Huerto escolar JM

Desde la Escuela Infantil Jesús-María, movidas por la 3ª Prioridad del XXXVI Capítulo General de la Congregación de las Religiosas de Jesús-María, con el lema “Un modo de vida comprometido con la justicia, la paz y la integridad de la creación”, este año estamos llevando a cabo el proyecto pedagógico “Huerto escolar JM”, con el deseo profundo de poder transmitir a nuestros alumnos la urgente necesidad de cuidar nuestro mundo.

Comenzamos preparando el terreno, amasando la tierra, abonando… y con mucho cariño y mimo este sueño se fue haciendo realidad. Todos nuestros alumnos, de 0 a 6 años, han estado 

involucrados.
Los más pequeños, plantando semillas de habas en tiestos, que luego trasplantamos; y los más grandes directamente en la tierra sembrando habas, ajos, zanahorias, guisantes, acelgas y espinacas. Agradecemos también el apoyo y ayuda de las familias. Además, hemos plantado árboles frutales, manzanos, ciruelos, cerezos, perales… Es muy bonito verles mirar la tierra, esperar con ilusión los primeros brotes, los saltos de alegría al ver las plantas crecer y la calidad de su mirada con la esperanza puesta en los frutos y verduras que cogerán.

España

3 Prioridad: Un modo de vida comprometido con la justicia, la paz y la integridad de la creación (español)

En el día de santa Claudina, 
recordamos nuestra 3 Prioridad...

"Escucha lo que el Señor te pide: es tan sólo que practiques la justicia, que ames con ternura, que camines humildemente con tu Dios" (Miqueas 6,8)

"Ponemos los medios para defender la vida humana en todas sus etapas, para actuar contra la violencia, promover los derechos humanos, especialmente la dignidad y promoción de la mujer y favorecer una cultura de la paz y del perdón" (AC. 96)

"La crisis ecológica es una cuestión moral. El respeto por la vida y por la dignidad de la persona humana, se extiende también al respeto por la creación.”(Jornada por la Paz, enero 1990, Juan Pablo II)

MOTIVACIÓN

Vemos con angustia cómo crece la violencia y la falta de paz en nuestro mundo, así como el abuso de la tierra y sus recursos.

En el fondo de esta situación se percibe una ruptura de las relaciones con Dios, con los demás, con la creación y con nosotras mismas. La necesidad de sanar esta ruptura nos impulsa a trabajar para restaurar la armonía y el cuidado mutuo, que sabemos es el deseo de Dios para este mundo.

Aceptamos esta llamada con la convicción de que, uniéndonos con otros y otras que comparten nuestra inquietud, podemos convertirnos en una fuerza para el cambio.

Este compromiso nos desafía a:

·Ensanchar nuestra capacidad de amar, admirar y disfrutar la belleza de nuestro mundo y, a la vez, dejarnos afectar por su sufrimiento.

· Examinar con decisión y sinceridad nuestros modos habituales de actuar. Abrirnos al aprendizaje de otros modos de hacer.

· Reconocernos parte de la creación y asumir la responsabilidad de protegerla y cuidarla.

LINEAS DE ACCIÓN

1. Escuchamos y estamos al lado de las víctimas de la injustica y la violencia para actuar en su favor.

2. Nos comprometemos en el uso responsable de los recursos naturales y el cuidado de la tierra a nivel personal, en nuestras comunidades, centros educativos y en todos nuestros apostolados.

3. Nos unimos e implicamos en organismos e instituciones que actúan a favor de la ecología, los Derechos Humanos, sobre todo de las mujeres y niños/as.

4.  Fortalecemos nuestra pertenencia y compromiso con la misión de UNANIMA.

5.  Promovemos una educación que fomenta la participación ciudadana, la conciencia crítica y el uso responsable de los medios de comunicación.

3 Prioridad - en Puerto LLeras, COLOMBIA

OBJETIVO: Favorecer la cultura de la paz, el perdón y el cuidado de la creación.  (cfr. AC 96)

Líneas de acción para promover la paz y la justicia:

• Favorecer la vivencia de los Derechos Humanos sobre todo aquellos que corresponden a  las mujeres y a los niños.
• Ir al encuentro del hermano en búsqueda de la armonía y la fraternidad.
• Tener presente que “La paz empieza en el corazón” (Papa Francisco).

Líneas de acción para el promover la armonía con la creación:

• Proteger  la creación, cuidarla y  respetarla.
• Ensanchar nuestra capacidad de amar y disfrutar la belleza de nuestro mundo y a la vez dejarnos cuestionar por su deterioro. 
• Actuar en favor de la ecología.

