19 BACAR Event:

“Season of Creation: Considering Climate Change!”

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

4:00 – 5:15 pm PST

REGISTRATION LINK FOR ZOOM
Dear Friends of BACAR,

“We must never forget that the younger generations are entitled to receive from us a beautiful and livable world, and that this invests us with grave duties towards the creation we have received from God’s generous hands,” Pope Francis, in launching an update to Laudato Si, wrote that human ecology implies the profound reality of “the relationship between human life and the moral law, which is inscribed in our nature and is necessary for the creation of a more dignified environment.”

Being aware of plans coming over the next several months with the Laudato Si Movement, followed quickly with the Synod, BACAR, Inc. has planned this forum of prayer around the “Season of Creation: Considering Climate Change”, October 4, 2023 at 4:00 PST.

We hope to implore and bless Mother Earth while reflecting on gifts she has given us, what we

have taken away from her, and what we can do to repair the harm we have done and set a

course for a healthy future. Through praying together, we hold up the seventy+ women in

particular, serving as witnesses at the Synod on Synodality starting days after our BACAR, Inc.

meeting October 4.

Some dioceses, parishes, and congregations are planning events for the Season of Creation

(September 1 through October 4). We have included one event that BACAR, Inc. is co-

sponsoring in San Jose, CA. If you are in the area, please plan to attend one of the ecology

fairs.

We look forward to our next BACAR event with YOU – Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 4:00pm

PST celebrating the special feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi. Register here!We continue to keep in mind and in solidarity with the events of the day, particularly the poor and the hungry, those facing cruel wars, torture, the tragedy and sadness from storms and fires, and

an ever-renewed hope for our Mother Earth.

We look forward to your continued participation in our collaborative discussions through

BACAR!

Judy Borland and Kathy Noether, Co-coordinators of BACAR

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

4:00 – 5:15 pm PST

REGISTRATION LINK FOR ZOOM
Dear Friends of BACAR,

We hope to implore and bless Mother Earth while reflecting on gifts she has given us, what we

have taken away from her, and what we can do to repair the harm we have done and set a

course for a healthy future. Through praying together, we hold up the seventy+ women in

particular, serving as witnesses at the Synod on Synodality starting days after our BACAR, Inc.

meeting October 4.

Some dioceses, parishes, and congregations are planning events for the Season of Creation

(September 1 through October 4). We have included one event that BACAR, Inc. is co-

sponsoring in San Jose, CA. If you are in the area, please plan to attend one of the ecology

fairs.

We look forward to our next BACAR event with YOU – Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 4:00pm

an ever-renewed hope for our Mother Earth.

We look forward to your continued participation in our collaborative discussions through

BACAR!

Judy Borland and Kathy Noether, Co-coordinators of BACAR

Registration link for ZOOM

Fall 2023 events: TBA

We are in the process of planning our next event. Watch your email from BACAR!

May 17, 2023 event responses

BACAR, Inc.

“THE CHURCH IS RETHINKING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION!”

in collaboration with Discerning Deacons

Home

Group and Individual Responses

#1 – Rethinking Women’s Participation

We owe a debt of appreciation to the Korean Church for so succinctly

stating the issue that women are not recognized for the good they do.

They are the backbone of the Church, frequently excluded and not being

recognized. There is pain in this situation that women are “lesser than” and

not quite complete. Sisters without habits are seen as “cheap labor.”

Since Vatican II there has been limited progress as so much has not been

implemented. We need change because of corruption in the Church and

Church history does not support this thinking.

We have our goal set out for us: “Living into a prophetic witness of

universal communion so that the Church can be seen as more vibrant and

alive.

There are substantial tensions and questions, while priests seem to be

much more hesitant in their role.

The Church prays for vocations to the priesthood and appears to be closed

to the idea that women perform many of the pastoral duties, although they

are banned from ordination and experience a diminishment. As one

women recently stated: “Men are the workers and women are the laborers.”

In one of our parish the Pastor led the discussion that included only two

questions and did not develop any further.

As women are being educated in religious studies, they need to be

considered for positions and pay to compensate their work.

A wider variety of services are needed at the parish level that can deal with

parishioners everyday lived experience.

