Breathing Together: A New Global Ignatian Prayer Vigil.

Together with a good number of Jesuit/Ignatian organizations and networks in a joint and collective effort- among others-the Ecclesial Network for Congo River Basin (REBAC), Ecojesuit, Ignatian Solidarity Network, Jesuit Conference of Canada and the USA, Jesuit Networking, Jesuit Services to Amazonia, and Justice in Mining- Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat-Rome organized the Global Ignatian Prayer Vigil for the Season of Creation titled ‘breathing together’. , “The vigil was an amazing way of connecting people to the call of Pope Francis to care for our common home, along with the four Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) of the Society of Jesus”, noted Fr. Xavier Jeyaraj, Secretary SJES.

It took place on the youtube channel of Jesuit Curia on September 25 at three different moments at 8 PM in Manila, 8 PM in Rome and 8.00 PM in New York in order to ensure greater outreach and to connect everyone in the world. There have been more than 15,000 views during and the following two days of the vigil. According to Fr. Dani Villanueva, coordinator of Jesuit Networking: “Technology allows us to achieve global dynamics that were unthinkable years ago. We are experiencing how to activate the Jesuit and Ignatian networks to foster spiritual communion as an apostolic body that prays, feels and discerns closely together.”

The vigil will remain online in the youtube channel of the Society of Jesus in English and Spanish for anyone who wants to use it as a resource material.  This can be a wonderful resource material in schools, parishes, youth groups etc., for creating awareness about the three lungs of the earth and to understand what is happening to these lungs and to the indigenous people living in those regions. 

“The vigil was a unique opportunity to show the way to God (UAP1); to care for our common home, particularly the three lungs of the earth (UAP4); to walk with the poor indigenous people in those 3 regions whose rights and dignity have been violated (UAP2); and finally, how to accompany the young indigenous people by listening to their testimonies (UAP3), conducted on a day when young people were participating in a climate strike throughout the world,” says Fr. Jeyaraj.

On the Global Climate Action Day, Breathing Together wanted to emphasize the need to defend the lungs of the earth – in particular, the Congo Basin, the Asian forests and the Amazon – “literally and figuratively on fire,” as Cecilia Calvo, of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States noted. “In these essential biomes, we see environmental destruction and loss of “human, social and cultural richness” caused by a mentality of exploitation,” said Calvo. “Climate change, irresponsible mining practices, consumerist driven overproduction, the privileging of GDP over human development – are but manifestations of this disruption. Vulnerable communities – children, the elderly, indigenous people, migrants – are left most exposed to this socio-environmental crisis.”

This was also noted by the indigenous community representatives themselves. Amba Lobota Bongila, a member of the Ekonda community, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said: “The forest belongs to us. It belongs to our ancestors. But today it has been destroyed and we, the owners of the forest, are not getting anything. Our rivers have become polluted, animals have run away, caterpillars are not growing anymore on threes. Loggers enrich themselves at the expense of indigenous peoples.” Dorotheé, of the Baka community in the Yahuma territory of the DRC, added: “Our community is threatened by the loss of their lands, land expropriation, by the Bantu neighbors, forest companies, mining companies, and others seeking natural resources.” Enesio Martins, who belongs to the Ticuna community in Amazonia emphasized: “We have been affected by the forest fires, by the deforestation carried out by the big multinational corporations.” Jason Menaling from Mindanao in the Philippines noted: “I hope the rest of the world will not be deaf to the cries of Indigenous Peoples. We want a future where we live in peace, nurturing our connection to our environment and to each other.”

“Never has our commitment to care for our common home and to heal this broken world been more urgent. We cannot heal this earth by ourselves. The healing begins when we join others, especially the most affected: the poor, indigenous, migrants and refugees and become collaborators in the care of our common home,” noted Fr. Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus. “But change will happen only if we make room for it,” says September Kelokelo, a young activist from Papua New Guinea.

The vigil emphasized that change must start with an individual and collective conversion to integral ecology, as well as a transformation of public policies. Hence, the Vigil’s final prayer of commitment called on the international community and world leaders to listen to “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor and to take effective action, guaranteeing the well-being (buen vivir) of all and the equilibrium of our Common Home.”