Prayer
Slowly read the interfaith prayer that concludes Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Reflect on how this prayer connects with your learnings about extractivism.
Exploring Interconnections
Identifying connections between the impacts of extractivism and other current issues helps us go even deeper in our reflection and analysis. The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas have named five “Critical Concerns” that guide our work: Earth, immigration, nonviolence, racism and women. We invite everyone participating in this process to explore the interconnections of these issues and the harms of extractivism. If you would like to learn more about the Mercy Critical Concerns, click here.
Mercy Associate Nelly del Cid names many of these intersections in this nine-minute video. This six-minute interview with Mercy Justice Team member Jean Stokan explores these interconnections more explicitly. After each video, spend time in quiet reflection and consider the following questions:
- What did you learn from examples shared?
- Given your knowledge of the theological lenses we have explored and discussed, how did you view these videos differently?
- Where did you see the intersection with Mercy’s Critical Concerns in the videos?
- What questions did these videos raise about where power and decision-making occur?
- Where would you turn to learn more about situations centered in the experience of people, communities and Earth?
Spend time reading and reflecting on this document, which provides explanations and examples of where the impact of extractivism connects with other issues. After reading this information, spend some time in reflection on the following questions:
- What new information did you learn from this document? Were there examples shared that you were not aware of?
- How does this exploration of intersections help you frame your individual and communal, current and future, engagement with extractivism?
Contemplative Reflection
Now we invite you into contemplative reflection around images (PowerPoint / pdf) at the intersection of the Mercy Critical Concerns and extractivism. After a short period of silence with each photo, reflect on and journal your responses to the following questions:
- What do I see in this photo? How does it make me feel?
- What do I see differently now than I would have six months ago?
- What questions does this image cause me to ask of myself? Ask of Mercy? Where would I go to find answers or to learn more?
Additional Resources to Go Deeper:
Pax Christi International promotes nonviolent responses to extractivism conflicts
Report examines “fossil fuel racism”