Priests seem to be grounded in the status quo and comfortable with the

imbalance of power that has resulted

Two things that struck me were:

One person said it was a must that women be allowed to become deacons now. If not now – when!? Her hope for the future is sort of riding on women becoming deacons now.

We had a lot of conversation about the works of religious orders as a stark contrast to many parishes. Women have been leading the way in serving human needs and working for social justice and climate change. The future depends on local parishes and dioceses leading in these areas rather than raising so many barriers and working at cross-purposes.

Having worked/ ministered in some parishes over the years, we reminded ourselves that we have tasted what can be. There is some hope in remembering those experiences, most under the leadership of women.

Thank you for all of your leadership and work on BACAR –

BACAR PROGRAM 5/17/2023

#3 BREAKOUT ROOM 12

1st question: Which inclinations, arising from the global Church, most resonate with you?

1. Women do most of the work and get little recognition

2. Lots of mention of “possibilities” but will they really happen or are they just placating?

3. Women fill the pews but can’t give their views

4. It is the Church’s loss that women’s gifts are not honored and used to the fullest extent

5. Lots of hesitation to accept women

6. Bishops did not fully endorse Synod participation in their dioceses

7. Hopeful for the next generation which is more inclusive

2nd question: Which tensions or divergences emerge as important for you?

1. Trying to make headway through the blockage of men

2. Not high on their priority list or pushed by USCCB

3. Francis is trying for change but many Bishops are not behind him

4. Some are undermining Francis’s more inclusive views and actions

5. Need to listen – which they are doing – but then get down to action – not just words on paper

6. 70 women out of how many men at Synod – will their voice really be heard? Who are these women and were they hand-picked to be more accepting and compliant with the status quo rather than push for meaningful change?

Our group was diverse but all were basically hopeful that there would FINALLY be a favorable outcome of this recent Synod process.

Some of us were resisting cynicism but were trying to believe that the Church is willing to make changes for full inclusion of women.

All believed in more inclusivity-not just for women but for every person in every situation. “Widening the tent” was how this was expressed.

Our group has nurtured their spirituality, often distanced from patriarchic, hierarchical experience. This sisterhood has enabled us to be faithful to the true teachings of Christ.

Bottom line: the

We women want to be heard. We want to be in the decision-making process. We want to be inclusive.

Rethinking Women’s Participation

Some of the comments and suggestions from May 17, 2023:

We cannot stop here. We need to move forward with action.

Thanks to everyone for their participation in Wednesday’s (May 17, 2023)
BACAR, Inc. forum. The topic and energy in the breakout rooms was very
enthusiastic. We need to keep the conversation going. What are our next steps
to move this conversation forward? Would you be interested in meeting a couple
of times during the summer months while the BACAR Board takes a
vacation? The next BACAR event will be TBD. If you are interested in
continuing the conversation, please contact Kathy Noether,
knoether@aol.com. Thanks again for your energy and support.

Vatican’s website on the Synod

North American Synod Final Document

Synod Continental Stage Document: Enlarge the Space of your Tent

America Magazine article: Synodality is working: Women getting a vote at the
Vatican is the latest proof

Zoom Recording of our May 17th Event: “THE CHURCH IS RETHINKING
WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION!”

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/u2L1EFewH6sXsHQlVVsWepG4kc7n
YPT3pySkpjQ54hC8hS67p7MWuGWCSVHp3Li8.P9XMZ9E3GmQzw1jP

Passcode: R.?yowR2

Skip time stamp 26-51 as that’s when we had breakout room
conversations

PDF of the slides from May 17th Event

Discerning Deacons’ Phoebe Day (St. Phoebe, a deacon in the early church)
“THE CHURCH IS RETHINKING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION!”

March 1, 2023 – Zoom

BACAR, Inc.

Bay Area Conference of Associates, Affiliates, Religious and Friends, Inc.

Eco-spirituality: Transformation of Mind, Heart, and Will

Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home

March 1, 2023 – Sister Carol Zinn, CSF

“The Lord God formed humanity out of the clay of the ground and blew the breath of life into the nostrils, and so humanity became a living being…even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart for I am gracious and merciful…it is good for us to be here.” (Scriptures of 1^st and 2^nd Sundays of Lent and March 1^st).

