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Sept. 19, 2011:
TODAY: GreenFaith webinar. WEDNESDAY: Hydrofracking webinar. See below for more information.
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Teach Me Your Paths
 In the Responsorial Psalm for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, we ask God to show us his way, to teach us his path. We request of God: "guide me in your truth" (Ps 25:5). How do we know what God's truth is? The Psalm goes on to say, "He guides the humble to justice" (14). The readings give us an idea of what this justice means.
In the first reading God asks the question: "Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair" (Ez 18:25)? The reading tells us that what is unfair is when people turn away from God by committing iniquities. In our second reading, we receive very clear guidance as to God's path and truth: "Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vain glory; rather humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interest but also for those of the others" (Phil 2:3-4). When Paul speaks of regarding others as more important than ourselves or doing nothing out of selfishness, he is not talking about any specific actions or deeds but rather a general mindset: "Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5).
This mindset is about thinking and acting not from our own self-interest but out of the interest of the common good. If we are self-absorbed, we will act in our own best interest rather than in the best interest of all of God's creation. This mindset defines us as individuals, as communities and as a nation. Are our actions, our policies, as individuals as a community as a nation consistent with the mindset of what is best for all God's children or for our own selfishness? Are our positions and actions on issues such as welcoming strangers, protecting the unborn, caring for all of God's beautiful creation, feeding the hungry, taking care of the poor based on the teachings of Jesus and the needs of others or on what is good for us? Sunday's Gospel reinforces this theme but also tells us that it is not enough to say we follow the message of Jesus: as with the reluctant son who changes his mind to obey his father's request, we must also go into the fields and perform the work of building God's kingdom here on earth.
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WEDNESDAY - There's Something in the Water: The Challenge of Hydrofracking
 Wed., Sept. 21, 3-4 p.m. EDT Register online The Franciscan Action Network (FAN) invites you to participate in a webinar on horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing for shale gas. Prof. Robert Jackson, Ph.D. of Duke University will explain the distinct challenges of this form of extraction. He will present the findings of research on the impact of hydrofracking on drinking water, share policy recommendations, and place hydrofracking in the broader energy context. FAN Action Commission Sr. Caryn Crook, OSF will apply St. Francis' "Canticle of the Creatures" to hydrofracking. If you wish, you can consult Duke University's Center for Global Change website for resources related to this presentation, including Prof. Jackson's data paper, a white paper with policy recommendations, and an Op-Ed article. You can also read a FAN blog post from intern Ben Feuerherd (St. Francis College) on hydrofracking.
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TODAY: Participate in GreenFaith Certification Program Webinar
To learn more about the GreenFaith's Fellowship Program and the Certification Program, please participate in an informational webinar about the Certification Program on Monday, Sept. 19 from 8:30-9:30 p.m. EDT. E-mail Stacey Kennealy to register. (A similar webinar will take place on October 6 from 8-9 p.m. EDT.) You can also visit the GreenFaith website. FAN members who enroll in GreenFaith Programs are eligible for tuition subsidies.
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Responding to the Word: Stand Up for the DREAM Act
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There a number of ways to express your support for the DREAM Act (S. 952), which will give thousands of deserving students a chance to be legal residents:
Contact Your Senators
Please urge the entire Senate to support the DREAM Act and give thousands of deserving students a chance to be legal residents. Call and/or e-mail your Senators to encourage them to support S. 952, the DREAM Act of 2011. You can call their Washington office via the Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121.
Send a Postcard to the President
Go to the USCCB's Justice for Immigrants website to send an electronic postcard to President Obama asking him to protect innocent DREAM youth from deportation.
Attend or Organize a "DREAM" Event Find out how your parish can participate in the upcoming "Pray for the DREAM" events taking place through Oct. 9 - or the Interfaith Immigration Coalition's companion "DREAM Sabbath events, also happening through Oct. 9.
Let FAN Know About Your "DREAM" Event
The Franciscan Action Network wants to help promote your community's DREAM event - and to share words, photos and other reflections on your event after it happens. E-mail us about your "DREAM" event.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE DREAM ACT:
S. 952, the DREAM Act of 2011, would authorize the cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien students who are long-term United States residents and who entered the United States as children. Applicants must have entered the U.S. before age 16, they must have lived in the U.S. for at least five years prior to the DREAM Act becoming law, they must pass a criminal background check and the must not have turned 35 when the act becomes law. The DREAM Act is not an alternative to comprehensive immigration reform but a step in the right direction.
