Rural Roots
Sustainability and Creation
Spring 2002
Sustainable Development is a growing issue in the public consciousness. A basic question many are examining is how to live now so as to provide a quality of life for unknown future generations. In June representatives of the world community will meet in Rome for a follow up to the World Food Summit of 1996. Later, in September, thousands will converge on Johannesburg, South Africa to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development. NCRLC plans to be represented at both meetings. This issue of Catholic Rural Life explores themes related to sustainability.
Joyce Rupp gives us the gift of her insight in the rhythms and processes of nature, when viewed through the lens of faith, provides insight in to the healing forces of God's love, which like nature moves through a process of death and rebirth.
John Carroll challenges us to take seriously the claims of authentic spirituality such that we move fully, confidently, and consciously into an ethic that has very concrete impacts upon our lifestyles, our choices, our attitudes.
Peter O'Driscoll has us look beyond our personal choices to the public choices. What network of cooperation frames our lifeworlds? How do institutions, social organisms, the social order shape the choices available. In reviewing corporate accountability in the light of sustainability what institutional conversions might be necessary to move effectively to real sustainable development?
Bruce Beaver chooses to focus upon education as a key institution for achieving what John Paul II calls "ecological conversion". His analysis of the educational process, here in the context of teaching chemistry, suggests that Catholic Social Teaching can be infused in an examination of the material world in a manner which respects science and also situates science education in a world of values. "Molecules to Morals: Sustainability and Education" brings some helpful perspective to how higher education can be a source of vision and values even in the "hard sciences."
Marie Cirillo, a familiar name to our readers, is welcomed back to Catholic Rural Life retelling about a specific spot on the globe, one which she and others have nurtured into a sustainable web of life, at home in Appalachia. Along with cosmic reflections, personal spirituality and the challenges to institutions we are happy to demonstrate in Marie's article, how one place on the earth has worked over an extended period to "Finding a New Sense of Our Place on Earth."
Finally, Robert Gronski offers a capsule review of international forums over the past 30 years. He shows us how local voices have organized and risen to shape the agenda for sustainable development. Drawing also, upon Catholic Social Teaching, in the writings of John Paul II, Robert Gronski suggests that the voice of the Church needs to be inserted into the world's conversation and action on behalf of sustainable development. Central to the Catholic vision is the notion of solidarity.
These pages of Catholic Rural Life on sustainable development are meant to initiate our examination of a set of issues wider than the food and farm policy. We hope to dwell on this theme for the proximate future. We trust that you will find it helpful as you face the challenges of our new millennium.
Br. David G. Andrews, CSC
NCRLC Executive Director
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