Justice action updates
Living as a ‘Pilgrim of Hope’!
Each year our Justice Day is a landmark moment in the Province Calendar when we come together to listen, share, inspire and gain insight into key issues in our society today that require our advocacy and action.
Our founder Ven. Nano Nagle was a tireless advocate for social justice, and we continue our commitment to Justice Work as expressed in ‘Our Way of Life’:
“Our mission is to speak and act in partnership with others for global justice from a contemplative stance, in a spirit of oneness with the whole of creation”. (Our Way of Life)
The theme of this year’s day was: “Hope in hard times – open to non-violent resistance”.
The key contributors invited to input to our Justice Day on 12th October in Mt. St. Anne’s Retreat and Conference Centre were: Dr. Jessie Rogers (no stranger to Presentation Gatherings) who brings international and ecumenical experience to her role as Director of the Centre for Mission and Ministries / Lecturer in Sacred Scripture at St. Patrick’s Pontifical University Maynooth, and Mia de Faoite who is a survivor activist with over 10 years’ experience working as a campaigner and policy advisor on the issue of commercial sexual exploitation.
Mia is the Training Lead at Ruhama, Ireland’s national NGO which supports women affected by prostitution, sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. Brian O’Toole, Director of the Presentation Sisters Interprovincial Justice Desk for Ireland and England spoke about Trafficking from the perspective of exploring what resonated with those present from Mia’s presentation and asking: “How can I be a Pilgrim of Hope?” and then, “As a Pilgrim of Hope, what can I do in Justice where I live and where I work?”
This short piece gives a sense of the content and focus of the day from a few key quotations and information pointers from the presentations.
Passing on the IPA Lantern
‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. ‘ (Romans 15:13).
Dr. Jessie Rogers spoke about how ‘Hope’ is about solidarity, connection and partnership. It is the about holding the conviction that death and destruction will not have the final word. In the words of Jürgen Moltmann (a German Reformed theologian who was a professor of systematic theology at the University of Tübingen and was known for his books such as the Theology of Hope, The Crucified God, God in Creation and other contributions to systematic theology):
“Nothing in the world exists, lives and moves of itself. Everything exists, lives and moves in others, in one another, with one another, for one another, in the cosmic interrelations of the divine Spirit”. (Jürgen Moltmann)
The Holy Spirit is the ‘Spirit of Hope’.
How do we keep hopeful?
By ‘Hopeful Imagination’. There is a dominant consciousness, a dominant view of the world, so we must:
- Criticise and challenge the dominant culture and ways of thinking.
- Energise – create hope in new possibilities. Hope for the future allows people to live differently in the present.
- Do Hopeful Actions – Jesus taught us about non-violence: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”. (Matthew 5: 38-45).
Non-violence takes back the agency and restores dignity. It sees the humanity in the oppressor as well as the oppressed.
Dr. Jessie Rogers offered the following powerful quotation from Evangelii Gaudium as inspiration for our life as ‘Pilgrims of Hope’:
“Faith also means believing in God, believing that he truly loves us, that he is alive, that he is mysteriously capable of intervening, that he does not abandon us and that he brings good out of evil by his power and his infinite creativity. It means believing that he marches triumphantly in history with those who “are called and chosen and faithful” (Rev 17:14).
“Let us believe the Gospel when it tells us that the kingdom of God is already present in this world and is growing, here and there, and in different ways: like the small seed which grows into a great tree (cf. Mt 13:31-32), like the measure of leaven that makes the dough rise (cf. Mt 13:33) and like the good seed that grows amid the weeds (cf. Mt 13, 24-30) and can always pleasantly surprise us.
The kingdom is here, it returns, it struggles to flourish anew. Christ’s resurrection everywhere calls forth seeds of that new world; even if they are cut back, they grow again, for the resurrection is already secretly woven into the fabric of this history, for Jesus did not rise in vain. May we never remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope!”
(Evangelii Gaudium #278 – Apostolic Exhortation Of the Holy Father, Pope Francis to the Bishops, Clergy, Consecratd Persons and Lay Faithful on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today’s World)
See Full Text of Evangelii Gaudium HERE
May we endeavour never to remain on the sidelines of this march of living hope!
The reality of Ruhama’s work in Ireland today
Mia de Faoite spoke about who Ruhama are and what they do. In her presentation she explored what the sex trade looks like in Ireland today, explaining some of the complexities around human trafficking including legislation alongside the harsh realities of the sex trade itself.
