In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Diocese of Columbus, they are encouraging all parishes to plant at least one tree in recognition of the historic milestone. The commitment should be done before April 22nd, Earth Day, when Bishop Cambpell will celebrate Mass to recognize the anniversary. The Diocese is also offering a Blessing of a Tree that can be downloaded.
The Bishop of Columbus, Bishop Campbell, will be presenting a series of speeches this March titled God’s Creation, Our Common Home. He will reflect on the encyclical, Laudato Si, which speaks of the relationship with God through creation. He will speak about social, environmental, and moral issues facing all creatures of God. He will also discuss the suffering caused by the opiate addiction crisis.
The Vocation of Agriculture: to Till and Keep God’s Creation is a discussion on the calling of agriculture on Saturday March 25th at St. Joseph Church in Plain City. The challenges of rural workers, rural parishes, and rural communities will be explored. There will be many speakers through the day including Sr. Christine Pratt and Dr. Hitzhusen both of OSU. Participants are encouraged to read Laudato Si and the Vocation to Agriculture by Cardinal Peter K.A. Turkson before attending.
Shepherd’s Corner offers a public walk through there spiritual labyrinth once a month. It is a space for peace, insight, comfort, healing, energy, connection, and letting go. The next walk is offered April 27th from 7-8:30 pm and you must register by April 25. The event is free but a $5 donation is suggested.
On April 21st, the Columbus Veg Community is holding a Catholicism and Veganism presentation at the Columbus Metropolitan Library. The speaker, Madison Maholm, is a passionate Catholic Vegan who is a Worship Leader at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Grove City. In Madison’s presentation, she will speak about how religion impacts all areas of her life, including food. There will be free vegan food provided, and a Q&A session after the presentation.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Grove City is holding an informative and interactive evening designed to provide practical ways to respond to the Catholic faith by caring for our common home. The meeting will be held on October 1st from 6:30 to 8:30 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Life Center, Grove City. There will be two speakers: Jerry Freewalt, director of the diocesan Office of Social Concerns, and Jason Cervenec of the OSU Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center.
How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy is the subtitle of Joanna Macy’s book Active Hope. The book was the inspiration for the Sisters of Earth gathering that took place July 12-15, 2018 at Mount Saint Joseph, home of the Sisters of Charity in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cincinnati was chosen as the location partly because of the ancestral inspiration of Sister of Charity Paula Gonzalez, who promoted solar power and sustainability projects and teachings throughout the Catholic world. This year, nearly 100 women from the United States and Canada gathered, in part, to remember Sister Paula and also to address concerns about the ecological/spiritual crises of our times by asking questions such as: Who are we? Where are we? How did we get here and what is possible? And — where do we go from here?