Tag: Laudato Si

Go Veggie For Lent

Fattoush salad

Now that the dust has settled after our 150 mile cycle pilgrimage to Paris for the climate talks, it is important that the pace is not lessened in the fight for climate justice. World leaders must be held accountable to the promises made in Paris, and we should take action in our own lives to reduce our carbon footprints.

The rearing of livestock is a huge environmental burden, not only because of the huge amounts of land required to house animals or to grow the grain to feed them, but also because of the emissions generated by their slaughter, packaging and transport.

Lent is usually a time when we think about giving something up, such as alcohol or chocolate, so why not meat? At Justice and Peace, we thought about ways we could continue to pray and fast for the climate, and came up with the idea of producing a Lenten vegetarian cookbook featuring 40 tasty veggie recipes.

However, we need your help!

If you have a vegetarian recipe you would like to share with us then download the form here, fill it out including the ingredients, method, backstory, any credit if necessary, and a photo (of the dish or yourself or both), and send it back to us at justice@rcdow.org.uk no later than Monday 17 January.

Happy eating!

The Paris Diaries – Cycling Pilgrimage

Danny Bonnett, a wind turbine engineer from Bristol and a cycling pilgrim, shares his experiences of the road to Paris.

London Victoria

The group get ready to take the train to Newhaven

Day 1 – Newhaven to Dieppe

Mileage: almost nil.

Events: a few episodes of queasiness, great hospitality in Dieppe, and a great tour of historic churches – if only we had known how cold it was going to be!  Our hosts were so welcoming it was lovely. Continue reading →

Cycling pilgrimage to Paris is just around the corner

Phase 1 of cycle ride

Barbara Kentish and Fr Joe Ryan in front of Westminster Cathedral at the launch of the pilgrimage

With only two weeks to go until our small band of intrepid cyclists pedal to Paris, we are making our last minute preparations, oiling our bike chains and stocking up on puncture repair kits.

There are 17 cyclists in total who will be making the journey, and they represent a diverse group of people of all ages and from different walks of life. We have Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists and Quakers, who have all been inspired to show their support for the upcoming UN climate talks and to lend their voices to the thousands of people who will converge on France’s capital to call for action to lower global carbon emissions. Continue reading →

Westminster Justice & Peace Annual Day 2015

Laudato Si’ – On Care for our Common Home

Fr Joe with J&P supporters

Fr Joe Ryan with J&P supporters

Nine  years after  Columban theologian Sean McDonagh first addressed the Diocesan Justice and Peace Commission he returned to give a wonderfully enriching overview of Pope Francis’s letter, Laudato Si’.  Over seventy people from across the diocese attended the occasion at St John Vianney Parish Centre In Tottenham, as Father Sean rolled out gem after gem of the encyclical, published in May, with illustrations from his own observations and experiences of over 40 years speaking out for the environment.  Continue reading →

The Commission welcomes Pope Francis new Encyclical

We at the Justice and Peace Commission of Westminster Diocese are delighted with Pope Francis’s Encyclical message. For many years we have been promoting the fact that we are Stewards of God’s Creation.

This document is a further wake-up call all to all of humanity that we need to take seriously the task put before us. While we look to our leaders, national and international to guide the way, this does not allow us off the hook!

We need to live simply ourselves and then can invite others to do the same.

We need to enlighten ourselves on the technicalities involved. What does it mean to reduce our Carbon Footprint?

How do nations reduce the dependancy on the use of fossil fuels?

We have serious guidelines from Pope Francis. There is no real ‘hiding place’ for those who would wish to deny that Climate Change has nothing to do with us humans or that rise in temperatures or melting ice packs are not exasperated by our activities.

We owe it to ourselves and future gererations, to continue our efforts of living sustainably. We need a new way of thinking about consumerism and the over-use of our earthly resources.

Here’s hoping we can rise to the challenge!

Fr Joe Ryan,
Chair Westminster Justice and Peace Commission

For the full text of the Popes Encyclical please follow the following Link