Ruhama is an Irish NGO and registered charity that offers nationwide support to women impacted by prostitution, sex trafficking and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. Founded in 1989, the organisation has extensive expertise in providing a wide range of specialist, holistic support services. Its services are free, confidential and delivered by a committed and experienced team.
Ruhama also advocates and engages in policy work on issues related to prostitution, sex trafficking and the experiences of the women they work with. See HERE
In 2023 we saw the numbers that Ruhama worked with. Of the 1000 – 2000 women engaged in sex work approximately 90% are migrant and this is a complete reversal of the trend 10 years ago. The industry is heavily criminalised, and technology is a key facilitator. Mia explained the trafficking mechanisms that are increasingly in evidence including: Coercion, Targeting pre-existing vulnerabilities, Deception, Debt Bondage, Juju Witchcraft, Repeated Assault, Threats to a woman or her family, Lies and creating mistrust, Abduction, War & Conflict, Loverboy System.
Human Trafficking
Brian O’ Toole spoke about Trafficking. Brian is Director of the Presentation Sisters’ Interprovincial Justice Desk for Ireland and England and is Ireland’s representative on the Religious in Europe Networking Against Trafficking and Exploitation (RENATE) Working Board and leader of the RENATE law Research team. In July 2024 RENATE launched their research on ‘Legal Practitioners’ work with Victims of Human Trafficking’ at the Bakhita Centre for Research on Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse, at St. Mary’s University, Twickenham. See Independent Catholic News article on launch HERE
Rich in data and direct quotations, the research findings are numerous, not least being the fact that those who are charged with legally supporting victims of human trafficking or modern slavery, very often do so with limited support themselves.
The online launch of the RENATE Research across 5 EU Countries is taking place on October 23rd at 4.00pm Irish Time.
If you wish to find out more about Friends of Nano and the work of Presentation People for Justice you can visit the front page of our website where you will find useful information, links and contact details.
See HERE
Thank you to Brian O’Toole for all of the great images received from the day. Thank you also to Mount St. Anne’s Retreat and Conference Centre, Killenard, Portarlington, Co. Laois for the warm hospitality and for the opportunity to be in such beautiful surroundings.
A profound sense of presence & practice
Province Justice Day 2023
Our annual Justice Day organised by the Justice and Friends of Nano Commission* has become a regular and important opportunity to share our work for Justice as well as being brought up to date on current issues, and discovering ways of enriching our practice. This year’s Justice Day took place in October 2023, in Mount St. Anne’s Retreat and Conference Centre. From the outset a reflection given by Sr. Lillie O’Reilly set the tone for a rich day of sharing on so many levels.
Dr. Niamh Brennan through her presentation “A spirituality of presence to a Universe that is sacred” led us in to a deeper sense of realisation of ‘presence’ in the cosmos. Sisters Mary Hanrahan (Provincial Leader, NEP) and Eileen Nash (our delegate at the International Presentation Assembly (IPA), with Brian O’Toole (Director of the Inter-provincial Justice Desk) updated everyone on the proceedings of the 8th IPA Assembly which took place in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador from the 18th to 24th June 2023. This session closed with a presentation by Sr. Mary Hanrahan (Provincial Leader, NEP) to Sr. Ann Marie Quinn, Executive Director of the IPA in recognition of her work, and that of the IPA Team in bringing to fruition a reinvigorated and newly focused IPA, that will support our work for Global Justice until the next Assembly.
Closer to home, Sisters Margaret Mary Healy and Evelyn Byrne outlined the vision & practice of the Challenge to Change (C2C)cProgramme which is informed by the Presentation charism and ethos. Justice, human rights, sustainability and promoting right relationships are central to the work. C2C has been in existence since 2002 enabling students to understand how their local actions can have a global impact. In the final session of the day, Brian O’Toole shared the current work and focus of the Inter-provincial Presentation Justice Desk.
You can find out more about our Justice Work and about the 2023 Justice Day from the Pdf Document Below, an extract from our NE Province Magazine – Words & Deeds (Winter Issue 2023). The full magazine is available at HERE
See 2023 Justice Day from the Pdf Document 2023 Words & Deeds – Autumn into Winter Justice News Extract
Caring for the Earth … Caring for Life
On Saturday, 26th November we will hold a public meeting for Friends of Nano, our Justice link Sisters, and co-workers on the theme of “Caring for Earth…. Caring for Life”. It is hoped that by educating ourselves we will make a positive response to caring for the Earth and caring for those most affected by poverty.
You can download the details Caring for the earth invitation – Justice Day 2022
Watch this space for follow-up information and feedback from the Day!
