Sr. Joan Brown is a Franciscan sister of the Rochester, Minn., community. Her Kansas farm roots, our New Cosmic Story, Franciscanism and multicultural experiences in New Mexico inform her work as executive director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light.
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'I can't breathe' — the words that haunt us
"I can't breathe" is the most desperate plea for life. "I can't breathe" is a plea for another human to come to aid, to be compassionate, to stand with and act in a desperate moment.
Reflections on the burning cathedral
Our Earth is burning. Our sacred "Sister Mother Earth who sustains and governs us" is on fire. We see the sacred spires of trees in the Amazon falling to fire, the baptismal fonts of rivers and lakes languishing in drought and pollution, the daily eucharistic altars of family tables in Honduras, Salvador and Guatemala empty of food for children, and we stand before the death beds of species becoming extinct as we act as hospice-midwives.
In global climate, see the forest and trees
We all need to be part of the solutions addressing climate change, the greatest issue of our time. But every part of us needs to be part of the solutions. The answers do not lie only in technology or renewable energy or efficient cars — only part of the solution. The foundation to the solutions lies within a spiritual conversion that shifts and expands worldview, while deepening the roots of our soul view.
Sisters of Earth: hopes and dreams
In an informal network, we explore the new cosmology and its implications for a new and emerging worldview; address concerns about the ecological/spiritual crises of our times; and support one another in healing the human spirit and restoring Earth's support systems.