Sister Jacinta Shailer (Sisters of the Good Samaritan)
Story and photos by Lis Bastian
A 97-year-old nun, Sister Jacinta Shailer, urged attendees at the recent Blue Mountains Interfaith Gathering to create “heroic communities” focused on compassion, justice, and environmental care. The event, held at the Planetary Health Centre, brought together diverse faith traditions to address global anxieties and promote interconnectedness with nature.
Key Points:
The Blue Mountains Interfaith Group held a Gathering on Sunday 30 March with the theme Our Spirituality, Our Land: Hope and Wonder
The Interfaith Group brought together communities with different faith traditions to share a common goal of caring for the environment in these challenging times.
Surrounded by the exhibition of Frogs of the Blue Mountains in the Planetary Health Centre Gallery, those present emphasised the interconnectivity of all life and the importance of protecting it for future generations.
As anxiety grips communities around the world many are asking “what can we do?”
In an inspiring speech at the Blue Mountains Interfaith Gathering at the Planetary Health Centre on Sunday 30 March, 97-year-old Sister Jacinta Shailer of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan answered this question by urging us to create ‘heroic communities.’
She reflected on how science and technology have helped deepen our knowledge of our “complex and magnificent universe” and how this changed our understanding of ‘our home’ can guide us to create the communities of the future:
“As our consciousness deepens and we mature more as human beings, we realise we cannot close our eyes or block our ears to what is going on in our world, but we are invited to join a kind of revolution: one centred on the transformative power of Love. One of the best ways of doing this is by joining, what Brian Swimme calls, heroic communities: ones that foster compassion, justice, care of the needy, creative imagining, ways of life-giving thinking, ways of contemplating the wonders of our world in the small and the large, the weird and the wonderful.
“From such communities, ripples of life, healing and joy, will flow out to our world where it is needed. This will lead to new ways of growing our food, building our homes, making art, deepening our relationships, praying together, strengthening our wisdom traditions, restoring our ecosystems and healing Mother Earth. We will learn to listen to the land and learn from her wisdom. Then we won’t fear the future, we will create it. We will revel in the beauty, grandeur, magnificence and wonder of this universe, and raise our hearts and voices in joyful gratitude, because this universe is our home.”
You can view excerpts of the day and Sister Jacinta’s full presentation here:
Sister Jacinta’s talk was the culmination of a day that brought together communities with differing faith traditions but a common desire to protect this extraordinary planet and universe we call home. All present were united by a faith in the value of compassion, love, kindness, gratitude and joy.
Sister Jacinta summed it up by speaking of “our interdependence and interconnectivity with every creature, every particle of growth, every human, every atom in this universe.”
Dharug man Chris Tobin welcoming everyone with a Smoking Ceremony
This reflected First Nation wisdom traditions which were acknowledged at the start of the day with a smoking ceremony and talk by Dharug man, Chris Tobin. During the day a video interview with Chris on ‘Art and Connection’, produced by the Baha’i community, was shared.
Photos of the Frogs of the Blue Mountains on the gallery walls where the event was held, were also a reminder of our interconnectedness with all life.
You can view a video of these frogs and listen to their calls here:
Andris Heks leading communal singing.
The program included communal singing led by Andris Heks, music by Bronwyn Kirkpatrick on Shakuhachi, and presentations by Lis Bastian from the Planetary Health Centre, Shirley Lewis (The Baglady and Living ASAP: As Sustainably As Possible), Reverend John Connor (Uniting Church), Rowe Morrow (Blue Mountains Quakers), Jessica Yuille (Brahma Kumaris), Bita Heggie (Baha’i Community of the Blue Mountains), Leona Kieran and Virginia Field (Blue Mountains Interfaith Group).
Shirley Lewis from Living ASAP
Shirley Lewis spoke of her work with Living ASAP and her recent video about offering our young people creation rather than extinction stories so we can all have hope and work together to restore the health of our planet.
Rowe Morrow (Blue Mountains Quakers)
Rowe Morrow spoke about how Quakers are dedicated to working for the environment and protecting all life for future generations.
“The produce of the earth is a gift from our gracious creator to the inhabitants, and to impoverish the earth now to support outward greatness appears to be an injury to the succeeding age.”
Jessica Yuille (Brahma Kumaris)
Jessica Yuille led a meditation and spoke of needing to change our minds and become loving, calm and honourable again so that nature and the world can ‘come good again’.
Reverend John Connor
Reverend John Connor, a member of the Uniting Church and the Wellspring Community, which is focused on spirituality and social justice, spoke of the value of living a contemplative lifestyle.
He quoted Richard Simonelli: ‘We live in a time of activity addiction. Ours is not only a non-contemplative time but an anti-contemplative time. As a people we are drowning in material advancement brought on by science and technology, as well as a compulsive need for newness and progress. We lack the balance that contemplation could bring.’
