Welcome to Caring for Creation
dedicated to our ministries in Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC).

[ INTRODUCTION ]         [ JUSTICE ]         [ PEACE ]         [ ECOLOGY ]         [ WHY WE CARE ]         [ PRAYING NATURE ]

Links:
Franciscan JPIC, Rome
Franciscans International

In 'Caring for Creation' we invite you to reflect upon the many different aspects of Francis' spirituality. The values of justice especially for the poor, peace among all people and care & reverence for the earth and its creatures are central to his way of living the Gospel, his life in the Spirit.

A Spirituality of Caring for Creation

Lived together, Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC) form a 'caring for creation' spirituality, a way of living life in the Spirit. As followers of St Francis of Assisi, we Franciscans feel ourselves called to live this spirituality, and by caring for our sister-mother earth and for the relationships between all people on earth, we work to bring about the Kingdom of God, where all are valued and cherished. When Christians pray the words of Christ, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we are praying that each of these values – Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation – bears fruit as Jesus desired.

JPIC Values in Franciscan Order

The values of JPIC have been present in our Order all along since our founder, St. Francis of Assisi lived a spirituality whereby all creation was valued because all had its origin in God the Creator, Father of all. However, only since Vatican II have we come to understood them in the more contemporary sense as a dimension of social reality. Many friars are engaged in JPIC work through their ministry with prisoners, drug addicts, teenagers with a criminal past, the unemployed and cancer patients, and by participating in a local ecological project.  The Order itself is committed to the Amazon Project where Franciscans are ministering to the needs of the indigeneous people and to the need to protect the rainforests from destruction. We want to continue these activities, and to look for new ways to serve the people and the world. We need also to promote cooperation among the entire Franciscan family – SFO, Franciscan Youth, Franciscan sisters - in the area of JPIC. Gradually, through a process of discernment, the option for justice, peace and the integrity of creation is becoming increasingly clear.

Our Plan for Living JPIC during next 6 Years

The six-year plan for JPIC is based on the document of the 2009 General Chapter, Bearers of the Gift of the Gospel. It calls on all Entities of the Order, with the help of the Franciscan JPIC Office in Rome, to commit themselves to:

1. Promote in Initial and On-going Formation the values of our Franciscan spirituallity highlighted in JPIC.

2. Examine the impact of our style of life on creation, especially regarding climate change, and promote   environmental justice in order to highlight the relationship between social and ecological themes.

3. Promote active non-violence in our lives, with particular emphasis on resolution of conflicts.

4. Pay special attention to the excluded of our society, according to the reality of each Entity, with a particular commitment to the defense and promotion of human rights.

5. Consider and promote the ethical use of economic and natural resources in the life of the friars, in their ministry and in society.

The Chapter also requested continuation of the annual JPIC course at the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome, and recommended that similar courses be given in all Franciscan Institutes of Higher Learning.  JPIC was also directed to collaborate in the Amazon Project.  All of these issues are important aspects of the six-year plan, along with a commitment to help prepare the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Spirit of Assisi in October of 2011.

NEXT JPIC COURSE AT THE ANTONIANUM

Our next JPIC course at the Antonianum will be held 13-23 April, 2010, with the possibility of one extra day (24th April) for our JPIC animators who will be present. As has been the custom, most of the course is open to anyone who is interested and will be offered in three languages: Italian, English and Spanish. Click here for details.
 

Interconnectedness of these values

It may be evident by now that each of these values is connected to the other two:

Justice as a value refers not only to achieving social and economic justice, but also to bringing about environmental justice.

The pursuit of Peace involves much work in the area of Justice and living in harmony with Nature.

The Integrity of Creation / Ecology refers not only to a fundamental respect for the natural world, but also to respecting the dignity due to human beings. Human needs and the needs of Sister Mother Earth are interdependent.

"The friars, as followers of St. Francis, are bound to lead a radically evangelical life, namely: to live in a spirit of prayer and devotion and in fraternal fellowship, they are to offer a witness of penance and minority; and, in charity towards all mankind, they are to announce the Gospel throughout the whole world, and to preach reconciliation, peace and justice by their deeds, and to show respect for creation." (Art. 1.2; General Constitutions).