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Respond to Human Trafficking: Time is Running Out
 The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), which established U.S. efforts and leadership to combat the multi-billion dollar human trafficking industry, expires on Sept. 30, 2011. Through this legislation, the U.S. government has worked to prevent trafficking in persons; prosecute those who profit from it; and protect victims. If Congress does not reauthorize the TVPA, U.S. pressure on countries across the globe to combat modern-day slavery will suffer. In this precarious economic environment, more vulnerable and marginalized people may fall victim to those who would exploit them. FAN joins Catholic Relief Services (CRS), which partners with U.S. government agencies and others to prevent trafficking and protect victims in more than 35 countries around the world, to support renewal of the TVPA. Please e-mail your Senators, or call call the Capitol Switchboard (202-224-3121) and ask for your Senators' offices. Ask their staff to support S. 1301, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. This CRS webpage provides additional reference points. While you're communicating, please urge your Senators to preserve life-saving, poverty-focused international assistance in the upcoming deficit reduction negotiations and the FY 2012 appropriations process. Thank you! SAVE THE DATE: If you are available, please plan to join FAN for a one-day conference on human trafficking at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC on Wed., Oct. 26. More details coming soon. |
FAN Helps FI Prepare for the Rio 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development  Franciscans International (FI) invites all Franciscan and Franciscan-hearted persons to contribute to the preparation for the Rio 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, informally known as Rio+20. In collaboration with FI, FAN encourages members to support this effort. We can offer support first of all by our prayers, secondly by educating ourselves about this process, and thirdly by contributing input according to these guidelines.
As an NGO with consultative status at the UN, FI will submit recommendations to the working document for this Conference. Until Sept. 30, FI is collecting input for submission. To share your input, please contact Christy Elliott (elliott@franciscanaction.org).
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Everybody Loves Francis: Ways to Observe St. Francis' Feast Life to the Full with Francis
 The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops promotes the first Sunday in October as Respect Life Sunday. This year, Respect Life Sunday (Oct. 2) precedes the Transitus celebration of St. Francis' birth into eternal life (Oct. 3), followed by the Feast of St. Francis (Oct. 4). The theme for the 2011-2012 Respect Life Program year comes from Jn 10:10: "I came that all might have life, and have it to the full!" St. Francis lived his life fully by following in the footsteps of Christ, is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Francis reverenced all life at every stage. Visit the USCCB Respect Life Program website for resources on this theme.
Honor Francis in Prayer
 Canticle Campus' Fall 2011 online class begins October 3 and ends December 10. The class will study the book Franciscan Prayer by Sr. Ilia Delio, O.S.F.
"By examining Saint Francis' doctrine of prayer through the twin lens of Saints Clare and Bonaventure, this book provides us with a long overdue spiritual and theological synthesis which will be treasured by all who love the Franciscan tradition. A significant contribution, beautifully presented." -Lawrence S. Cunningham
To sign-up, e-mail Francesca Wigle, TSSF (fwigle@gmail.com) or Chris Hickman, SFO (hickmcm@hotmail.com) for access information. All are invited and there is no cost to participate.
Be Instruments of Peace  October 27, 2011 is the World Day of Prayer for Peace: Spirit of Assisi, which marks the 25th anniversary of the groundbreaking interreligious event in Assisi in 1986. The Franciscan Friars of St. Barbara Province (OFM) offer resources to observe this day on their website.
The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change offers the St. Francis Pledge and other resources in preparation for and celebration of the Feast of St. Francis on Oct. 4.
NEW resources include:
· Friending Planet Earth: Helping Youth Understand Solidarity and Sustainability in Light of Climate Change, a six-session program for high school youth ministry
· Sustainability and Catholic Higher Education: A Toolkit for Mission Integration, developed in collaboration with the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities
· Catholic Parish and School Planning Guide to Take the St. Francis Pledge
· A revised JustMatters module on care for creation in collaboration with JustFaith Ministries
· The announcement of the St. Francis Pledge Award for elementary and secondary schools sponsored by the National Council of Catholic Women. Please join with us to help promote the St. Francis Pledge as part of what it means to Care for Creation and Care for the Poor: two values by which St. Francis lived and through which his example continues to inspire  millions around the world.
Learn more by going to the Catholic Climate Covenant: St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor website.
St. Francis Day in a Box 2011
This year, the Humane Society of the U.S. partners with St. Anthony Messenger press to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis with a box full of books, DVDs, and an audio book of Murray Bodo, OFM's Francis: The Journey and the Dream.
You can check out the resources and order a box online.
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O God, your goodness and mercy have no bounds. Through the work of your Holy Spirit in our lives, may we be eager to do good to others and thus witness to your saving presence in our midst. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the same Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. [Prayer for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Franciscan Morning and Evening Praise] |
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Mission Statement
Inspired by the Gospel of Jesus, and the example of saints Francis and Clare, the Franciscan Action Network (FAN) is a collective Franciscan voice seeking to transform U.S. public policy related to peacemaking, care for creation, poverty, and human rights. |
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