Both he and Simonelli were inspired by Thomas Merton, the contemplative, writer, and peace activist who connected Christianity and Eastern religions in a way that they had never been connected before.
Merton’s love for nature was reflected in his writing. He wrote, for example, of festivals, such as the Festival of the Rain: “What a thing it is to sit absolutely alone in the forest at night, cherished by this wonderful unintelligible, perfectly innocent speech, the most comfortable speech in the world, the talk that rain makes by itself all over the ridges, and the talk of the watercourses, everywhere in the hollows.”
Bita Heggie (Blue Mountains Baha’i Community)
Bita Heggie quoted from Baha’i (Baha’i: bahai.org.au ) writings on the theme of Nature as a Reflection of the Divine:
“So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole world. The earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.”
“The Lord of all mankind hath fashioned this human realm to be a Garden of Eden, an earthly paradise. If, as it must, it findeth the way to harmony and peace, to love and mutual trust, it will become a true abode of bliss, a place of manifold blessings and unending delights. Therein shall be revealed the excellence of humankind, therein shall the rays of the Sun of Truth shine forth on every hand.” (Baha’u’llah)
Leona Kieran (Blue Mountains Interfaith Group)
Leona Kieran, from the Blue Mountains Interfaith Group, read from “Our Land, Our Mother” by Eugene Stockton:
“We are a people formed from many fragments. There are fragments of the nations which first settled this land and there are fragments of peoples come from all around the globe. Perhaps it is our destiny to make a new world. From the tragedies of history both here and abroad, we can begin again with the ingredients of every human expression to rebuild in this land, a new humankind. But, this time mindful of ancient mistakes, we can hold steadfast to the noblest dreams of our kind.
“Most of us have been torn from our roots, have lost our ancestral dreamings. A new dreaming shared by all lies ahead of us, not behind. Our present can no longer be shaped by the divisive past, but by the uniting future. St Paul’s insights of what is to come may may well be our dream of the future: a new creation, a New Man, a cosmic Christ coming to encompass and re-unite ourselves and the land and all it holds, while in the present the Spirit groans within us and nature in one great act of giving birth. Drawn from many races, we each have seen our sun go down and there is no longer point in lamenting what has gone; rather we are to turn right round and look for the first glimmerings of a new day.”
Blue Mountains Interfaith Group organiser Virginia Field with guests at the Gathering including Cr Brent Hoare.
The Blue Mountains Interfaith Group represents world faiths and spiritual traditions locally.
If you’d like to be kept up to date about further events at the Planetary Health Centre, subscribe to the Planetary Health Newsletter here: bluemountainsplanetaryhealth.com.au/subscribe
Take Action:
Take time out for contemplation, reflection and connection with the rest of the natural world of which we are a part.
Explore ways to join ‘heroic communities’ that foster compassion, justice, care of the needy, creative imagining, and ways of life-giving thinking.
In a world that increasingly feels out of balance, we’re thrilled to be offering Saturday morning Tai Chi and Qigong at 8am this Saturday 7 June (and the first Saturday of every month on our Skill Share Saturdays). Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art and moving meditation for body, mind and spirit. It is ideal for learning to keep calm amidst chaos but also has health benefits to increase longevity. Harvard Medical School has reported that this gentle form of exercise can help maintain strength, flexibility, and balance, and could be the perfect activity for the rest of your life. It`s particularly popular in Hong Kong, where residents have one of the highest life expectancies in the world! T`ai-Chi has also been found to improve brain function (like memory and mental flexibility) faster than other exercise and, in a recent study, comparing T`aiChi to brisk walking, the martial art was found to be significantly better at reducing blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease, like blood sugar levels and cholesterol. If you’d like to try it out, you can reserve your spot here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3FxWPgR
Learn how to Grow Connected Landscapes for the magnificent Glossy Black Cockatoo at 4pm on Saturday 7th June. In our first Planetary Health Forum we’ll be hearing from Amanda Foxon-Hill from Mid Lachlan Landcare, Jayden Gunn from Birdlife Australia and Samantha (Pongi) Bowden from Glenbrook Public School, to learn more about the Glossy and how we can all help improve its habit from the Lower Mountains to Central NSW. We’re also launching a Community Tree Planting Day on 5 July in Goologong (near Cowra) to which we’re hoping we’ll get a large group of volunteers to help make a difference for this beautiful bird (and lots of other species as well!)
Habitat connectivity is essential if species are to adapt and overcome the challenges posed by our changing climate.
Join us as we imagine life as a Glossy Black Cockatoo. We`ll make our way through the temperate eucalypt forests of Dharug & Gundungurra land here in the Blue Mountains before leaving the Great Dividing Range for the Wheat & Sheep belt of the Central Tablelands. Our journey ends on Wiradjuri Land, North West of Cowra in the dry scleropyhyll forests of the Conimbla & Nangar National Parks, the start of the Western Woodland Way
Jayden Gunn is an adept wildlife photographer, ecologist, and environmental educator, with a deep passion for Australian birdlife. Through his lens, he captures Australia`s unique wildlife, using digital storytelling to connect people with nature in meaningful ways.