ACCIONES QUE PROMUEVEN LA VIVENCIA DE LA PAZ,  LA JUSTICIA Y LA ARMONÍA CON LA CREACIÓN:

Hace parte de su formación el entrenamiento para saber agradecer los dones recibidos mediante un momento de encuentro personal con Dios, que se tiene al final de la jornada, realizando una visita a  Jesús Sacramentado.  Allí los niños encuentran  el espacio apropiado para experimentar la necesidad de llevar a Dios en el corazón como requisito indispensable para vivir en armonía con ellos mismos, con los demás, con la creación y con el mismo Dios.

La hora del perdón, en el Estadio, COLOMBIA

Con Santa Claudina y a ejemplo de Jesús en la cruz queremos escuchar, y practicar “LA LLAMADA AL PERDÓN, LA RECONCILIACIÓN Y LA SANACIÓN; MOTIVO POR EL CUAL SENTIMOS UNA HONDA NECESIDAD DE:

La dimensión profética del PERDÓN Y LA RECONCILIACIÓN nos desafía a:

Convent of Jesus and Mary School (Junior Section), Karachi, Pakistan

Priority 3 :

Living a  life committed to Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation

"The ecology crisis is a moral issue ... respect for life and for the dignity of the human person extends also to the rest of creation.”

Message of Pope John Paul II for the Day of Peace, 1990

We look with anguish on the violence and lack of peace in our world, the abuse of the earth and her resources, all signs of the breakdown of right relationship with God, with others, with creation and with ourselves. The need to heal this brokenness impels us to work for the restoration of the harmony and mutual care that we know to be God’s own desire for the world.

Exchange views on the 3 Priority

The Staff assembled in the Senior School Staff Room, to exchange views on the Third Priority “Justice-Peace and Integrity of Creation”.

To see: ppt

St Agnes' high school, Byculla, Mumbai

Province of Pune, India

Para escuchar ...

JPIC Initiatives in USA Province

Sisters in the Washington, DC/Maryland area have focused on the 2^nd Chapter Priority, Looking on our World Through the Eyes of Claudine, and Responding to its Miseries. Our Provincial Chapter saw that one of the needs in our midst was the plight of refugees, and called us to reach out to them.  Our region, which includes the nation’s capital, has received many immigrants fleeing poverty or persecution.

RJM are connected with three groups:

The Interfaith Round Table was established by a non-profit organization, Human Rights First, which works with asylum seekers, i.e., persons fleeing persecution.  Through this organization, we have helped a family of four from El Salvador with housing, “adopted” another family at Christmastime by providing gifts, and contributed to a winter clothing drive. The latest initiative of the Human Rights First group is sponsoring workshops that inform underrepresented families of their rights and connects them to legal services. In the present political climate, this is a vital need.

A Coalition of Participants from Pax Christi, Temple Beth Ami, and the Islamic Center of Maryland has welcomed RJM into their circle of supporters for two Syrian families.  Communities have budgeted for a monthly contribution to one family to help meet their needs, and have registered the families for assistance at a parish food pantry.  As important as material help is the communication of welcome and acceptance.

St. Camillus Catholic Parish coordinates some services to immigrant families, including transportation to required court appearances, as they seek documentation that assures legal status in the country.  One RJM, a member of the parish council, has taken part in this service. 

Knowledge will bring us an opportunity to make a difference

St.Anne’s High School

India, Pune Province

Celebration of Claudine's Ideals

CJM, School, Kharghar

India, Pune Province

 

On the eve of country’s   68^th Republic Day on 26^th January, 2017; Convent of Jesus And Mary High School and Junior college, Kharghar proudly celebrated the glory of the day with great solemnity and grandeur. The day upholded one of Saint Claudine’s priority:-‘Living a life committed to justice, peace and the integrity of creation.

The celebrations of the day started with great éclat that showcased meaningful prayer service on the theme’ I, We and You Can Change The Country With Love, Peace And Mercy’. Which was followed by the cultural programme instilling vibes of patriotism around.

The virtue of being a responsible citizen of the country was dutifully exhibited by the staff and students along with the PTA members and the ex-students of the school through an awareness rally conducted in the vicinity of the school. It propagated the message of ‘Save girl child’ ‘and ‘Swachh Bharat’.The students along with the staff, voiced slogans and conducted street play.

