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The need for a new vision of the universe

Thursday, 23 May 2013 12:07

We must begin to re-think our relationship to the earth and to its life-supporting resources. We need to re-imagine our place in the universe.

Our use of the earth as a resource of meeting our human needs and wants has brought us to a point where it is clear that the earth will not be such a fruitful resource for our children and grandchildren. We have for so long thought of ourselves as somehow different from, and superior to, all of creation. As rational creatures, with a free will, we were somehow exceptional in the universe, leading us to value our own needs and/or wants over the needs and interests of all other dimensions of creation. This has led us to a cultural and technological approach to nature which denies the value of the bio-systems that surround us.

But the Hebrew Scriptures make clear that God found all of creation to be good, indeed very good. Human beings, according to Genesis, were created last, as the final touch on the magnificent work of creation. God demanded that human beings care for creation, and with human reason and human free will, such a responsibility was a reasonable demand by the Creator God. But what does care mean? This has been a question sidestepped or simply ignored in our drive to exploit the resources of creation to meet every human desire.

For a long time, the Passionist priest and cultural historian and self-proclaimed eco-theologian Thomas Berry called for a re-imagining of our place in the universe. Nature is not primarily a resource to be exploited, home for many living and dynamic systems of life. The dynamic flaring forth of the universe from its beginning until now is the flaring forth of humanity as part and parcel of the dynamics that constitute the universe. The universe is not “other” to us, but is mother to us!

Seven years ago, at Sacred Heart Church in the Waterfront South neighborhood of Camden, 300 people gathered, and one of the emphases in ministry that the group adopted for our parish was the environment. What was clear to us, given our physical location in, arguably, one of the most environmentally devastated places on planet earth, was that we must address issues of environmental justice. We must address them not only because the lives of our children and grandchildren will depend upon it, but in response to the call of God in Genesis, that humanity care for the earth and all its abundance. Pope John Paul II, in the latter years of his papacy, increasingly yoked work for peace and justice with a renewed commitment to caring for the earth.

Out of that communal affirmation, the Center for Environmental Transformation was born. It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate people on issues related to environmental justice, to caring for the earth and all its inhabitants.

The Center is home to a 24-bed retreat space which opened in 2009 and has hosted two dozen groups from universities and high schools in the region. We also have a fully functioning greenhouse, where 13,000 organic heirloom seedlings are grown each year. We maintain a native plant nursery, two vegetable gardens, a fruit orchard and a tree nursery. Young people work in the garden as Junior Farmers, learning everything about food, from seed to table. We host a Farmer’s Market every Friday from 4-7 p.m. at 1729 Ferry Ave., co-hosted with Philadelphia’s GreensGrow.

In June of 2009 one of our sources of inspiration and guidance, Thomas Berry, died. In his honor we began the Thomas Berry lecture, held each October. Our first speaker was Professor Mark Graham, a member of the Theology and Religious Studies Department at Villanova University. The second speaker was Miriam MacGillis, founder of Genesis Farm in northern New Jersey. Last year we had Judy Wicks, founder of the White Dog Café in Philadelphia, and founder and current executive director of the Philadelphia Network of Sustainable Businesses.

On Oct. 7 at 3 p.m. the fourth Annual Thomas Berry lecture will feaure Dr. Mary Evelyn Tucker, professor in the School of Divinity at Yale University, also with an appointment in the School of Forestry and Environmental Science. (See sidebar.)

These lectures, the gardens and orchards and the retreat facility are the realization of that communally-generated dream in October 2005. For all of us at the Center, the grace of God has been at work in this effort since the beginning. The 21st Century will be the context for a great struggle about how we are to understand our relationship to the bounty of creation. The Center has positioned itself to do its “bit” in steering that struggle toward a more reverent and grateful celebration of God’s gift to all of us.

Mark Doorley is president of the Center for Environmental Transformation Board.

Praise must be deserved, not merely conferred

Columns

Thursday, 23 May 2013 12:07

A few nights ago, on PBS, I heard a man refer to the fact that many people are lacking in vitamin P, which it turns out refers to “praise.” He explained that a secret of successful management is to dole out this elusive expression of approval to those worthy of its receipt. For maximum benefit, it must be precise, periodic and personal. I thought a great deal about what I had heard and came to several conclusions.