Racism, Inequality & Inclusion
The Province Justice Event (hosted by the Justice Peace & Integrity of Creation Commission (JPIC) took place on 17th April 2021 (see previous page). The theme of the online gathering was: ’Racism, Equality & Inclusion’.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Kevin Hargaden, Director of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. Kevin spoke about racism as a form of prejudice based around ethical designation, populating his presentation with experiential examples of the reality globally and locally and historically up to the present day.
He highlighted that it is important to link religious and Catholic teachings to day-to-day actions, and to recognise how toxic dynamics arising from prejudice can play out in society. He went on to explore how we can respond to this reality by paying attention to those around us, to those actual people in our neighbourhood experiencing prejudice. This he suggests, can be the beginning of serious acts or action.
He also said it was important to understand our own privilege, and that statistics alone are solely numbers on a piece of paper. We have to find ways to ensure that we engage with the people behind those numbers.
In his conclusion, Kevin stated that it is important to understand that racism is not as clear cut as many might think, much lies under the surface. While today in Ireland Protestants and Catholics no longer hold strong animosity for each other as in the past, there is religious intolerance for others such as Muslims. Racism in Ireland today can be directed towards the colour of one’s skin, but it can also exist below the surface e.g. in the way we refer to Travellers in private.
Pope Frances encourages us to think of social friendship with reference to those who experience economic, political exclusion in our day to day lives. We need to fight any appearance of social domination over the other. See Fratelli tutti … | Presentation Sisters Union North East Ireland (presentationsistersne.ie)
Other speakers included: Mr. Paul Frecklington, Project Coordinator of ARD Family Resource Centre, Doughiska, Galway with Islammiyah Saudique-Kadejo, Precious Tedeye, and Frank Owusu.
A few words from their input …
Precious arrived in Ireland as a young person at 17 years of age and shared the importance of services like Youth Centres and Youth Workers in closing the gap when young people experience isolation, defining racism (based on her experience) “as a killer of dreams” depriving people of their creativity and abilities. Islammiyah focused on the inclusion part of racism having been involved in the ARD FRC for the past 5 years. Islammiyah set up a project called ‘De-busting Myths About Africa’ (AMDAF) and is due to start the first ethnic minority community radio in Galway to bring together all the rich languages and accents. Frank arrived in Ireland from Ghana in 2008 and was delighted to come to Ireland because Ireland had not taken part in slavery. He volunteered at the Centre when he didn’t have anything to do. He is now Involved in the school committee, has been voted the chairperson of the PTA and is keen to ensure that he brings representation and a voice.
Province Justice Day – 17th April, 2021
The Province’s Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Commission chose “Racism, Inequality and Inclusion” as the theme for the day, which has just taken place.
Recognising racism is not a one-time exercise but rather, as a complex cultural phenomenon. To fight it we have to be proactively anti-racist. As societies become ever more multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multicultural, we need greater social, political, cultural and economic investment in inclusivity and cohesion. We need to harness the benefits of diversity rather than perceiving it as a threat.
Purpose
To give an opportunity to participants to:
- critically evaluate self-awareness;
- care for ourselves and the earth;
- give a sense of what people can do when included or given a voice.
The speakers included Dr. Kevin Hargaden, Director of the Jesuit Centre for Faith & Justice and Mr. Paul Frecklington, Project Coordinator of ARD Family Resource Centre, Doughiska, Galway with Islammiyah Saudique-Kadejo, Precious Tedeye,and Frank Owusu who shared their experiences with the community there, and a welcome opportunity for a panel discussion.
Mr. Brian O’Toole, Director of the Presentation Sisters Inter-provincial Justice Desk for Ireland and England, was Event Moderator.
One hundred participants joined us for this valuable opportunity for learning, exchange and discussion with inspiring presentations and sharings on this theme. Here are just a few immediate ‘sound-bites’ from the day:
“Right speech must be backed up with right action”.
“Paying attention is the beginning of all ethical behaviour”.
“Our brothers and sisters are our responsibility”.
“We don’t love what we tolerant”.
“By our decisions we show that migrants are less important and of less value”.
“Social friendship – a synthesis is required between the political and the personal”.
“Racism is a killer of dreams”.
So many more would have liked to have joined us on the day, if capacity had allowed. However, the NEP JPIC Commission will be sharing information on the content of the day, and the opportunity to engage with it, in the near future.
Thank you to all who contributed to the success of the day and all who made it possible. Watch this space for a full report and updates.