Links in profile to book in.
Book for the Forum here: https://bit.ly/43FzamP
Register your interest for the Community Tree Planting Day here: https://bit.ly/3HwYHa5
Watch an interview with Amanda here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77y2jrCzINo&t=52s
Read more about Glenbrook Public Schools work for the Glossy Black here: https://lowermtnslocalnews.com/glossy-black-cockatoos/
Our newsletter is now out! View our video of Dr Keith Suter on "Making Peace in the World Today” and read about Growing Connected Landscapes for the Glossy Black Cockatoo and the 2024 Wynne Prize exhibition at the Cultural Centre. You can also book in for our Mushroom Cultivation and Tai Chi workshops, and our Planetary Health Bushcare on Skill Share Saturday, 7 June. And PS. We’re a finalist in the NSW Local Government Excellence Awards. Read the newsletter here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/4dEFL5u
Yesterday a delegation from the University of Sydney and the Razak School of Government in Malaysia visited the Planetary Health Centre to exchange experiences on the challenges all our local governments are facing, including adapting to climate change, managing ageing populations, and finding economic opportunities for small councils to support their community`s needs. @rsog_insta #localgovernment #planetaryhealth #disasterriskreduction #systemicchange #councils #malaysia #exchange...
As part of an international project to advance science communication for Planetary Health (SciCoPH), Indonesian science journalists, science communication experts and bioscientists visited the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Centre to learn more about what we`re doing last month. Read our story in Katoomba Area Local News here: https://bit.ly/43MFUjM (link in profile)
Has your place been smashed by all this rain? Check out our video of how Anne Mellor, on a sloping block in Springwood, built Japanese guttering and a dry creek bed to manage large influxes of stormwater in the most beautiful way. You can view the video in our Water Management Playlist on our YouTube channel (link in profile) Full instructions on how to do it in our story in Springwood Area Local News here: https://bit.ly/3YXIsJe (link to Springwood Area Local News in our profile. Search Individuals and you`ll find our story) #stormwater #flood #japaneseguttering #drycreekbed #beprepared #trenches #japanesegardendesign #planetaryhealth #springwood...
We need your help! Can you help us grow our YouTube channel subscribers and `watch hours` so we can get YouTube income to produce more great resources. Subscribe and watch our videos here (link in profile): https://www.youtube.com/@bluemountainsplanetaryhealth
Earlier this month, around 160 first year medical students from The University of Notre Dame Australia were introduced to Planetary Health and Dharug culture at the Planetary Health Centre, and learnt how to help people prepare for future heatwaves. Watch Professor Madden`s lecture and learn more about what they`re learning in our Planetary Health news here: https://planetaryhealthnews.com/future-doctors-learn-about-planetary-health/ (link to Planetary Health News in our profile) @notredameaustralia @doctorsfortheenvironment @ph_alliance @planetaryhealthcollective...
Recently we grew these stunning mushrooms with a kit from EarthRising Mushroom Farm in Lawson. If you`d like to learn how to grow your own, and get a kit to take home with you, we`ll be holding a Mushroom Cultivation workshop with Alex from EarthRising at our next Skill Share Saturday on 7 June. Bookings essential here: https://bit.ly/4dfc3nv (link in profile)
In a moving call for peace on Anzac Day, over 80 people gathered in the golden afternoon light at Peace Park in Katoomba to reflect on war and ask the hard questions about its grim reality. The day was interspersed with reflections, poetry, a minute of silence, and songs by The Bearded Ladies Choir. Read more, including about upcoming Peace events, in our new Planetary Health News here (link in profile):
Our newsletter is now out! Read about the launch of our new global Planetary Health News; about the Blue Mountains Peace Collective`s Anzac Day Reflection; about how future doctors are learning about Planetary Health; and about how science journalists from Indonesia visited the Planetary Health Centre to advance science communication for Planetary Health. You can also book in for our Mushroom Cultivation and T`ai-chi workshops. Read the newsletter here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/3YF3CvA
In May last year a group of local women launched Homes for Older Women Blue Mountains to address the housing crisis locally. They have now successfully secured affordable accommodation for 50 older women! Writer Julie Nance helped set up the program as a volunteer and recently finished a challenging but rewarding year as Program Manager. She shares the experiences of women involved with, and impacted by, the grass-roots initiative. Read more in Springwood Area Local News here (link in profile): https://springwoodlocalnews.com/gaining-hope-and-a-home/
In a moving call for peace on Anzac Day, over 80 people gathered in the golden afternoon light at Peace Park in Katoomba to reflect on war and ask the hard questions about its grim reality. The day was interspersed with reflections, poetry, a minute of silence, and songs by The Bearded Ladies Choir.
