/2020/09/16/statement-of-principles-elections-2020
Notices
Anti-Nuclear Weapons Banners: Please take a look at the picture of the banner in the attachment. It refers to an international treaty that the Holy See has ratified. Pax Christi Dallas is working with the Nuclear Free World committee for the Dallas Peace and Justice Center to find good places in Texas to put them for the month of January--high traffic areas near a traffic light or stop sign where cars have to stop so then the drivers will have a chance to read them. In the bottom corners you will see the website link to ICAN (www.icanw.org) so that folks can go there and finds lots of information. ICAN is the International Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and won the Nobel Peace Prize about a year ago. For a banner, contact Joyce Hall: hallmj@sbcglobal.net
What really happens to the used clothing you donate? Read this revelatory article by Anna deSouza: https://www.rd.com/article/what-happens-used-clothing-donations/
Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Antonio was the first local organization to endorse this bill, which has also been endorsed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. See https://mail.yahoo.com/d/folders/1/messages/AL3K2mRHejHBX9ewnwO9CKEAaFY
The report at: https://tcadp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Texas-Death-Penalty-Developments-in-2020-FINAL.pdf
Watch Pax Christi USA’s Michelle Sherman, interviewed in the “Young Peacebuilders” series of Pax Christi International: https://paxchristiusa.org/2020/12/16/watch-pax-christi-usas-michelle-sherman-featured-on-young-peacebuilders-series/
Executive Director, Hope Border Institute
Sr. Norma Pimentel, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley
Access the webinar at: https://justiceforimmigrants.org/webinars/border-realities-and-migrant-protection-webinar/
Online Resource for families or small groups:
If you’re needing some social interaction with depth, more than just listening to zoom webinars, longing for the social time that used to happen before and after Mass, consider using the Maryknoll Weekly Reflection Guides. Gather as family or small group and use these guides in Facetime, Skype, Zoom etc. This an easy online structure with prayer, an introductory theme, a link to the Sunday Readings and some reflection questions to guide group conversation. Using the SeeJudgeAct methodology, you will be led as a group to consider where, in light of the shared reflection, the Spirit is calling you this week. The Global Solidarity charism of the Maryknoll family will feed you spiritually for these challenging times. Find the Guides in both Spanish and English at:
https://www.maryknoll.us/home/resources/mission-spirituality/ordinary-time-2020