A ‘Sustainable Living’ Resource
Prior to leaving for home after our NEP Justice Day 2019 we were introduced to the revised and revamped “Sustainability Booklet” produced by the North East Province entitled: “Making a Commitment to Sustainable Living at Personal, family and community level”. See link Sustainable Living Booklet – NEP Justice Day 2019 to download your copy.
(To read a copy on line below – if using your mobile you will need to orientate to landscape view).
Today, more than ever before, we need people like Nano Nagle. We need people of courage who are prepared, if necessary, to ‘spend themselves’ for love of the poor and of the planet. This is what it means to carry ‘Nano’s Lantern’ in the often dark and challenging times of the 21st century.
“How do we ‘carry Nano’s Lantern’ and ‘hear the cry of the Earth and those kept poor’”?
This year’s North East Province Justice Day hosted by the Province’s Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Commission took place on Tuesday 26th November 2019 in Mount St. Anne’s Retreat & Conference Centre, Killenard, Portarlington Co. Laois, welcoming in excess of 70 participants countrywide.
A Justice Day update
Sr. Veronica Casey from the NEP JPIC Commission opened the day helping those present call to mind the qualities of Nano Nagle (founder of the Presentation Congregation) – those qualities that inspired her, and that are admirable qualities to be respected in anyone at any time, and not just at the time of Nano (16th century Penal Ireland). Veronica pointed to the fact that these are not only qualities that endure, but that they are qualities that are even more necessary in the increasingly challenging times we witness today.
Veronica also reminded us of Nano’s courage, her ability to notice, her capacity for collaboration and the urgency with which she took up her work. These present were asked to consider ‘our wounded planet’ in the light of the quotation from the last verse of the poem by the poet 14th Century Persian poet Hafiz “I have come into this world to see this: the sword drop from men’s hands even at the height of their arc of rage, because we have finally realised there is just one flesh we can wound”. Veronica she followed on from this to say:
“There is only one flesh we can wound and that is His – the Christ’s, Our Beloved’s”.
The opening presentation was by Jane Mellett – Laudato Sí Officer at Trócaire on the theme: “‘I have come that you may have life, and have it to the full’ (Jn 10:10): Living a full Christian Life in an era of Ecological Breakdown”.
About Jane Mellett
Jane Mellett is a native of Carlow and a proud past pupil of Presentation primary and secondary schools. Jane has a background in International Development and Theology (specialising in New Testament scripture); she is a qualified spiritual director and yoga teacher. Jane spent the past eight years as a pastoral worker for Dublin Archdiocese and coordinated the Laudato Sí project of the World Meeting of Families 2018 (WMOF2018).
This led her on a climate journey, quite literally, as she walked last Winter (2018) the 1,000 km journey from Italy to Poland with a group of pilgrims carrying the message of Laudato Sí to the UN Climate Conference in Katowice. Her current role is as Trócaire’s Laudato Sí Officer, working alongside Lorna Gold, striving to mobilise the Irish Church in the spirit of Laudato Sí. One of her more infamous actions is that she has tweeted the entire Laudato Sí document to Donald Trump.
Jane shared her input in three sections, as follows:
Section 1
‘I have come that you may have life and have it to the full’ (or a more abundant life), is Jesus’ response to accusations against him after he restores the sight of the man born blind in John 9. God’s abundance is all around us, in the Book of Creation, and we are being called into a restoration and re-connection with the natural world. She suggested that we have lost our sight through a theology of domination. Jane went on to explore with those present, what is means to live in real abundance.
She encouraged us to consider what it means to have abundance and to be at your happiest or most content. She reminded us of that well known quotation in the creation narrative: “God saw what He created and it was good”. And reminded in doing so she put before us the very first colour picture of our Earth, when it was first broadcast by the astronauts during the first Moon Landing, whilst reading Genesis 1 – 10 in December 1968. This is still the most watched television event to date, and what an image it is! We were asked to take a moment to consider what comes to us when we reflect on this image?
Some of the things that occurred to Jane Mellett that she shared with those present are: Steward-ship, sharing our world, inter-connectedness, abundant life, hope, enough, Creation.
All of these are themes that are explored in Laudato Sí, published by Pope Francis in 2015. We are reminded that perhaps the way forward for a struggling planet might be a route “back to creation”.
“There is enough for all but why is it that so many have not got enough”.
Those present then broke for discussion with guided questions to aid their reflection.
What fills us with abundant life? Some considered that it was when they walk or garden or when they take in beautiful views. That which inspires, invigorates, energises and is essentially grounded in nature.