Pondering the abundance of creation, Sister Carol Zinn, CSJ, approached the process of eco-spiritual transformation through three formats: the Mind, the Heart, and the Will. Sr. Carol identified transformation of the mind as balancing your household by honoring and respecting relationships. She explained that in the transformation of the heart one stands in the present while preparing for the future. The transformation of the will comes with a commitment to the unknown and forging into a journey of strength and trust.

Sr. Carol used three analogies to help us see these transformations in graphic terms. Using the symbol of the three-legged stool we saw strength and stability that supports our understanding of who and what we are. This gives us the capability of respecting all of God’s creation and taking care of our common home. If we are grounded in the belief that we are stabilized in moving forward with an organic purpose, we can make a difference, stand firm, and be stable.

Observing the caterpillar metamorphing to a pupae, a chrysalis and then a butterfly, allows us to capture the essence of change by living in the presence but knowing we have to prepare for the future with care and caution. We must take the calculated risk of saving the earth’s living and inert creations for today and tomorrow. If our heart believes in this, it can be done.

Next, we were asked to consider the usefulness of socks – all kinds of socks – thick ones, thin ones, long ones, short ones, bright colored ones, even drab ones. It doesn’t matter what they look like. They are all socks. What we use as a purposeful piece of clothing can always be identified because it serves the same purpose. Can this be the education for the covenant between humanity and the environment? Something so common and mundane can be the building block for a step forward; a choice we can control; a future we can see as strong and faithful.

Sr. Carol reminded us that ‘everything is connected and interconnected’. She asked us ‘where is our call to transformation most evident in our lives and how will we respond’? Her answer came with these words:

‘The way I am with others/Earth is the way I am with God.

The way I am with God/Earth is the way I am with others.’

Dr. Carol Zinn, CSJ, MTh, PhD, a Sister of St. Joseph from Chestnut Hill, PA, has ministered in the formal and non-formal educational profession. She works with multi-sector and multi-issue groups in helping people deepen an understanding of global realities, local efforts, and the connections inherent. Dr. Zinn worked as the Education Program Director for Global Education Associates, a non-governmental organization working to further global systemic change. Dr. Zinn served on her Congregation’s leadership team and in the Presidency of LCWR (Leadership Conference of Women Religious). She worked with Congregations as they discerned the future of their mission and charism and the fully living of religious life during these transformational times. Currently Sr. Carol serves as the Executive Director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.

Submitted by Kathy Noether, EW SND Associate, Co-director BACAR, Inc.

Brother Fire

Climate Change and Responding to the Cry of the Earth: Brother Fire

Surprises never cease when the Supreme Court makes decisions that restrict Mother Earth! Regardless, BACAR, Inc. moved forward with a very well received zoom event marking the awareness of action and immediate attention to preserving the awareness of our common home. We were grateful to those who attended our recent BACAR Event on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. We explored Climate Change and Responding to the Cry of the Earth: Brother Fire. Our focus was on Fire, one of the four basic building blocks of the universe. It serves as both a benefit and a danger to life on earth. In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis reminds us, “Everyone’s talents and involvement are needed to redress the damage caused by human abuse of God’s creation” LS 14.

We attached a summary of the small groups shared reflections. We very much appreciated your thoughts and feedback. This time we heard that some of the participants had never heard about BACAR and were only recently invited to check us out. We would appreciate your assistance in spreading the word. Our presentations are always free and our purpose is to open the dialog of how we can be the difference we wish to see in our communities and in our world. Please help us to open wide our circle. All are welcome. We look forward to your continued participation and collaborative discussions through BACAR!

Fullness of Life

Ecospirituality

BACAR, Inc.

Bay Area Conference of Associates, Affiliates, Religious and Friends, Inc.

Eco-spirituality: Transformation of Mind, Heart, and Will

Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home

March 1, 2023 – Sister Carol Zinn, CSF

‘The way I am with others/Earth is the way I am with God.

The way I am with God/Earth is the way I am with others.’

Submitted by Kathy Noether, EW SND Associate, Co-director BACAR, Inc.

