Marian Helper Fall 2015

Marians andHelpers applaud environmental encyclical The Farrells of Nashua, New Hampshire, are frequent Shrine visitors, drawn to God present here — partially in the natural beauty and wholly in the Eucharist. It’s July 22, a month following the release of Pope Francis’ celebrated encyclical on the environment enti- tled Laudato Si’ (Praised Be). For Marians a nd Marian Helpers — including the Farrells — the 184-page encyclical serves as a pointed reminder of the role God assigned to humans, dating back to Genesis. In the words of the Holy Father, “[H]uman life is grounded in three fundamental and closely intertwined relationships: with God, with our neighbor and with the earth itself.” In sobering terms, Pope Francis points to our “throw- away culture,” our consumerism, and our “unbridled exploitation” of natural resources. He points to greed and to “quick and easy profit” motivations whose grave implications have led to “the disappearance of thou- sands of plant and animal species” each year, and pol- luted soil, air, and water. It’s the poor who suffer the most, he says, since it is they who lack the financial means to adapt. “We are reaching a breaking point,” Pope Francis says. Leaders have failed us, he says, but we have failed ourselves as well by “denial” and “indifference.” His prescriptions include a call for secular initia- tives (renewable fuel subsidies and energy efficiency, for instance) and spiritual initiatives (namely, to acknowledge that the wounds of the earth reflect the symptoms of “[t]he violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin”). “The world has never needed this encyclical more than it does now,” says Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, t he director of the Association of Marian Helpers. “If there’s anyone right now with the clout to effect change on a global IN THE NEWS ‘O ur moral obligation ’ 8 M arian H elper • F all 2015 • marian.org “L ook at that,” says Margaret Farrell, pointing to an oval shape on an ancient log ringed by lily pads. “A snapper?” her husband, Doug, suggests, squinting. “I think it’s a Painted,” Margaret says. “See the yellow stripes?” They’re talking about turtles — one in particular, sunning itself on a log in Kampoosa Bog at the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy i n Stockbridge, Massachusetts. F elix C arroll See aerial view of Kampoosa Bog.