The rally was quite successful and impressive enough as it enthralled the on-lookers gathered on the road to imbibe the message of  the ardent necessity to save girl child as the students of ‘Save girl child’ rally made people aware that just like a boy even a girl has the right to live a dignified and a respectful life. She is not to be subdued or ill-treated because she is born as a girl.

While the students of ‘Swachh Bharat’, made people realise it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to keep their city clean and green and also zealously picked up the debris from the road with the motto of keeping our surrounding clean

Thus, the day instilled in young minds the need to create a justified country and the necessity to uphold the honour, integrity and uniqueness of India by oneself first becoming its responsible and dutiful citizen.

Care for Creation and Forgiveness leads to Peace

Special Assemblies with the theme "Care for Creation" and "Forgiveness leads to Peace". 

Vasai, India

School assemblies help in creating awareness and motivate students to action.

Priority 2: Gazing On Our World With The Eyes Of Claudine, And Responding To Its Miseries - From Brigdes, USA

Sr. Helen Mary Haigh Provincial of Europe, shared the text of a talk given by one of our Syrian sisters, Sr. Annie Demerjian. During October, Sr. Annie was in England, speaking there to various groups on behalf of her people. An excerpt from her presentation is given below.

Sr. Annie Demerjian.
Syria

Iet me tell you that what we are experiencing in Syria, especially in the city of Aleppo, is indescribable and chilling. All human values given by God to man in order to live in peace and dignity have been obliterated from the scene.

We are faced with a broken city where life does not exist. What Aleppo is going through at all levels did not happen to any other city, in terms of living, or security. Aleppo has become the ‘city of death and devastation, destruction and violence’ as we live at the mercy of God between fear of the unknown and the hope for peace.....

There is overwhelming despair of life because of the crisis in Aleppo; there famili­arity with death is an everyday experience!

It hurts to wake up in the wee hours of the morning and hear the sound of rockets and shells heaped on residential areas, and find yourself among the piles of rubble and dirt and then having to flee, running everywhere from the intensity of the fear and panic. ...

We have seen children among the wreckage, instead of receiving education in the warmth of the school, they face instead the harshness of life turn on them and make them homeless on the pave­ments. Every day we see Syrian children going out, seeking some income, and looking for their livelihood, ‘Begging’, approaching a man or a woman, afraid of a painful response. Destiny has made of these kids a generation which does not know its way, looking for a livelihood in a time where most of the people do not know the meaning of hunger and oppression, so the only solution for these children is homelessness. ...

Pope Francis said in a message at the occasion of the World Day of Peace 2015, ‘We know that God will ask each and every one of us, What did you do to your brother? The globalization of indifference pressing down heavily on the lives of many sisters and brothers, require from all of us to be the makers of the globalization of solidarity and fraternity capable of giving hope again, and of enabling people to regain the courage to walk through the problems of our time with new visions that God puts in our hands.’

I carry a message from a people who ask you to be makers of peace and reconciliation in order to enjoy peace in my country and the whole world; a peace which is the gift of God to humankind. So, be peacemakers for us and for our children and for the children of the world.” 

If you would like more information, go to http://catholicphilly.com/2016/10/news/world-news/nun

Priority 1: Incarnating forgiveness, reconciliation and healing

GENESIS OF A GARDEN

And it came to pass in the days of the Jubilee Year of Mercy, that Fr. Andrew, pastor at St. Timothy parish in Warwick, RI and Sr. Vivian, RJM conceived the notion of creating a St. Claudine Mercy Garden. Lo, a parish committee of parishioners, Sr. Doris and Sr. Vivian was called forth to meet and “make a plan”. Sr. Vivian sent word to Sr. Patricia Brito who directed her to Sr. Fabian, Provincial of Bolivia, who knew of a sculptor with an extra statue, the first one having been purchased by Sr. Patricia. And, behold, the statue was purchased. Delivery was provided forthwith by American missionary friends.

The people followed the decisions of the committee with all haste. An announcement appeared in the parish bulletin. After Sunday Mass during a “Coffee An’”, the statue was dis­played and donations poured in . . . enough to supply the cost of the statue as well as materials and labor to create the garden.

A garden layout came to fulfillment through the action of Mark and Joan Smith. It was Mark who formed a pedestal of the sort not seen by many. Garden blossoms burst forth wrought by the hands of Mark Smith, Bill Enos and the Palumbos who dug holes; by Ann Stamp Farms for hydrangea bushes; by Brigette of Yard Works for mums. Benches were sought on-line following the wishes of John Page and George Dionne.