East West Associates, Sisters and Friends of Notre Dame de Namur “Looking Forward to a New Dawn: Kindness, Compassion and Healing.” January 23, 2021 Submitted by: Sister Beth Plesche, and Associates Kathy Noether, Dede Waters-Masters, and Laura Leon

Technology sometimes dictates to us what it wants. Having planned a zoom conference for January 9, 2021, the connections simply did not work. But, as fate would have it, we gathered together on January 23rd with more guests than originally planned! We felt as a team we needed time to see where we as associates are with the many factors that have bombarded us over the last year. Yet, we wanted time together that would lift us up and bring us contemplative thinking of sustenance. Thus, we chose the title “Looking Forward to a New Dawn: Kindness, Compassion, and Healing”. We have brought to you here our morning so that you can reflect with us in prayer and hope.

Beginning with prayer we joined with one another to say:

Generous God, you smile upon the wide diversity and beauty in the humanity whom you created, but you weep at the great divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” We come before you today as we begin a new year seeking kindness, healing, and compassion. We aspire to help you heal our world through a greater awareness and a deeper commitment to one another. Help us to look at our daily living, so that who we are and what we do has a positive benefit to our brothers and sisters everywhere in our earthly home. Light our vision so that we are ever conscious of those who seek food, shelter, safety, and medical care. Enable us to use the earth’s resources mindfully.

Awaken in us a sincere gratitude for all that we take for granted. Give us the gifts of wisdom and discernment so that we can navigate the constant news and differing opinions that surround us. Let us take people’s stories to heart, seeking our common bonds and resisting the cynicism that tries to take hold of us. Infuse us with compassion so that we know the pain of the hungry, the violated, the homeless, the burdened, and all those who yearn for a better life for themselves and the children they love. Loving God, stir our hearts. Grant us the strength and conviction to be true care-takers of the world. We who have been graced with abundance need the courage and generosity to inclusively share our gifts with our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Following this we presened three aspects of love that connect us both in our daily lives while integrating our charism and mission in Notre Dame. We spent time with the first being KINDNESS.

We might look at today as a time to fill the world with kindness. How can we do that? Well just look at one another here on your screen and we see people who have filled the world already with years and years of kindness. But there is still more.

Any act of kindness can have an effect. Taking time to listen to someone who is grieving, hurting; taking time to cook a meal for someone who is not well, taking time to smile at someone that passes you by…little acts, simple acts of kindness that goes a long way.

Kindness is the act of doing good to others and at the heart of our human qualities including compassion, forgiveness, love, friendship, hope, and generosity.

Aesop once said, “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Kindness is contagious…it’s a win-win situation.

Kindness is a willingness to celebrate someone else – to be happy for someone else. We can experience a greater feeling when we are kind. We can imagine kindness as Kahil Gibran paints this picture when he said, ‘Kindness is like snow falling. It beautifies everything.’ So in practicing kindness one can transform your view of the world by creating feelings of trust and safety. And as Desmond Tutu once said, “ Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” Know that kindness affects the user and the receiver.

Joyce Rupp tells the story of “…one aging man who planted seeds of kindness.” She follows that idea with her own plans to water and watch over her seeds of kindness with care so they will continue to produce more kindnesses in her own life.”

Kindness is a simple act that involves no harm to others and it comes with benefits such as increased happiness and a healthy heart. It can even slow down the aging process and help relationships / and connections with others. Henry James said, “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind, and the third is to be kind.”

Kindness broadens our life and is a symbol of respect to the receiver. The Dalai Lama reminds us that if you can’t be kind, then avoid harming others. He says his “religion is simple. It is kindness.”

I’d like to share with you some examples of a few small acts of kindness such as to read or send an Amanda Gorman poem to a friend; Zoom a friend; give a thank you note to your postman; do a nagging chore; send a song or a quote from the inauguration; reach out to someone living alone; express gratitude to a friend or relative…

And…I am sure you could add many more.

So let us look back at the words of Saint Julie, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who breathes life into kindness as she always sang, “How good is the good God.” Always goodness…always kindness.

Let’s take a minute or so to reflect on these thoughts of kindness……And so we pray: Our response is “Bless them Lord.”

