Three years ago, Dominican Sister of Hope Nancy Erts, OP perfectly described the issue of climate change:
“All other issues are connected to issue of climate change,” she said, calling climate change “fundamental.”
“We are called to be co-creators and co-redeemers of God’s work,” Sister Nancy said. “‘Neighbor’ in the Bible means animals, plants, everything. We need to develop a right relationship with all of those in order to have a right relationship with God.”
The Sisters practice what they preach: along with co-creators and volunteers, the sisters took to the New-York-City streets to stand for environmental justice on Sunday, September 21, 2014 for the People’s Climate March. In the three years since, they have participated in local gardening, climate marches, bee-keeping, monarch butterflies, and various other initiatives to honor and preserve the Earth.
Now, the sisters urge others to join them in advocating for environmental justice. This April, the sisters will gather for another People’s Climate March to “stop the destruction of our environmental protections.”
“Bring your voices. Bring your signs. Bring your love of Earth. Bring your passion for justice,” an invitation to the event reads. For those who cant make it to Washington D.C., a “sister” walk from 11 am to noon in White Plains is another chance to show up and advocate for a healthy future for our common home.
The future, says Dominican Sister of Hope Patricia Jelly, OP, is what fighting climate change is all about.
“Whether we personally have had children or not, we need to be concerned about all of our children, and about future generations” said Sister Pat. (She attended the People’s Climate March in 2014 and she helped to organize so that other sisters could, too.)
According to Sister Pat, the issue of climate change relates to her work in social justice, community organizing, and education. Because all of these issues are connected, working to fix one of them helps to improve them all, thereby creating a better world for everyone.
“We’ve got to realize these connections,” she said. “Dominicans are dedicated to unity with all of the earth. [We are looking for] tangible way[s] to express that unity.”
Join us in gathering together to push forward a vision of a clean, safe world where the rights of all people are protected and expanded. As the 2014 People’s Climate website read:
“With our future on the line and the whole world watching, we’ll take a stand to bend the course of history.”
People’s Climate March
New York City September 21, 2014