There also appeared at the statue’s feet a plaque bearing St. Claudine’s name – a gift from John Robswaw of Jonny’s Signs. And there has been prepared a chronicle for all to read of the life of St. Claudine and how she forgave her brothers’ execution­ers, a sign of great mercy for all to follow. This chronicle has been laminated and affixed to a kiosk that had been crafted by a certain John Kramer who had himself fashioned it at an earlier time for Bethany Spirituality Center. It was covered in a weather-proofing element by John Page and fixed in cement at the entrance of the garden. More weather protection was made in the form of a plexiglass cover that was fashioned by Anthony and Rita from Laird’s Plastics. Rising to heaven is a continuous prayer of gratitude for all these benefits of time, funds and materials.

An appointed time has been set for a gathering to bless the statue and garden – it being announced to take place on Sunday, November 7, 2016 after the 9:30 a.m. Mass.

Readers of the chronicle are led to offer this plea:

“St. Claudine, please obtain for us/for me the gift of willing forgiveness.”

Sr. Doris Bissonnette RJM

From the left: Srs. Janice Farnham, Jeannine Cote, Sandra Salazar, Doris Bissonnette, Fr. Andrew Messina,
Srs. Vivian Patenaude, Roseline Marcoux, Alice Ouimette, and Therese Picard

¿Cómo soñar un mundo mejor? Empieza por ti... desde Colombia

Las Religiosas de Jesús María como signo de su compromiso con el cuidado de la creación, a lo largo del segundo semestre de 2016, en la Fundación Búsqueda y Rescate, en la ciudad de Bogotá, representadas por la H. Marta Moreno Rjm, Estudiante de 10° Semestre de Licenciatura en Biología, han estado desarrollando proyecto titulado: ¿Cómo soñar un mundo mejor? Empieza por ti… Ella, desde su práctica comunitaria, ha tratado de enseñar a una población de 20 niños y jóvenes, los cuidados ambientales que debemos tener y la importancia de los recursos naturales como el agua, el aire, la energía y la vida silvestre de Colombia, llevándolos a valorar el hecho de que esta nación está clasificada como el 2°país más megadiverso del mundo.

La Fundación Búsqueda y Rescate fue fundada en septiembre de 2010, por el señor Oscar Esguerr. Ella pretende ser agente de cambio para la sociedad, enfocándose en el trabajo integral con niños y adolescentes, el cual más adelante es complementado con diversas actividades destinadas a sus respectivas familias.

La metodología empleada para este proyecto se basa en el juego como táctica de aprendizaje y al mismo tiempo como método de enseñanza.  Los niños y los jóvenes que llegan a la fundación vienen de realidades difíciles y logran encontrar en ella y en su propuesta de trabajo, un espacio para aprender de manera agradable, divertida y alegre.

Al mismo tiempo, dicha Fundación pretende que los niños y jóvenes, al finalizar la experiencia, hayan aprendido el manejo de las basuras por medio del reciclaje y mediante la elaboración de manualidades utilizando materiales desechables. De esta manera logran prepararse para darle un mejor uso al plástico y al papel que suele tirarse a la basura.

CANADA-PÉROU

NOUS ENGAGER

POUR LA JUSTICE, LA PAIX

ET L’INTÉGRITÉ DE LA CRÉATION

Animation au Collège Dina-Bélanger

(Saint-Michel de Bellechasse)

Le 22 février, le 16 mars et le 15 avril 2016, Sœur Jacqueline Poulin, membre du comité JPIC,  a rencontré 10 groupes de jeunes de la 1^ère à la 5^e secondaire pour leur présenter un power point en lien avec la 3^e priorité du chapitre général.  Ce power point consistait à montrer, à travers le JM international, la mission des Religieuses de Jésus-Marie en lien avec la justice, la paix et l’intégrité de la création.  Nous avons présenté des éléments intéressants dans chaque région de la Congrégation : Afrique, Asie, Amériques et Europe.

Les jeunes du secondaire ont constaté que JM forme une grande famille internationale, à travers une diversité mais aussi une unité dans le charisme et la mission.  La justice, la paix et l’intégrité de la création sont des sujets brulants d’actualité, suscitant un grand questionnement chez les jeunes.

Par cette activité d’ouverture sur le monde, nous avons voulu faire prendre conscience aux jeunes de la valeur d’un engagement concret.  Nous avons senti le cœur de plusieurs jeunes vibrer à la misère, aux questions d’injustices, d’environnement et de paix.

Pour la prochaine année, nous continuerons notre animation dans d’autres milieux scolaires. 

Care for Life...