Before Jane moved on to a darker section of her talk she asked those present to consider the following from text Laudato Si #34
“But a sober look at our world shows that the degree of human intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey, even as technological advances and consumer goods continue to abound limitlessly. We seem to think that we can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something which we have created ourselves”.
Section 2
Why has Pope Francis Declared a Climate Emergency?
“What kind of world do you want to leave to the next generation, to children who are now growing up?” (Laudato Sí #160).
Those present explored briefly what is happening to our world ‘… the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’.
Jane shared her experience of her Climate Pilgrimage to COP 24 in Poland in 2018, journeying with survivors from climate disasters in Philippines. She gave some of her personal testimony, sharing on this experience. This Climate Pilgrimage was part financed by the six largest coal producers in Poland. This wrankled hugely with Jane, but was a frightening insult to Joanna Sustento who had survived typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and who is a climate activist joining a global movement in taking legal action against the world’s biggest climate polluters. (See her story in the video clip below).
Section 3
‘When Greta Thunberg met Pope Francis ~ The abundant life of the Youth Climate Movement’.
The youth of the world are now calling out to us. Let us explore the power of this grassroots movement. Why should faith communities become involved? Where do we go from here? An ecological conversion ~ is our hope from action.
In this section of Jane’s input she inspired hope when she spoke of her impression that Greta Thunberg could be described as a modern day prophet. She felt that the connection that Greta makes underlines the importance of an inter-generational response to the Climate Emergency.
Laudato Sí calls upon all of us to be protectors of the Earth and to be responsible for the stewardship of our Earth for the generations to come. This is eminently possible “with a burst of love”, but not possible with a “business as usual” approach. There must be a radical change and this calls for an “ecological conversion”.
All of this Jane said, must “begin with ourselves”. She urged those present “not to feel old but to feel connected”.
Pádraic Fogarty followed on from Jane Mellet (for the mid-morning session) presenting on the theme: “Beauty in the Wild”
About Pádraic Fogarty
Pádraic is an ecologist and scientist, and currently serves as Campaign Officer for the Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT). Pádraic was chair of the Irish Wildlife Trust from 2008-2012, editor of the magazine ‘Irish Wildlife’ from 2009-2018. He is also author of the 2017 book: “Whittled Away – Ireland’s Vanishing Nature”.
Pádraic began with the idea that firstly “we have to engage with the dark space to find our way out of it”. The beginning of Pádraic’s talk was a comment on all that we have lost, and are losing at an alarming rate, that has given rise to the declaration of a “Biodiversity Emergency” in Ireland.
His description of his work set the scene rather starkly, when he told us that his job is very much about looking for what is absent or gone from our countryside,and that this is rather disheartening. He went on to paint the bleak picture.
Ireland’s biological diversity is under pressure like never before. The ongoing programme of conservation assessments conclude that on average 20% of the species that have been assessed are considered to be at risk of extinction in Ireland. Extinction is not a new phenomenon as Ireland has already lost many species. Among the species that are already considered extinct in Ireland are the Grey Wolf, Corn bunting, the Hornet Moth, Solitary bee, the Great Auk and the Brown Bear,
Pádraic is hugely concerned about:
- the destruction of our sea the over-fishing and the culture catch and throwback that is a feature of bottom trawling that destroys sea habitats.
- our centuries of turf cutting were not a problem until we began to machine cut and extract turf in huge amounts destroying habitats in the process and releasing carbon into our overheating atmosphere.
- the decimation of our natural oak forests was obvious when he showed us a map of oak forests remaining in Ireland. Those sacred places are now barely visible on the map.
The way out of this inevitable demise?
Pádraic outlined the following pathways towards change:
- We need to reassess how we are farming and the over-dependence on EC or other subsidies promotes some types of dysfunctional or harmful farming. We are farming with pesticides, clearing land and overproducing. The net effect is such that ecosystems are being destroyed with permission and without care, as if there is a Plan B. There is no Planet B.
- We must learn about our systems, species, our environment, our seas, rivers, forests, bogs and climate. From this learning will come a transformation. We need to re-remember our dependence upon nature.
- We need to reconnect with our natural environment and the transformation that comes from this will be the beginnings of a recovery. However, time is of the essence and emergencies demand priority.
- We must remember that we are all only a generation or two from working the land, but yet this connection is well and truly broken and this is obvious to all.
