Pope Francis has published an Apostolic Exhortation building on his 2015 encyclical. We’re not reacting enough, he says, we’re close to breaking point. He criticises climate change deniers, saying that the human origin of global warming is now beyond doubt. And he describes how care for our common home flows from the Christian faith.

“’Praise God’ is the title of this letter. For when human beings claim to take God’s place, they become their own worst enemies.”

Every three years the Carmelites are called to a Chapter where all positions are relinquished and new or renewed appointments are made. And so it is that the Australia & Timor Leste Province has concluded its Chapter and our Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Commission becomes open to a new team.

After 13 years on this team I will no longer be serving in this ministry acknowledging that it is time for a change, but grateful that the passion is still burning for God’s work in helping to make the world a better place. It has been enlivening and a privilege to bring before you the need for all of us to live out our faith in justice and in peace, as demonstrated with the vision and inspiring words of Pope Francis’, captured so beautifully in ‘Let us Dream’. 

pdf JPIC Newsletter No. 121 December 2022

As violence in Australia appears to be endemic it’s heartening to see that the Australian Bishops have used their social justice statement, “ pdf Respect: Confronting Violence and Abuse” to condemn the scourge of domestic and family violence. In doing so they have underlined the importance of respect saying that…

• pdf JPIC Newsletter No. 120 November 2022

The Letter tells the story about the Pope’s call to care for our planet. For info on translated versions and how to take action, visit https://TheLetterFilm.org

In 2015, Pope Francis wrote Laudato Si’ (The Letter); an encyclical letter about the environmental crisis to every single person in the world. A few years later, four voices that have gone unheard in global conversations have been invited to an unprecedented dialogue with the Pope. Hailing from Senegal, the Amazon, India, and Hawai’i, they bring perspective and solutions from the poor, the indigenous, the youth, and wildlife into a conversation with Pope Francis himself.

As Christians we are called to accept the world as a sacrament of communion, as a way of sharing with God and our neighbours on a global scale. It is our humble conviction that the divine and the human meet in the slightest detail in the seamless garments of God’s creation, in the least speck of dust of our planet (LS #9)

Download our latest JPIC Newsletter: pdf JPIC Newsletter No. 119 October 2022

During the Season of Creation, our common prayer and action can help us listen for the voices of those who are silenced. In prayer we lament the individuals, communities, species, and ecosystems who are lost, and those whose livelihoods are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. In prayer we centre the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.

The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment. It is an annual ecumenical season where we pray and act together as a Christian family for our common home.

During the Season of Creation, our common prayer and action can help us listen for the voices of those who are silenced. In prayer we lament the individuals, communities, species, and ecosystems who are lost, and those whose livelihoods are threatened by habitat loss and climate change. In prayer we centre the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.

The burning bush is the Symbol for the Season of Creation 2022. Today, the prevalence of unnatural fires are a sign of the devastating effects that climate change has on the most vulnerable of our planet. Creation cries out as forests crackle, animals flee, and people are forced to migrate due to the fires of injustice.

The Australian Catholic Bishops Social Justice Statement, Respect: Confronting Violence and Abuse, points out that the roots of domestic and family violence “lie in the abuse of power to control and dominate others” and that “this stands in contrast to the relationships to which God calls us”.

Sunday 3^rd July will see many prominent members of our Catholic Church come together for the continuation of the momentous event in our Australian Church, he Second General Assembly of the Plenary Council as well as the opening of NAIDOC Week.

"As a human species we are increasingly disconnected from the planetary ecosystem that sustains our life. We are now living in what scientists describe as the anthropocene, a new era where the actions of human beings threaten the future of entire species, including our own." There is a movement of people all over the world, including here in Australia and New Zealand, seeking ways to address the issue of climate change and caring for our planet. Read our JPIC Newsletter for June.

pdf JPIC No. 116 June 2022

Timor-Leste will celebrate 20 years of independence on 20 May, the anniversary of the day the United Nations, which ran the country for 2 and a half years, handed over power to East Timorese leaders. Mayra Walsh, Fr Carlito da Costa Araújo and Fr Wayne Stanhope reflect on Timor's journey to independence and the involvement of the Australian Carmelites in this month's issue of our JPIC Newsletter.

  pdf Read this issue

Catholic Religious Australia has published a special issue of its newsletter, Just Now, to help us think about some important issues of justice, that should be raised in the2022 Federal election. It outlines principles of Catholic Social Teaching to help to guide your consideration of these issues, as well as some questions that could be posed when examining the policies of political partiesand candidates.

pdf Just Now Edition 9

This month we reflect and recognise the part that the Press and journalists play in risking their lives to bring us truthful, current news as the world celebrates their achievements on World Press Freedom Day on 3 May. Carmelites also commemorate the work of Dutch journalist and academic Titus Brandsma O.Carm, soon to be canonised on 15 May.  Peter Thomas has had a fulfilling career in this area himself and has written with great passion the parallels he sees in how the work of Titus Brandsma and World Press Freedom Day are connected.

pdf Read the newsletter

Carmelites have a keen sense of justice, both ad intra and ad extra. They understand that justice has a number of meanings: it is a virtue of God; it is the urgent and necessary expression of love for the needs of today: it is the existence of right relationship.

Amidst what seems to be the opening of a chaotic year, there is much to concern us, both in our own local sphere and world-wide. As we draw on our faith to bring hope and direction to our lives, we take encouragement from Pope Francis’ words of Peace in his World Peace Day Message. We are not passive observers in this evolutionary story.  We are also encouraged to discern and reflect on how we can contribute to world peace and peace in our neighbourhood and communities.

Read our pdf JPIC Newsletter

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26 and as the Glasgow Conference, is about to start at the end of this week in Scotland.  Coming to agreement and contributing to fruitful decisions to overcome the disastrous effects of climate change are just some of the big questions governments in the world are facing, together, as one humanity. Our November JPIC issue encourages us to raise awareness of this important meeting in Glasgow; to pray that the Holy Spirit will walk prophetically with those leaders involved in the discussions to find fair solutions for the many crises troubling our world.

  pdf Read our newsletter

The Australian Bishops Social Justice Statement, Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor encourages us to LISTEN with an open heart to those who are most affected by the many crises our world is facing. We can begin, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to discern the signs of the times. 

During Week 4 of Seasons of Creation we are invited into ongoing conversion, to transform our outlook and actions to be in accord with the loving presence of God.

  pdf Read our reflections here

Who is leading new projects to protect and sustain the environment? Young people, beyond a doubt. They know well that social and environmental progress are very connected. Older people can learn a great deal from the young. “Let us take advantage of their example,” as the Pope says, “and reflect on our lifestyle, especially during these moments of health, social and environmental crisis.” Share this message of Francis with your family and friends. Watch here