Pray-Study-Act: Awakening to the Earth as Sacrament

Pax Christi USA - PSA e-Bulletin

Pray-Study-Act:

Awakening to the Earth as Sacrament

In This Issue

PRAY: Psalm of the Cosmos

STUDY: Two years after the BP oil spill

ACT: Restore the Gulf's ecosystem and communities

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On The Web

Read Gulf Future's Progress Report released on the 2 year memorial of the BP disaster

Bird's Eye View: An Earth Day reflection in photos of the last 2 years of the BP drilling disaster

See Pax Christi USA's PSA e-bulletin for Earth Day last month

Article: "Arrest of BP scapegoat: Real killers walk"

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May 2, 2012

Greetings!

Greetings from Pax Christi Florida! Our Pax Christi region was formed in 1982 and during the past 30 years Pax Christi Florida has demonstrated a consistent and faith-filled witness to the Peace of Christ whether it be through public protests against war and preparation for war, prayer vigils during executions calling for an to end to Florida's use of the death penalty, providing support for our brothers and sisters in Haiti, being inclusive in mission and vision so that all have a place at the table, annually renewing our commitment to nonviolence, monitoring state elections, promoting peace and justice education, standing with immigrants and others who are marginalized, giving voice to the voiceless and disenfranchised of our society, promoting respect for all of creation, working with the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice on living simply and sustainably, with Florida Impact to end childhood hunger in our state and with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to end slavery in Florida's fields...

Last month, Pax Christi Florida was honored to have Sr. Paula Gonzalez - referred to as the "Patron Saint of Scavenging" in a 2011 National Catholic Reporter article, facilitating its Spring retreat entitled, Awaken to the Earth as Sacrament. It was held on the sacred land of DaySpring Conference Center in Parrish, Florida.

In addition to three inspiring presentations by Sr. Paula, the weekend included a pre-retreat workshop, "Building a Sustainable Living Network," by Martina and John X. Linnehan of the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice's Sun Harvest EcoVillage, a slide presentation entitled "Our Florida" by Fran Palmeri, noted naturalist and photographer, and a prayer-filled nature walk led by PCF council member Jim Rucquoi whose blog, "she moves me - blogging for mother earth", is a gift to all. The weekend ended with a very informative presentation by Andrew Hudson on the benefits of buying locally followed by an opportunity to buy fresh organic produce from his farm.

We all came away from the retreat with a deepened reverence and connectedness to all of creation and so it is with this in mind that we focus this PSA e-alert on the continued need for the healing of Mother Earth, and in particular, the Gulf of Mexico following the devastating BP oil spill two years ago.

We were honored to be asked to prepare this PSA e-bulletin for the month of May and we look forward to what will be coming from other regions in future PSA e-alerts.

In peace,

Phyllis Jepson and Nancy O'Byrne

for Pax Christi Florida

PRAY: Psalm of the Cosmos

Loving God, loving God, all creation calls you blessed,

and so do we, and so do we.

Loving God, all your creation calls you blessed.
Your spirit imprints the whole universe with life and mystery.
Yes, all creation proclaims your love.

We now join this chorus of praise.

Loving God, all of nature calls you blessed, and so do we.

For you have woven an intimate tapestry

and call it life and called it good.

In love you have formed a universe so diverse yet so related,
and into its web you call us forth

to walk the land and swim the sea

with all our natural brothers and sisters.

To the stars we seem no more than blades of grass.
Yet to you, each of us, as each blade of grass and each star,
is an irreplaceable treasure,

an essential companion on this journey of love.

Loving God, as you lure the whole world into salvation,

guide us with your Spirit

that we might not be only pilgrims on the earth,

but pilgrims with the earth, journeying home to you.

Open our hearts to understand
the intimate relationship that you have with all creation.
Only with this faith can we hope for tomorrow's children.
Amen. Alleluia!

Loving God, loving God, all creation calls you blessed,

and so do we, and so do we.

Source unknown

STUDY: Two years after the BP oil spill,

marine life in the Gulf of Mexico still reels

by Mark Magner

BP Oil Spill

Last Christmas, BP launched a new national ad campaign to tout its progress in cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico 20 months after its deepwater well exploded on April 20, 2010, causing the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

"We know we still have work to do," Iris Cross, a New Orleans native and 29-year BP employee, says in one of the ads. "But BP has had a business presence in the Gulf states for a long time, we've set aside tens of billions of dollars to fund the recovery and restoration effort, and we plan to be here for years to come."

Just three months later, in March, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a report that made clear just how far away we are from declaring the end of the Gulf cleanup.

To read this entire article, click here.

ACT:

Restore the Gulf's ecosystem and communities

from the Gulf Restoration Network

Two years ago, the BP drilling disaster began damaging the people and places of the Gulf of Mexico. Help us to remind Congress that the oil is still here and so are we. The people and places of the Gulf are still waiting for the RESTORE Act to pass, sending BP's historic clean water act fines back to the Gulf. We must also establish a Regional Citizens' Advisory Council to ensure that we learn the lessons of BP and do everything in our power to ensure that a disaster of this magnitude never happens again.

TAKE ACTION! Help commemorate the two year memorial of this historic disaster. Please sign the petition calling for passage of the Gulf Restore Act. While on the page, also take a look at the GRN video updates.

Click here to sign the petition now.