The JCAP flagship project, Caring for Communities and Creation (CCC), commemorated this year’s Season of Creation with a webinar on 14 September, led by the JCAP Reconciliation with Creation (RwC) network.
The webinar centred around three themes, mirroring the focal points of the flagship project: Transitioning to Cleaner Energy, Youth Leading the Future, and Strengthening Local Communities. A total of 54 individuals from different Jesuit institutions and schools, Catholic groups, and environmental organisations attended the event.
RwC Coordinator Fr Gabby Lamug-Nañawa SJ introduced the webinar’s agenda, while JCAP Socius Fr Greg Soetomo SJ provided context on the CCC project within the framework of the JCAP Apostolic Plan. Specifically, he highlighted Goal 1, which emphasises JCAP’s commitment to addressing the call of poverty and reconciliation with creation through concrete action.
The first session on Transitioning to Cleaner Energy featured Dr Randell Espina, Dean of the School of Engineering and Architecture at the Ateneo de Davao University in the Philippines. Dr Espina leads a team of engineers who are continuously working to transition the university’s energy sources from coal to renewable energy across their campuses. [Watch: “From Fossil Fuel Dependence to Renewable Energy Reliance: The Story of Ateneo de Davao University”]
His talk was followed by Alyza Betito, head campus minister of the Senior High School department at the Ateneo de Naga University in the Philippines. Betito shared her experience in co-organising an Ignatian spirituality retreat in January for student leaders aged 15 to 20 years old. In her reflection, she emphasised how young people should be guided to nurture “love that will change their hearts towards ecological conversion”.
The final session on Strengthening Local Communities was keynoted by Mary Khine, a social worker at Kayah Church in Myanmar. She spoke about the impact of the JRS Asia Pacific 40-4-40 project on the communities in Karenni State. 40-4-40 set out to plant 40,000 trees across Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand in honour of the 40th anniversary of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). Khine showed pictures of the impressive growth of the trees since their planting in 2021 and testimonies from community members. One of these was from a villager in Salaung in Pekhon Township, southern Shan State: “Our village has welcomed more than 100 families who have fled the conflict. We had to cut down many trees and bamboo for their shelters. At that time, we were quite worried and some villagers were uneasy with the IDPs. But now that we’ve had the chance to plant trees together, the views and perceptions of the villagers have changed. We are now as close as relatives.”
Each presentation was followed by an open forum facilitated by the core team of the flagship project: Fr Lamug-Nañawa, JCAP Communications head Ria Limjap, and JRS Asia Pacific Director Louie Bacomo. The open forum was met with enthusiasm by the participants, leading to lively exchanges and fruitful deliberations on addressing issues related to the ecological crisis.
Watch this video to learn more about CCC:
