Colleagues List, October 29th, 2011

Vol. VII. No. 11

*****

Wayne A. Holst, Editor

*****

Colleagues List Blog:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com/

My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telusplanet.net

*****

Special Item:

In This Issue -

Book Notice for:

"The Other Face of God:
 When the Stranger Calls Us Home"
 by Mary Jo Leddy
___

Colleague Comment:

Joanna Manning
___

Colleague Contributions:

Jim Taylor
Donald Grayston
Doug Shantz
Ralph Milton
___

Net Notes:

Celebrating Divali
Rembrandt's  Jesus
Interfaith at Assisi
Persecution Prevalent
Iceland's Midnight Sun
A New Kind of Christianity
Pope Wants Market Policing
Financial Reforms Required
St. Paul's Cathedral Re-opens
University Apologizes for Abuse
___

Global Faith Potpourri:
Seventeen ENI Geneva stories.
___

Quotes of the Week:

Mother Teresa
Isidore of Pelusium
Jon Sobrino
Joan Chittister
___

On This Day:

Oct. 25, 1971 -  
The UN General Assembly votes to 
admit mainland China and expel Taiwan.

Oct. 26, 1994 - 
Israeli and Jordan PMs Rabin and Majali 
sign peace treaty at ceremony attended 
by President Clinton.

Oct. 28, 1886 - 
The Statue of Liberty, a gift France, 
was dedicated in New York Harbor 
___

Closing Thought: Jesus

(end)

*****

Dear Friends:

I begin on a sad note. Dear colleague
and friend Jon Malinowski, with whom
I worked at the University of Calgary,
died early this week of a brain tumor.
His funeral will be held at the Catholic
Cathedral, Calgary, Monday, October 31st
at 1:00 PM.

He received last weekend's issue of
Colleagues List by signalling that fact
to me. It was our last communication.

---

I am pleased to introduce a new book
just published by colleague Mary Jo Leddy 
and available through the efforts of my
colleagues Robert Ellsberg (Orbis, USA) 
and Joe Sinasac (Novalis, Canada).

My friendship with the Leddy family goes
back many years, and I continue to miss 
deeply Rita Leddy, Mary Jo's mother.

---

Colleague Comment:

Joanna Manning, also a long-time friend 
from Toronto, has happy ordination news 
to share with us this week.
___

Colleague Contributions:

Jim Taylor (Okanagan, BC)  continues
our reflection on the meaning of the
"Occupy Wall Street" movement and
its global offspring.

Donald Grayston (Vancouver, BC) has
a great video clip to share with us
on a marriage ceremony.

Doug Shantz (Calgary, AB) announces
a showing of Zen photography by
Thomas Merton at the Nickle Museum,
University of Calgary

Ralph Milton (Okanagan, BC) known
to most as a writer, now turns his 
hand to photography. I suggest
how you can invite him to send his
pictures to you on a regular basis.
___

Net Notes:

"Celebrating Divali" - this is the
week that Indians, from around the
world, celebrate one of their
major festivals (ENI, Korea Herald)

"Rembrandt's Jesus" - two links
(one visual, one written - to a
lovely exposition on the Jesus
paintings of Rembrandt (America)

"Interfaith at Assisi" - currently,
the pope is hosting representatives of 
world religions (even non-believers)
at Assisi in the tradition of JPII
(ENI, Ucan News, Vatican Insider)

"Persecution Prevalent" - a helpful
editorial describing the current 
persecution of Christians, worldwide 
(Christianweek)

"Iceland's Midnight Sun" - here is
a delight for the eyes by a very
gifted photographer (The Atlantic)

"A New Kind of Christianity" - the
book by Emergent Church leader Brian
McLaren, is reviewed this week in the
Catholic press - a good thing. 
(National Catholic Reporter)

"Pope Wants Market Policing" - here
is a papal response to the current
global demonstrations (Guardian, UK)

"Financial Reforms Required" - in much 
the same framework of thinking, here is 
an editorial from The Tablet, UK. 

"St. Paul's Cathedral Re-opens" - the 
great London cathedral first hosted -
then closed itself - to the "occupiers"
this week, but not without fallout
(The Guardian, UK; ENI)

"University Apologizes for Abuse" -
the president of the University of
Manitoba expressed deep feelings
and an apology at the current Truth
and Reconciliation hearings in Halifax
(Winnipeg Free Press, National Post)

___

Global Faith Potpourri:

This week, I share seventeen stories
from Ecumenical News International,
Geneva.
___

Quotes of the Week:

Mother Teresa, Isidore of Pelusium,
Jon Sobrino, and Joan Chittister
have insight to offer us this week.
___

On This Day:

UN admitted mainland China; and
expelled Taiwan (1971)

Israeli and Jordan sign peace treaty at a 
ceremony attended by President Clinton (1994)

The Statue of Liberty, a gift France, was 
dedicated in New York Harbor (1886) 
___

Closing Thought: 

Jesus (from the Gospel of Thomas)

Here are less 'familiar' but probably
equally 'authentic' words from our
Lord to end our reflections this week.

---

My best, and I hope Colleagues List 
continues to be helpful to you.

Wayne

************************

SPECIAL FALL STUDY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Introducing the Full Program

ST. DAVID'S MONDAY NIGHT STUDY 2011

Series underway:

"Living Ethically Amid Chaos"
 Two Books by Richard Holloway

September 19th - November 28th
TM Room, St. David's United Church
7:00PM - 9:00PM

"Godless Morality" 
 Learning how to separate "God says" 
 from doing what is right

Information about the book from Amazon.ca
http://tinyurl.com/3d45x3t

---

"Between the Monster and the Saint"
 Spiritual support for pursuing a life
 that seeks above all to be good

Information on the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/4369obx

---

Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst

Registration: $25.00 for class fees,
and special hospitality. No more books 
are available. Order from Amazon.ca.

*****

UNIVERSITY TUESDAY NIGHTS

A Study Program Sponsored by:
The Department of Continuing Education
At the University of Calgary

Taught by: Wayne Holst

"God, Atheism and Morality" (ten sessions)
 Tuesday Nights, 7:00PM - 9:00 PM
 September 27th - November 29th

Series underway.

*****

ST. DAVID'S ACTS MINISTRY AND
THE FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE  
ON THE UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY CAMPUS

Series underway:

Welcome to our -

Noon Hour Book Discussions for Faculty, 
Staff and Students Autumn and Winter Series 
for 2011-12

Series One -

"A Public Faith: 
 How Followers of Christ Can Serve the Common Good"
 by Miroslav Volf

Putting your personal faith to work for others.
Oct. 14th - Nov. 25th - six Friday noon sessions

http://www.ucalgary.ca/faithandspirituality/
http://tinyurl.com/42hkejb

---

Series Two -

"An Altar in the World" by Barbara Brown Taylor

Discovering God in the ordinary experiences of life
March 2nd - March 30th - five Friday noon sessions

Time and Location for all sessions:
12:00 to 1:00PM in the Native Centre Board Room
Located above the Dairy Queen, Mac Hall Student's 
Centre

Led by: Wayne Holst, 
Coordinator of the ACTS Ministry, St. David's 
United and a Faith and Spirituality Centre Liaison.

Cost of the books: $15.00 each


http://tinyurl.com/44dobcr

---

Join us this year for stimulating campus discussions!

For more information: Adriana Tulissi 403-220-5451
Co-ordinator, Faith and Spirituality Centre, 
U. of C. - artuliss@ucalgary,ca

*****

SPECIAL ST. DAVID'S LINKS

Contact us at: asdm@sduc.ca (or)admin@sduc.ca
St. David's Web Address - http://sduc.ca/

Listen to audio recordings of Sunday services -
http://sduc.ca/services.htm

*****

STUDY ARCHIVES

A collection of twenty-five+ studies conducted
since 2000 can quickly be found at:
http://bookstudies.stdavidscalgary.net/

This collection of study resources represents
a decade of Monday Night Studies at St. David's,
plus extra courses too!

You are welcome to use our course outlines,
class notes and resource pages in your personal
and group reflections.

******************************************

SPECIAL ITEM

Book Notice for:

THE OTHER FACE OF GOD
When the Stranger Calls Us Home,
by Mary Jo Leddy. October, 2011.
Orbis Books. 150 pages. $20.00 CAD.
ISBN #978-1-57075-910-9.

Book Description:

This book shows us that the refugees who 
live among us are indeed “our neighbors” 
and the lessons we can learn from one another.

Publisher's Promo:

Mary Jo Leddy lives with refugees at Romero 
House, a temporary shelter like no other. 
She invites us to see them with the eyes of 
Christ and begin to know our true selves. 
"There is an African saying that it takes a 
village to raise a child," writes Leddy. 
"At Romero House we say that it takes a 
neighborhood to welcome a refugee. And it 
takes a refugee to make a neighborhood." 
Justice Has a Human Face will inspire you 
and give you a greater understanding of 
what it means to love your neighbor as 
yourself. 

---

Here is Teresita, from Guatemala, who works 
in a cineplex, scrubbing floors, scraping gum 
off seats, and cleaning toilets to support her 
seven-year-old son. Teresita also sends $20 a 
month to World Vision to feed a little boy in 
Mexico because “Jesus says that we have to look 
after those who don’t have as much as we do.”

Here is Deequa, whose leg was torn to shreds 
in Somalia. She walked around in pain with a
 wooden stump. When Deequa at last receives 
an artificial leg, her happiness and gratitude 
are pure and total—even though the leg itself 
is white.

These are only two of the neighbors of Romero 
House who have performed and received a thousand 
acts of kindness, and learned to understand the 
meaning of compassion.

"The Other Face of God" inspires us to know our 
neighbor, and to better love our neighbor as 
ourselves.

---

Author's Words:

If you ask me, as if your life depended upon
it, do you believe in God? I would think twice 
and answer: Yes, I do believe because I have 
seen the face of a young woman and her name 
is Teresita Cedillos...

(Teresita is one of the refugees with whom
 Mary Jo has lived at Romero House in Toronto.)

The refugees who have become my neighbours are
now the eyes of my eyes and the ears or my ears.
With them I have discovered the burden and the
blessing of my own calling as a human being and
as a Christian...

This book is written for those who have been
shaken by the sight of someone new and different,
who have summoned them to newness - to a new way
of being, a new way of faith, to a new way of
becoming church. This book is written for 
everyone for whom the experience of something
or someone really new is both threatening and
promising.

(We try to bring the stranger to a point that
 will enable them to 'fit' into our culture.
 The more they fit in, the more acceptable
 they become.)

We who live in an imperial culture, the
American culture, are all too tempted to make
the rest of the world "like us." ... It is
this imperialism of "the same" that is now
being so deeply questioned in so many parts
of the world.

For cultures in a state of decline, the new
and strange become threatening... (but the
future of our society and church will depend
on a ceaseless openness to what is new and
unfamiliar.)

It is a very biblical belief, which the
Hebrew prophets constantly recalled, that
God is not like us... God is the radically
New... and the stranger and the newcomer, if
we stay with them long enough, lead us to a
new sense of the nearness of God...

The reflections that follow are occasioned
by real encounters between very different
people within a particular place...

I believe that the blessing bestowed by the
stranger reveals the outline of a spirituality
that is crucial for us in this time, in this
place that we call home.

 - from the Introduction

---

My Thoughts:

Mary Jo Leddy can always be counted on
to write thoughtfully and purposively.
Reading her can change your life, as it
has mine, and one can always invest 
wisely in her books.

Some years ago, she wrote "At the Border
Called Hope: Where Refugees are Neighbors."
It focused more on the social and
political realities of the lives of
the refugees with whom she has lived
and from whom she has learned at Romero
House in Toronto.

"The Other Face of God" is based on the
same experience, now twenty years in the
making, but it moves to a deeper level of 
theological, spiritual and missiological
reflection.

I am happy to recommend this book to any
who - though living with refugees may not 
be your experience or inclination - may
still want to learn from one who does.

Mary Jo has the great gift of making the
world in which she lives a microcosm of
a much broader and fuller world that can
draw many into her experience and then
help others apply what she learns to their 
own experience.

Effortlessly, the author moves from a
personal world, or that of a neighborhood,
to a wider world with significant political
implications. A case in point is her
chapter on "The Empire of the Self" - in
which she reflects on the American empire
that encourages everyone to 'be like us'
and live at the 'centre of the world'
where we do.

She sees this attitude and mindset as
reflective of both an empire and a person 
in decline. 

Just like Augustine wrote "The City of God" 
to help people live through the decline and 
fall of Rome, she calls for a modern-day 
Augustine to help us deal with the decline 
of our imperial selves and civilization.

In the poor, the outsider, the refugee -
she believes she has found that contemporary
Augustine. Much of her book is an attempt
to help us cope with change and renewal
from the standpoint of "the outsider"
and what that person and perspective can
offer us and our world today.

Leddy writes of her neighborhood (The
God of Small Places) and the refugee
bureaucracy with which she must constantly
contend (Systems Without a Face) using
real life experience to make her point.

From difficult experience she is able
to construct new ways of thinking and
visioning. As she constantly reminds us,
it is the outsider who provides us with
the new eyes and ears to see and hear
our way forward.

Her chapter on 'The In-Between Christ"
is a masterful venture away from two
patterns of doing Christian mission that 
are quite familiar to us.

She contends that we can no longer
succeed in making others "like us."
At the same time, she rejects the
view that we must look for and affirm
the Christ that we encounter in "the 
other." 

"My view," she says, "is that Christ
is neither IN us or IN them. Christ
is alive along the border between
us and them."

She seeks to develop a post-modern
spirituality that is awakened in us
as we discover the other on the
border and boundaries of our lives.

For Leddy, refugees are those who live 
along such borders and boundaries.

Who are such people for the rest of us?

In a final chapter inspired by Latin
American theologian Jon Sobrino, Leddy
has good news for those who feel they
may have lost their way.

"Listen for those with a message to share.
 Let the poor carry you..."

---

Buy the book from Novalis:
http://tinyurl.com/3lkeww5

Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/4y3zp66

*****

COLLEAGUE COMMENT

JOANNA MANNING
Toronto, ON

October 26th, 2011

Dear friends:

I am going to be ordained as a priest 
on Sunday November 27th.

The ordination will take place at:

All Saints Kingsway Anglican Church
2850 Bloor St West, at 4.30 pm.

I hope you can come! If you can't, then 
please pray for me/sing/dance, or do 
all three! 

Blessings on you and yours,

Joanna

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC

October 23rd, 2011

"Wall Street:
 Showing Us How We Measure Value"

http://tinyurl.com/yl374wj

*****

DONALD GRAYSTON
Vancouver, BC

October 25th, 2011

"Waffley Wedded Wife"

http://tinyurl.com/6adcoqk

*****

DOUG SHANTZ
Calgary, AB

Chair of Christian Thought
University of Calgary
October 26th, 2011

"The Zen Photography of Thomas Merton"

http://tinyurl.com/yfkfggw

*****

RALPH MILTON
Winfield, BC 

http://tinyurl.com/6lcngju

Sign Up for Regular Photo Mailings:
ralphmilton@shaw.ca

*****

NET NOTES

CELEBRATING DIVALI

Ecumenical News International, Geneva

October 26th, 2011

Hindus in U.S. raise awareness of Diwali

Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - The holiday 
of Diwali is celebrated this week by Hindus 
all over the world, including an estimated 
two million in the United States. Many 
Hindus in the U.S. say Americans don't know 
what Diwali is all about and they're working 
to change that, Religion News Service reports. 
They're encouraging fellow Hindus to be a 
little more open about their celebrations 
-- to tell friends, colleagues and their 
children's teachers that Diwali is a big 
deal within Hinduism, the world's third 
largest religion. For starters, it's a 
celebration of the Hindu New Year, like 
Rosh Hashanah's commemoration of the 
Jewish New Year, with a festival of lights 
thrown in. On a deeper level, Diwali 
celebrates the triumph of good over evil. 

_____

The Korea Herald
Oct. 25th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3bhsnev

*****

REMBRANDT'S JESUS
Evolution of an Artist

America Magazine
October 25th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3cazz99
http://tinyurl.com/3f5yfjl

*****

INTERFAITH AT ASSISI
Pope Welcomes World Religions

Ecumenical News International
Geneva, October 27th, 2011

Pope leads interfaith gathering 
for world peace at Assisi

Rome (ENI news) - In the Vatican's most 
wide-scale effort yet to reach out to 
other faiths, Pope Benedict XVI today 
welcomed Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, 
Jews, African tribal faiths, and even 
atheists and agnostics to call for 
world peace. Benedict presided over 
a meeting of more than 300 religious 
leaders in the Umbrian hilltop town 
of Assisi, the birthplace of Saint 
Francis, timed to commemorate the 25th 
anniversary of a one-day prayer for 
peace that took place at the same spot, 
called by Pope John Paul II amid the 
tensions of the cold war. 
_____

A Catholic Reaction to Assisi
Conservative Stance Rejected

Ucan News
October 25th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3foepuw

_____

Ratzinger Meets Gandhi
Assisi Meeting Highlight

Vatican Insider
October 28th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3zqpzen

*****

PERSECUTION PREVALENT
Pray for Persecuted Church

Christianweek.org
October 25th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3ur47au

*****

ICELAND'S MIDNIGHT SUN
Beautiful Land and Icecapes

The Atlantic Monthly
October 27th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/6a6knux

*****

A NEW KIND OF CHRISTIANITY

National Catholic Reporter
October 24th, 2011

Use Mozilla to open this link:
http://ncronline.org/node/27044

*****

POPE WANTS POLICING OF MARKETS
Vatican Sides Against Greed

The Guardian
October 25th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3oueq4a

*****

FINANCIAL REFORMS REQUIRED

The Tablet, UK
October 29th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/4347g7m

*****

ST.PAUL'S CATHEDRAL SET TO RE-OPEN
Not All are Happy Occupiers Evicted

The Guardian
October 27th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3w4wcjp

---

Ecumenical News International
Geneva, October 27th, 2011

St. Paul's cleric resigns, cathedral 
supports legal steps to remove protesters

London (ENI news) The Rev. Giles Fraser 
has resigned as canon chancellor of St. 
Paul's Cathedral in London because senior 
clerics at the centuries-old religious 
institution allegedly support legal 
action to remove the Occupy London 
protesters who've camped outside since 
16 October. "It is with great regret 
and sadness that I have handed in my 
notice," Fraser said in a Twitter post 
on 27 October after informing the 
cathedral dean and chapter (governing 
council) of his decision, Episcopal 
News Service reports. A former vicar 
of St. Mary's Putney in southwest 
London, he assumed his cathedral 
position in June 2009 and is a well-
known broadcaster and commentator. 

