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 "Everything is related, and we human beings are united as brothers and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage, woven together by the love God has for each of his creatures and which also unites us in fond affection with brother sun, sister moon, brother river and mother earth." (
Laudato Si' 92)
The Season of Creation begins on September 1. Let us all embrace this special season with a sense of awe and wonder and a renewed determination to embrace prayer and other actions for the good of all God's creation.
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Shalom North America Contacts
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Integrity of Creation
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 Season of Creation (9/1-10/4)
The Season of Creation is a special time for reflection and action for creation that begins on September 1 with the World Day of Prayer for Creation and extends through October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. This year's theme, Walking Together, calls us to strive to more deeply understand the lessons Jesus taught us through creation, to more authentically honor our Creator. As pilgrims together, we welcome the opportunity to awaken anew to the wonder of Earth, our common home, and to protect the web of life it shelters.
Prayer service, calendars of
ideas and
inspiration.
Global Climate Action Summit information.
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| Pope Francis Asks Us to Pray for Creation on September 1st |
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Integrity of Creation
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 The Hope within Us
Canada's two largest churches have jointly declared that climate change and ecological degradation are central, enduring concerns for Christians. The declaration is contained in The Hope within Us, a document released July 23 from the Roman Catholic-United Church of Canada Dialogue in Canada. The report explores the spiritual resources of our common tradition for addressing climate change and working for ecological justice.
Learn more,
read document.
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Integrity of Creation
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 World Cleanup Day (9/15)
On September 15, volunteers worldwide will come together to rid our planet of trash - cleaning up litter and mismanaged waste from our beaches, rivers, forests, and streets. A powerful 'green wave' of cleanups will start in New Zealand and end 36 hours later in Hawaii, with millions of people working towards one goal: a clean and healthy planet. Learn more, get involved.
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Integrity of Creation
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 International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer (9/16)
The ozone layer, a fragile shield of gas, protects Earth from the harmful portion of the rays of the sun, thus helping preserve life on the planet. The phase out of ozone depleting substances have not only helped protect the ozone layer for this and future generations, but have also contributed significantly to global efforts to address climate change.
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Integrity of Creation
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 Women and Climate Change
The impacts of climate change are disproportionately borne by women. In the wake of climate disasters, it is most often women and girls who take responsibility for growing the family's food and collecting water, fuel, and other resources. Climate displacement also exposes women and girls to violence and threats including risk of rape, sexual exploitation, abuse, and human trafficking. The Women and Climate Change Act promotes approaches to climate change mitigation that uplift, include, and empower women. Learn more/urge your representative to co-sponsor this legislation.
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Human Life and Dignity
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 Labor Day
As many of us enjoy a reprieve from our daily toil on September 3, let us remember the more than 150 million children - one in ten, globally - who are engaged in some form of child labor. Work that is described by the International Labour Organization as depriving children of "their potential and their dignity" and is "harmful to their physical and mental development." Click here to learn what SSNDs are doing, in partnership with Beyond Borders, to empower families and prevent children in Haiti from being trafficked into domestic labor. Prayer resource.
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Human Life and Dignity
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 Bill for Indigenous Rights in Canada
On May 30, MPs in the House of Commons voted to approve the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Bill (C-262) by a margin of 206-79. Bill C-262 sets out a legislative framework requiring the federal government to collaborate with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in developing a national action plan to fully implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. When the Senators return on September 17, KAIROS will join other organizations in urging them to swiftly review and enact the Bill. Learn more. Also read Federal holiday to remember residential schools tragedy.
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Human Life and Dignity
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 LCWR Reaffirmation of Racial Justice Statement/Commitment
At its annual assembly, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious reaffirmed its commitment to a 2016 resolution that recognized "racism as a systemic, structural cause underlying and contributing to the multiple situations of injustice identified in the LCWR Call." In the 2018 reaffirmation statement, the LCWR pledges "to go deeper into the critical work of creating communion, examining the root causes of injustice and our own complicity, and purging ourselves, our communities and our country of the sin of racism and its destructive effects." Read more.
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Human Life and Dignity
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 International Literacy Day
On September 8, International Literacy Day will be celebrated around the world with the theme Literacy and skills development. Despite progress made, literacy challenges persist. At least 750 million youth and adults still cannot read and write and 250 million children are failing to acquire basic literacy skills. This year, ILD explores and highlights integrated approaches that simultaneously can support the development of literacy and skills, to ultimately improve people's life and work and contribute to equitable and sustainable societies.
Learn more.
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| The Power of Literacy |
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Literacy is the Answer |
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Human Life and Dignity
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 Hispanic Heritage Month
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Human Life and Dignity
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 Global Compact for Migration
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was approved by United Nations members in mid-July after more than a year of meetings. 192 countries agreed on the text of the compact, although the United States had already withdrawn from the process last December, arguing that such multinational agreements subverted the power of individual governments to control national borders. While such global compacts are not legally binding, they do provide a framework for nations to work together to manage the current wave of migration - more than 24 million refugees in the world today, with the vast majority hosted in countries least resourced to support them.
Learn more, read about the
Vatican's role in the securing agreement.
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| Agreement of the Global Compact on Migration |
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Peace and Non-Violence
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 Death Penalty
In August, Pope Francis approved a
revision to the Catechism that declared the death penalty to be "inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person" (2267). While often described as a "reform" or a "change" of Church teaching, this new language actually builds on the tradition of the Church, applying it to today's circumstances - as all social teaching does and should do.
Learn more. All Catholics are encouraged to work for the global abolition of capital punishment. Canada abolished the death penalty in 1976, while the U.S. remains the only western nation - and
one of only four "industrialized" nations - to retain the death penalty.
Click here for advocacy and action resources, and please join us in
prayer for an end to capital punishment.
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Peace and Non-Violence
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 International Day of Peace (9/21)
Established in 1981 by a unanimous United Nations resolution, the International Day of Peace provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace. This year's theme is "The Right to Peace - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70."
Learn more. Resources for
prayer and other actions,
events listing.
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Peace and Non-Violence
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Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
September 26 is the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, an occasion for the world community to reaffirm its commitment to global nuclear disarmament as a high priority. It provides an opportunity to educate the public and their leaders about the real benefits of eliminating such weapons and the social and economic costs of perpetuating them.
Click here to learn about the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and actions you can take to support elimination of all nuclear weapons.
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The SSND International Shalom Network witnesses to the Gospel with audacity and hope as we collaborate to build just relationships and respond to the urgent needs of our times.
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 Shalom News North America is an e-publication of the Shalom North America Contacts (SNAC) of the School Sisters of Notre Dame - Arlene Flaherty, Ethel Howley, Jeanne Wingenter, Kathleen Bonnette, Rose Mary Sander, and Tim Dewane. Your comments, suggestions, and feedback are always welcomed. Email us at
[email protected].
Please only print this e-publication if necessary.
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