First of all, praise must be deserved, not merely conferred. While some parents are so liberal with admiration for their offspring for the simple act of breathing that these children are convinced that they are superior to most of humanity, others selfishly hoard their praise and rarely if ever offer a word of encouragement to children who try their best to earn a simple gesture of support for their efforts. Surely there are occasions when a pat on the back, a hug or a thumbs up would reassure the child that he is worthy of parental love. This is when the “three p’s” mentioned above come into play. Every child has some special gift or talent, and the periodic reference to that specific talent is a reminder of the personal bond between the individuals.

In church, we speak of praising our Creator, and this is a necessary part of the worship of God. We can extend that worship by recognizing that we are his creations, and because of this we also have an obligation to one another. This can take the form of civility toward one another, including making it a habit of recognizing the achievements of others. It is unlikely that one of our neighbors is going to be the recipient of a Nobel Prize, but if the lady next door has an exceptionally attractive garden, I’m sure she would welcome your comment that you enjoy seeing it when you pass by her front yard.

I recall being in a restaurant and being seated adjacent to a young family with four children, ranging in age from 5 or 6 years old to several months. The parents were completely at ease dining out with their offspring and shared the duties of tending to their needs. In turn, the children ate what was placed in front of them, and they actually conversed with each other and with their parents. The oldest girl helped with the feeding of her siblings. I was so impressed that I stopped on the way out to commend this family on its exemplary comportment. This mother and father seemed genuinely pleased that someone not only noticed their efforts but stopped to comment on what for them was probably routine behavior. I have a feeling that the children are worthy of praise and receive it precisely, periodically, and personally. Surely this family suffers no deficiency of vitamin P.

Feeling guilty? Good.You should

Columns

Thursday, 23 May 2013 12:07

My life of crime began and ended when I was 9 years old.

On a shopping trip to a discount store with my grandmother, our neighbor and her daughter, I spied just what I needed: hangars that held men’s socks. I grabbed three for my little Barbie family, intent on displaying their pretty 1960s clothes on them.

I got them home and, overwhelmed by guilt, walked them to the neighbor, handing them off to her for her dolls with no word about my larceny. I never stole anything again. I couldn’t have handled it.

Guilt was very powerful in my child’s brain. I’m glad it was. It led me to be honest — maybe a little too scrupulous in some minds, but just basically honest in my own.

If you’re Catholic, especially if you are Catholic and of a certain age, you’ve probably heard the phrase “Catholic guilt” and more than a joke or two about it as well. Maybe you’ve even been mocked for your own healthy dose of it.

Guilt is not a popular subject. It wasn’t when I was a teen in the 1970s, and I think it is even less so now. Our culture eschews “black and white,” and we are so intent on expanding our freedoms or not treading on someone else’s that we hesitate to voice what we think is right or wrong. We advocate maintaining a clean conscience even if we violate what may have been social norms for decades. Guilt is the enemy.

I think we need to bring it back. I think human beings are — or were — inclined to feel guilt for a reason. It’s a kind of moral barometer that protects us from ourselves. Maybe it’s not as unhealthy as some would like us to believe.

Ultimately it’s not my place to judge you or yours to judge me. Maybe it’s not even our place to judge ourselves. Perhaps we just leave that to God. But I think when you feel that little nudge of guilt, maybe it’s not a half bad idea to embrace it and learn from it. Maybe a little guilt is a good thing after all.

Patricia Quigley is a freelance writer from Incarnation Parish, Mantua.

God, me and the Boss

Columns

Thursday, 23 May 2013 12:07

I’ll admit it. The first time I saw Bruce Springsteen in concert I got weepy.

Anyone who knows me even a teeny bit, knows that I adore The Boss. I think a lot of his music is cerebral, addresses social justice issues, tackles coming-of-age and working-man topics (though I am long past that stage of life and am in a middle-class job), employs numerous spiritual references and tells a good story. Plus, OK, he’s an Irish-Italian-Catholic Jersey boy and, well, I think he’s handsome.

The first time I saw him perform it was during his acoustical tour several years ago at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. I went with one of my best friends — also a big fan — and her eldest son. We had tried before to get tickets to a concert, and we finally did. And it was a wonderful intro to a Bruce concert; we have since seen his Seeger Sessions tour and three performances with the E Street Band, two of them superb beyond description.

But that night, that very first concert, was to be more special than I could have anticipated. I first heard “Drive All Night,” a heartbreaker of a love song. I was mesmerized by his cover of Suicide’s “Dream, Baby, Dream.” And I enjoyed many of his major hits.