*****

U OF M APOLOGIZES FOR
ROLE IN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS

Winnipeg Free Press
October 27th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3c2v924

---

Full Text of Apology

National Post
October 27th, 2011

http://tinyurl.com/3n65mem

*****

GLOBAL FAITH POTPOURRI

Ecumenical News International
News Highlights
24 October 2011

Faith groups support victims of Somali piracy

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Faith groups in East 
Africa are offering counseling and aid to victims 
of sea piracy off the coast of Somalia, primarily 
in the Indian Ocean from the Gulf of Aden in the 
Arabian Sea to the Eastern Indian Ocean near the 
Mozambique Channel. "Seafarers who have 
encountered the pirates need counseling, 
spiritual nourishment and a place to rest. 
We offer them these services as well as give 
them an opportunity to contact their families," 
said Anglican Bishop Julius Kalu of Mombasa, 
Kenya's main seaport. 
_____

Security checks slowing admission of refugees 
to the U.S., agencies say

New York (ENI news) - New security precautions 
and regulations are slowing the admission of 
refugees to the United States,according to 
church-based agencies that help settle new 
arrivals to the country. Both Lutheran 
Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and 
Church World Service (CWS) say that the number 
of those who arrived for resettlement in the 
U.S by their respective agencies in fiscal 
year 2011 were lower than planned. 
_____

Chilean Methodists reaffirm 
their commitment to education

Santiago, Chile (ENI news) - The Methodist 
Church of Chile (IMCh) supports the student 
movement demanding changes in the Chilean 
education system, with the introduction of 
free public education, according to a news 
release from the Latin America and Caribbean 
Communication Agency. In a statement signed 
by bishop Mario Martinez Taipa, the IMCh 
says "We believe that the country has the 
necessary human and financial resources 
to move forward with these structural 
changes." 

*****

25 October 2011

Church partners respond 
to Thailand's flood disaster

Tokyo (ENI news) - A church and its partners 
are responding to Thailand's worst floods in 
decades in and around its capital, Bangkok, 
and asking for support for relief aid to the 
victims. "Please remember the flood victims 
in Thailand and the work of the Church of 
Christ in Thailand (CCT) in your daily 
prayers," said Prawate Khid-arn, Acting 
Manager of the Office of CCT Policy 
Management in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The 
Reuters news agency reported on 25 October 
that at least 366 people have been killed 
since heavy monsoon rains started in July. 
Flooding has affected 2.5 million people 
and could swamp more of densely populated 
Bangkok. 
_____

Germany's autobahn churches: 
"filling stations" for the soul 

Berlin (ENI news) - Germans are famous for 
their love of fast cars. But for those needing 
a little respite from the country's high-speed 
highways, autobahn churches offer a unique brand 
of peace and sanctuary for the modern traveler. 
"We seek to care for our guests fully -- not 
just for their cars but also for their body, 
soul and spirit," said Anna Isabell Strohofer,
whose parents opened the ecumenical Light on 
Our Path Church ten years ago at the family-
run Strohofer service station close to 
Nuremberg in southern Germany. 
_____

Faith communities in Canada 
address climate change

Ottawa, Canada (ENI news) - Faith leaders, 
politicians and members of the public 
gathered in Ottawa from 23 to 24 October 
to address global warming, responding to 
a broad interfaith effort to call attention 
to climate change as a moral issue. The 
meeting highlighted a letter entitled the 
Canadian Interfaith Call for Leadership 
and Action on Climate Change, signed by 
representatives of Muslim, Christian, 
Hindu, Baha'i and ecumenical groups, 
according to a news release from the 
Canadian Council of Churches, which 
organized the Ottawa event. 