- Economic growth as we know it exacts a profit from the natural environment. Increasing wealth has been directly linked to the continuing extraction of fossil fuels. We must look closely at the link between economic progress and the destruction of our natural environment, and somehow we must re-balance and perhaps even overcompensate to ensure that our natural environment has a decent chance of a noticeable and sustaining recovery.
Looking at the SDG’s
When we look at the SDGs and the three pillars Social, Economic & Environmental, we need to be concerned with an equality of progress that assures all three pillars are strategically developed in an effort to restore the natural balance. The figure(right) shows the optimum relationship that will yield lasting results for a sustainable planet.
Noel Buckley from Presentation Secondary School, Clonmel shared the experience of being present with students at the Cork Inter-generational Climate Conference in early November (2019). Noel referred to the students whom he accompanied to Cork as being active in the Green Schools initiative.
As the students were unable to be present themselves due to exams, Noel had asked them what they would like him to say about their experience of the Inter-generational Conference. The first impression that they shared was that they hadn’t realised that so many people cared enough to act. This has not been their experience. In terms of gaining information on the Climate Crisis it was also clear from what they said, that young people don’t engage with television these days.
Noel shared his belief that there is too much focus on consumerism and profit, and that this is the system into which the students are being educated. Another key takeaway from talking to the students was that blaming another generation for the current state of our climate is utterly counterproductive and mitigates against healthy inclusive progressive solutions. Lorna Gold had spoken directly to all who attended the Cork conference. The students from Presentation Clonmel were most impressed by her story, her enthusiasm and her message of hope that is designed to include all who were listening to her. (See Climate Generation – Lorna Gold )
They strongly feel that there needs to be a grassroots response that can drive change, and that makes a difference. Noel commented that there are already advanced plans to run a ‘Fridays for Future’ march in Clonmel on November 29th with “System Change not Climate Change” being the anthem for all.
Sharing an ‘inter-generational experience
Noel mentioned that when they all arrived at the Cork Inter-generational Climate Conference the first move by the organisers was to separate attendees into different groups, “a good move”. Noel explained. At Noel’s table was an 83 year old Sister in the mix of about 9 or 10 at the table. On the face of it the students at the table would be forgiven if they glossed over the odd contribution as there was a lot to take on board. However, when this Sister spoke, she brought to the conversation her experience in Africa working in Tropical Medicines for 20 years. She spoke of her involvement with the efforts that began on what we now know to be the “Great Green Wall”, as a means of halting desertification. This illustrated the strength of the inter-generational approach and such was the conversation of this 83 year old that she became the esteemed elder at their table, the “cool” Sister.
The students were also learning that there needs to be a refocusing of the lens on power, equality and justice.
Changes can be small and can come from humble beginnings
Noel gave the example of an action in his school around the the exorbitant number plastic bottles that arrive into the school daily. There needed to be a change. So he estimated the number of plastic bottles that would be used over a period of school time, and gathered them all together, and at a prayer service at St. Patrick’s Well in Clonmel he put them all in a net and threw them onto the lake to show the effect of so much plastic in a place of beauty. The sheer size of what could be seen, was enough for all to get the message, and so now plastic bottle usage is banned in the school. He also flagged two potential reactions to all this Climate Crisis information:
- a danger of a narrative of despair overwhelming all, adding to a sense of powerlessness.
- people thinking, “I care about all this in my head, but it doesn’t affect me enough to make a lifestyle change”.
He spoke about the need to normalise the necessary behaviours that prompt change, and of there being a very definite felt need for actions and not words. Armed with facts and knowledge we can take reasoned and reasonable action that will bring about change.
Creating the narrative of hope
Noel concluded by saying that we need to create the narrative of hope, reminding those in the room of the fact that it is they who carry the precious memory of sustainability. They all grew up in a time when nothing was wasted. This could be their gift to the inter-generational network. He also spoke about the importance of questioning ‘the statistics’ as we have also been urged to do by President Higgins, when he spoke at the Inter-generational Conference. Knowledge can empower, as action takes courage.
However, he said, change will happen when we disrupt the system and that there is a known formula (that has been proven all over the world again and again) to bring about effective change it is: “When 2% – 3 % of the people of a nation come out in protest, change happens”.
This Justice Day ended positively with the introduction of the NEP Sustainable Living Resource Booklet Sustainable Living Booklet – NEP Justice Day 2019 and with everyone feeling energised and hopeful having benefited from the information content and shared discussion.
Now to action!
Note: The material for this article was edited from copy shared by Brian O’Toole, Director of Presentation Sisters Justice Desk for Ireland and England. See section on our website HERE