MIDWAY, a Message from the Gyre is a short film. It is a powerful visual journey into the heart of an astonishingly symbolic environmental tragedy. On one of the remotest islands on our planet, tens of thousands of baby albatrosses lie dead on the ground, their bodies filled with plastic from the Pacific Garbage Patch. Returning to the island over several years, our team is witnessing the cycles of life and death of these birds as a multi-layered metaphor for our times. With photographer Chris Jordan as our guide, we walk through the fire of horror and grief, facing the immensity of this tragedy—and our own complicity—head on. And in this process, we find an unexpected route to a transformational experience of beauty, acceptance, and understanding.

MIDWAY a Message from the Gyre : a short film by Chris Jordan from Midway on Vimeo.

A good Web page!

#EndSlavery is an initiative of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and Pontifical Academy of Sciences for their work to eradicate modern slavery and human trafficking, a task Pope Francis assigned to them in 2013.

http://www.endslavery.va/content/endslavery/en.html

    

"This video was produced for the Vatican's End Slavery project and is intended to bring about awareness of those enslaved and to catalyze the eradication of slavery in our modern world. In conjunction with the world's faith leaders, government bodies, business and media leaders, it is my honor to share these images in the spirit of the global collaboration to end slavery forever".

ES.PE.RE program arrives in Haiti

On May 18 we welcomed Maria de la Paz Viniegra, RJM (Mari Paz) and Haydee Barrera, RJM (Chely) to Port-au-Prince. They are from the Province of Mexico and are assigned to Havana, Cuba.  They came to offer a workshop on ESPERE and to prepare a small group that could then offer it here in Haiti.

The Schools of Forgiveness and Reconciliation, ES.PE.RE., is a pedagogical process where participants relive a painful event in their lives, whether recent or remote, in order to overcome the pain and the feelings of resentment and revenge that limit their enjoyment of life. This process allows the individual to overcome the disagreeable memory of the past, to carry out the processes of restorative justice, and to establish covenants that guarantee the offenses will not be repeated.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation constitute one of the most important assets in the rules of social capital necessary for the progress of people in a globalized world. It prevents and avoids retaliation or the settling of scores, a principal factor in the escalation of interpersonal as well as collective violence.

Words and memory are cultivated in community spaces of renewing encounter and leisure, where versions of individual and collective events are reconstructed from the perspective of encounter, truth, justice, and atonement.

The methodology of ES.PE.RE. (which received an award in 2006 from UNESCO) addresses situations of violence, recog- nizing emotional, discursive, and attitu- dinal factors of social and structural violence. ES.PE.RE is a methodological strategy that seeks each participant to assume an active role and move from being a victim of the offense to being a co-creator of his/her victory. It also seeks to open spaces for conversations about regaining security in oneself and in society and knowing oneself as a member of a network of relationships that have been broken by the attacks of life.

The program consists in 11 modules of work; each module takes about 3 hours. The first six modules are about forgiveness and the last five are about reconciliation. We worked for three intensive days on forgiveness, had a day of rest, and then spent three days on reconciliation. There were 12 people in the group who came from different places in Haiti as well as foreign residents in Haiti. The program took place on the premises of the Institute of Social Doctrine of the Church. The Institute has committed itself to promote and replicate this program with the Religious of Jesus and Mary in Haiti.

For some time, I have wanted to participate in the program and to do it here in Haiti. I have frequently felt the necessi- ty for Haitians to cure their historical, social, political, and personal wounds -- wounds that cause a lot of aggression and violence from all the scarcities and all the problems people have to face each day to survive in a country where life does not have value and the fight to survive has no lim- its or rules.

The experience was moving, deep, shared, cleansing and freeing. It was full of moments of personal and group reflections, of active and symbolic group dynamics that help to understand situations from distinct points of view and to situate oneself in a more detached stance in order to be more objective. A lovely atmosphere of friendship, of deep shared experiences, and of reflection united us in a special way with a desire to bring the program to more people so that they can benefit from its freeing and healing effects.

As a matter of fact, we have organized to begin translating the program into Creole and to organize a plan of action to replicate it in Haiti. I have become the coordinator of ES.PE.RE. in Haiti.

The sisters who gave the workshop, Mari Paz and Chely, were excellent animators and we are profoundly grateful for their having come to Haiti to share this experience with us. It has been worth the effort and we hope that our first Congregational priority may become a reality in Haiti.

Thank you for this beautiful experience!

Thank you to the province of the United States for supporting this initiative. It has been a great gift!

Isabel Solá Matas, RJM

(translated by Margaret Perron, RJM)