*****

26 October 2011

Nigerian churches clean water 
polluted by oil spills

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - At a global 
water forum in Africa, a Nigerian cleric 
has highlighted how churches in his 
country are helping communities purify 
water in the Niger Delta, polluted from 
oil spills from petroleum exploration. 
"We discovered that some plants can 
detoxify the water. We worked with 
someone from India, who gave us a name. 
Incidentally, we found out one plant is 
also available in Nigeria," said the 
Rev. Canon Ezekiel Babatunde, director 
of the Institute of Church and Society 
at the Christian Council of Nigeria. 
Babatunde spoke with ENInews in Nairobi 
on 25 October where he is attending the 
Global Forum of the Ecumenical Water 
Network. 
_____

Disarmament campaign 
engages religions in Brazil

Sao Paulo (ENI news) - The Instituto Sou 
da Paz is mobilizing the participation of 
churches and faith communities of Sao 
Paulo to motivate the "Campaign for 
Voluntary Handing In of Firearms and 
Ammunitions," during the current World 
Week for Disarmament, reports the Latin 
America and Caribbean Communication 
Agency (ALC). The mobilization has the 
support of Zen Buddhists, Hare Krishna, 
Kumaris Brahmas, Spiritualists, the 
followers of traditional African religion, 
Jews, Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, 
Methodists, Lutherans, and Roman Catholics, 
according to ALC. The institute is a non-
governmental organization based in Sao 
Paulo that works on the prevention of 
violence in Brazil. 

*****

26 October 2011

Nigerian churches clean water 
polluted by oil spills

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - At a global 
water forum in Africa, a Nigerian cleric 
has highlighted how churches in his 
country are helping communities purify 
water in the Niger Delta, polluted from 
oil spills from petroleum exploration. 
"We discovered that some plants can 
detoxify the water. We worked with 
someone from India, who gave us a name. 
Incidentally, we found out one plant is 
also available in Nigeria," said the 
Rev. Canon Ezekiel Babatunde, director 
of the Institute of Church and Society 
at the Christian Council of Nigeria. 
Babatunde spoke with ENI news in Nairobi 
on 25 October where he is attending the 
Global Forum of the Ecumenical Water 
Network. 
_____

Disarmament campaign 
engages religions in Brazil

Sao Paulo (ENI news) - The Instituto Sou 
da Paz is mobilizing the participation of 
churches and faith communities of Sao 
Paulo to motivate the "Campaign for 
Voluntary Handing In of Firearms and 
Ammunitions," during the current World 
Week for Disarmament, reports the Latin 
America and Caribbean Communication 
Agency (ALC). The mobilization has the 
support of Zen Buddhists, Hare Krishna, 
Kumaris Brahmas, Spiritualists, the 
followers of traditional African religion, 
Jews, Baptists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, 
Methodists, Lutherans, and Roman Catholics, 
according to ALC. The institute is a non-
governmental organization based in Sao 
Paulo that works on the prevention of 
violence in Brazil. 

*****

27 October 2011

U.S. activists bemoan low priority 
given to religious freedom

Washington, D.C. (ENI news) - Religious 
freedom advocates on 26 October lamented 
America's failure to protect the faithful 
abroad, saying things have gotten worse, 
not better, since the issue first gained 
traction more than a decade ago. The soul-
searching session, sponsored by the 
conservative Family Research Council, 
brought together panelists from government, 
academia and nonprofit groups who painted 
a dismal global picture of religious 
persecution, and weak U.S. attempts to 
combat it, Religion News Service reports. 
_____

Church groups call for greater 
efforts to counter arms trade

Geneva (ENI news) - At least 526,000 
people are killed each year by armed 
violence, according to a report 
published today by a Swiss research 
group. The study found that 396,000 
people--including 66,000 women--are 
victims every year of intentional 
homicide. 54,000 die as a result of 
manslaughter, while 21,000 stem from 
violence during law enforcement actions. 
In addition, an estimated 55,000 are 
killed in direct conflict settings or 
during terrorist activities. 

