COVID-19 – Saint Francis of Assisi at St John the Evangelist

Lockdown, A Poem for the Pandemic

Brother Richard Hendrick, a Capuchin Franciscan monk living in Ireland, wrote a poem entitled “lockdown” and posted it to Facebook on March 13th. I was so touched by it, I wanted to share it here: Yes there is fear.Yes there is isolation.Yes there is panic buying.Yes there is sickness.Yes there is even death.But,They say thatContinue reading “Lockdown, A Poem for the Pandemic”

Taking Care of the Planet during the Pandemic

The website earthday.org recently published an article on actions you can take for the planet even while practicing good social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Here is a slightly-edited version of the list. I hope this list inspires you with at least one great idea: Go plant-based. More than likely you have extraContinue reading “Taking Care of the Planet during the Pandemic”

Opening Up to What is Possible in a Crisis

As I mentioned last week, the coronavirus pandemic is challenging all of us. And many in the world are suffering and even dying because of Covid-19. In addition, many more people throughout the world are suffering because of the efforts to reduce or stop transmission of the coronavirus. These efforts, while saving lives, have, unfortunately, Continue reading “Opening Up to What is Possible in a Crisis”

Reflections on Covid-19

By Luke Henkel. It’s safe to say we’re all feeling a little unsafe lately. The coronavirus has taken over everything. We’re all aware of the latest statistics, and we’re all watching them grow. Downtown Seattle is eerily empty, metro buses have half the ridership, and events are being cancelled one after the other in aContinue reading “Reflections on Covid-19”

On adjusting but not abandoning your goals

These are trying times. And in these trying times we may need to adjust our goals, alter our approach, and exercise more caution and patience than we normally would. For example, Suzanna and I had to cancel our Eat for the Planet talk that was set for March 8th. It was certainly disappointing and requiredContinue reading “On adjusting but not abandoning your goals”

The Poor Carry the Greatest Burden

In Laudato Si, Pope Francis talks about how climate change will disproportionately affect the poor: Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected by phenomena related to warming, and their means of subsistence are largely dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as agriculture, fishing and forestry. They have no other financial activitiesContinue reading “The Poor Carry the Greatest Burden”