But none of those is the reason my heart moved me toward tears. That had to do more with God than with “Thunder Road” or “Born in the USA.” At that time in my life, I had four personal things — items just for me, smaller than the “making-a-difference-in-the-world” type of goals — on what today would be called a bucket list. Seeing Springsteen perform was one of the four. But I never really expected to do any of them for a variety of reasons, including a health concern that made attending concerts in a major venue a bit of an issue.

That night, that first concert, I realized God had given me a wonderful gift, and that was the emotional trigger for me. He enabled me to realize a dream. He gave me hope. Since then, He has opened many other doors for me and handed me many other gifts, perhaps the biggest one the ability to recognize so many of life’s blessings for what they are — blessings and not just mere coincidence or lucky breaks.

I still haven’t knocked the other three items off my list, but I am looking forward to working with God to accomplish them as well. With God, I do indeed believe all things are possible, even something as small in the scheme of things — but large in one person’s life — as attending a concert with good friends to hear the performance of a lifetime.

Patricia Quigley is a freelance writer and member of Incarnation Parish, Mantua.

Living in the only country they have ever known

Columns

Thursday, 23 May 2013 12:07

Rafael recently came to my office with his 16 year old daughter, Mimi. He wanted to sign Mimi up for what he called the “Dream Act,” but he didn’t know all of the details of this new immigration policy, all he knew was that Aug. 15 was the day that the “Dream Act” started and that he was counting on the Camden Center for Law and Social Justice (CCLSJ) to answer his questions.

Mimi’s father asked if this new policy would mean that his daughter could finish school in peace. He asked if his daughter would be able get a job and go out with her friends without having to live in fear of being sent to a “home” country she hadn’t been to since she was 2. And he asked again, just to be sure that I knew what I was dealing with not just government immigration forms, but people, families and children.

I carefully explained to him that the Dream Act was in fact an application to be eligible for a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). To be eligible, a person must have to have come to the United States under the age of 16, resided here for at least five continuous years, been living in this country before June 15, 2012, be currently enrolled in school or have graduated from school or served in the US armed forces, be under the age of 31, not have any felony convictions, and have less than three serious misdemeanor convictions. I told Rafael that the DACA program does not grant citizenship, but merely allows the approved individual to stay in the U.S. for two years without threat of deportation. Approved individuals also will receive a Social Security card and “working papers.” The Social Security card allows these newly documented workers to work, but does not guarantee that they will receive government benefits.

Mimi and her dad were just two of the thousands of people who came to offices like mine on Aug. 15 to file for DACA. Reliable estimates for how many people are eligible for this program nationally range from 1.2-1.7 million people. They are usually referred to as Dreamers.

In the two weeks since Rafael and Mimi came to our office, we have been contacted by increasing numbers of Dreamers. We have met with scores of clients for consultations and to complete DACA applications. When preparing and submitting applications for clients, we must review and include documents (i.e school records showing consistent school enrollment, health records, bills, etc.) Even though the program is still quite new, we have begun to notice some trends:

— Over 90 percent of the Dreamers we have met with have been exceptional students. It is not uncommon for clients to come to the office bearing not only school transcripts, but also honor roll awards, dean’s list certificates and perfect attendance honors.

— Many clients who are currently in high school did not know that they were in the US undocumented until DACA was announced. These kids lived their lives believing that they were citizens and did not learn otherwise until informed by their parents. The reason they were told of their status was because of the DACA program. Typically, before the announcement of this new policy, these young people find out about their undocumented status when other students are completing college applications and financial aid forms, because they usually can’t.

— Every high school student client I have seen wants to go to college, and nearly all of the clients I have seen who have graduated high school ask if they will be allowed to attend college if their DACA application is approved. That question we can’t answer, because it is up to the state and/or college who they will allow to apply, and like all prospective students they have to come up with a way to pay for it.

— The applicants in their 20s, who have worked in the past, have found it difficult to find a job. Many of the ones who did work did so for wages that were well below the federal and New Jersey minimum wages. Some were outright exploited and victims of extortion.

The trends I saw provided concrete proof of the Dreamer’s true dilemma, that while they have been Americans in so many ways, they have never been given the chance to be a part of America. Two weeks on, the Dreamers keep coming, and happily I can tell them the same thing that I told Mimi: You don’t have to be afraid to live in the only country you have ever known.

Jeffrey DiCristofaro is the executive director of the Camden Center for Law and Social Justice, Diocese of Camden.