*****

28 October 2011

New Zealand's quake-hit cathedral 
to be partially demolished

Wellington, New Zealand (ENI news) - 
The landmark ChristChurch Anglican 
Cathedral, severely damaged in a 6.3 
magnitude earthquake on 22 February, 
will be deconsecrated, partially 
demolished, and the remains made safe, 
according to the Anglican Diocese of 
Christ Church. After losing its bell 
tower and famed rose window, the 
cathedral suffered further damage 
during another 6.3 magnitude quake 
on 13 June. Bishop Victoria Matthews 
said the controlled demolition -- a 
stone-by-stone deconstruction -- will 
start before Christmas. This will 
enable heritage items and artifacts 
such as the pulpit, carvings and 
religious icons to be removed from 
the building. 
_____

Liberian churches mediate 
between presidential candidates

Nairobi, Kenya (ENI news) - Churches 
in Liberia are engaged in a dialogue 
to end an impasse between the ruling 
party and the main opposition group, 
after the latter announced a boycott 
of a presidential run-off election 
set for 8 November. "The churches 
are now moving between the parties 
to ensure that they go back to the 
process, so that the election process 
comes to an end with one person or 
one group emerging victorious," said 
the Rev. Tolbert Jallah, a Lutheran 
Liberian who is general secretary of 
the Fellowship of Churches and Councils 
in West Africa. He spoke with ENI news 
in an interview on 27 October in Nairobi. 
The run-off, in Africa's oldest republic,
was declared after none of the 16 
presidential candidates had obtained 
more than 50 per cent of the vote in 
general election held on 11 October. 

*****

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

Provided by Sojourners.online

October 24th, 2011

"Holiness consists in doing God’s will 
joyfully. Faithfulness makes saints. 
The spiritual life is a union with Jesus: 
the divine and the human giving themselves 
to each other. The only thing Jesus asks 
of us is to give ourselves to [God], in 
total poverty and total self-forgetfulness."

- Mother Teresa, from "The Love of Christ"

---

October 25th, 2011

"Living without speaking is better than 
speaking without living. For a person who 
lives rightly helps us by silence, while 
one who talks too much annoys us. If, 
however, words and life go hand in hand, 
it is the perfection of all philosophy."

- Isidore of Pelusium

---

October 17th, 2011

"What sort of power is it that really 
and truly renders the deity present? 
Human beings automatically think of God 
as someone who possesses and wields power. 
Jesus forces people to consider whether 
that deeply rooted conviction is true or
not. In historical terms it is readily
apparent that power, left to its own
inertial tendencies, tends to be oppressive 
in fact. So it cannot be the ultimate
meditation of God, though human beings 
might tend to think so."

- Jon Sobrino, from "Christology at 
  the Crossroads: A Latin American Approach"

---

October 28th, 2011

"The contemplative life is about 
becoming more contemplative all 
the time. It is about being in the 
world differently. What needs to be 
changed in us? Anything that deludes 
us into thinking that we are not 
simply a work in progress, all of 
whose degrees, status, achievements, 
and power are no substitute for the 
wisdom that a world full of God 
everywhere, in everyone, has to 
teach us." 

- Joan Chittister, 
  from "Illuminated Life"

*****

ON THIS DAY

Oct. 25, 1971 -  the United Nations General 
Assembly voted to admit mainland China and 
expel Taiwan.

http://tinyurl.com/3nzva6k
_____

Oct. 26, 1994 - Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin 
of Israel and Prime Minister Abdel Salam Majali 
of Jordan signed a peace treaty in a ceremony 
attended by President Clinton.

http://tinyurl.com/3cdm5uq

_____

Oct. 28, 1886 - the Statue of Liberty, a gift 
from the people of France, was dedicated in 
New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.

http://tinyurl.com/3rmzh8w

*****

CLOSING THOUGHT - JESUS

"Split the wood, I am there;
 Lift a stone, you will find me there."

 - Gospel of Thomas

In this teaching of Thomas, Jesus is to be 
found everywhere - even under a stone or the
splitting of wood. Christ is "the light present
in all beings" and in all energy and activity
in the universe. This speaks of an intimate
presence as well as omnipresence.

 - Matthew Fox "Christian Mystics"

*****

(end)