For those who are hungry…

For those addicted to drugs…

For those who have no family…

For those who are handicapped without care…

For those who do not know love…

For those who live in filth and degradation…

For those imprisoned and their families…

For those who are friendless…

Next we consider the realm of COMPASSION.

We begin with the Dalai Lama: “We are called to develop a compassionate heart.”

So we must ask ourselves what this means?

One definition says developing the skills that help us feel and understand the emotions, circumstances, intentions, thoughts, and needs of others. This takes deep listening. The result will be to offer sensitive, perceptive and appropriate communication and support.

Ilia Delio says, “Get inside the skin of another.”

We have also heard, walk in another’s shoes.

None of this happens without slowing down, taking time to listen to the others’ stories

Pope Francis tells us we must listen deeply before we can dialogue or reach out to others.

Compassion does not mean taking on another’s pain or suffering. It is about holding the other in our heart. Compassion, deep listening, and presence – we are called.

Let us pause for a moment to go deep inside.

And so we pray:

Our response is “Bless them Lord.” For those who are shunned because of their race, religion, or status…

For those filled with anger and hate…

For those who suffer with illness…

For the illiterate…

For those who are lonely…

For those who live in immobilizing fear…

For the victims of trauma and war…

For those who have no faith or hope…

Finally, we listen to thoughts of healing. Someone once wrote, “Some people cannot be cured, but everyone can heal.”

What is Healing? Merriam Webster says that healing is contrary to a decline, a failing, a weakening or relapse.

Healed by the centering of oneself in the spirit of a living and loving God, there is a belief that the path to healing is through “prayer that is rooted in the belief that there is a power greater than oneself that can influence one’s life. It is the act of raising hearts and minds to God or a higher power.” (takingcharge.csh.umn.edu) For the soul, we may pray for healing of our mind, our body, our spirit, and/or our lineage. To be healed is to be given strength to continue, especially when it is difficult to see the gifts of kindness or compassion in ourselves and others and uncover our purpose.

In “To Heaven on Foot” by Sr. Mary Linscott wrote “A careless surgery had so damaged one bone in her foot that the doctor, who was asked to verify her relics when they were exhumed in 1888, hesitated to authenticate it, as he said that a person with such a malformed bone could never have walked at all. Julie knew that she walked in the virtue of a miracle. In 1804 she had taken her first steps after twenty-two years of helplessness, in obedience to a command” ‘If you have any faith in the Sacred Heart, take a step forward.’ Whether the power of walking was restored by rectifying the surgeon’s clumsiness or simply in spite of it, she never paused to question. It sufficed for her that God had restored her health and energy. Her one ambition was to use both for God’s glory. “

As for St. Julie, she knew as we are invited to as well, that healing is a resuscitation to accept the gifts given to us, to revive these gifts within, and share– however simple those gifts may be- with those around us. Healing, in essence, is to acknowledge with gratitude of God’s love in the simple comfort as is found in a warm fire, a soothing broth, or gentle smile of understanding.

The following quote is from the documentary, “Heal” (2017): “Focus on life. Focus on something that brings you joy. Focus on love, focus on your loved ones and spend every day doing things that make you feel good…I say think of the word remission as actually meaning remember my mission so now it’s time for you to go and remember your mission.”

So how can we move forward and heal? Like St. Julie, one step at a time, taking our steps in faith, knowing we are led by God, the healer of our souls.

Let us take a few moments to let this message wash over us. Time was taken at this point to go into small groups followed by a closing prayer.

Universal Lord, let us humbly serve one another with Christ-like compassion, reserving harsh and unproductive judgments and the assumptions that our actions won’t really matter. Let us be aware of the suffering around us. Let our ears be open to others’ cries of distress. Give us the courage to speak up for injustice in all forms. Keep us available to receive the messages you send us, Lord, aware of our own power to influence others for good or evil. Grant us self-discernment so we can meet our own sufferings with hope and trust in you. Revive in us the willingness to work with others in building up a universal kingdom and the steadfast spirit to begin again and again. Infuse in us a commitment to bring all your children to wholeness and holiness. Amen.

We hope that this sense of Kindness, Compassion and Healing wll bring bring each of us a time of contemplative thought and peace as we face this unprecedented time together.

Author: BACAR, Inc.

Synod Results

October 4, 2023