Almost 100 people signed up for EcoQuakers’ ‘Re-imagining Society Sustainably’ online conference, which took place on 18^th July 2020.

It was a wonderfully stimulating session considering how we can rebuild society post Covid19 with the three speakers providing plenty of food for thought.

Denise Gabuzda, Ireland Yearly Meeting Clerk and physics and astronomy lecturer at University College Cork, painted a wonderful picture of a more equal society with more renewable energy, more locally grown food, stronger communities, protection of biodiversity and a more peaceful earth.

She said imagining a future like this was the first step to it becoming a reality. “As our planet heals, so will we as we appreciate the inter-connectedness of all living things,” she said.

You can read Denise’s full script here.

Romanian-born and US-raised Oana Sariana Marian, an artist and writer and Co-founder of the Active Hope Network who is pursuing a PhD in Theology at Trinity College Dublin, spoke about the need for climate grief and imagination as we work towards a sustainable future. She also encouraged each of us to self-audit how we spend our money and to educate ourselves about how our society is functioning within the wider global economy.

You can read Oana’s talk here.

Féidhlim Harty of Cork and Limerick Meetings and founder of FH Wetland Systems said there were five things we could do to help create a more sustainable future:
– spend our money consciously
– live more simply
– advocate for change
– build and strengthen connections
– remain optimistic and ‘hold the vision’

He encouraged us to nurture a clear vision of a beautiful earth and to anchor this in our minds through prayer and meditation.

You can read the full script of Féidhlim’s talk here.

The entire event was recorded and you can watch it on our You Tube channel.

Continuing and deepening difficulties in Lebanon make life for the staff, the pupils and the whole community of Brummana High School, a real and daily challenge.

The Quaker International Educational Trust’s (QuIET) responsibilities are twofold. Firstly to support the local Governors of the school; the Principal David Gray and his team; but most importantly the continuing education of the 1,250 children who study there. Secondly we are pledged to uphold the Quaker values upon which the school was founded nearly 150 years ago.

David’s letter inside sets out what the problems are and how the school is meeting the challenges. We, as QuIET trustees, invite Quakers everywhere to join us in supporting the school by donating to the 2020-21 Bursary Appeal.

Click to access brummana-appeal-2020-2021-1.pdf

In this time of Covid 19 crisis,  we are thinking of  the residents and  the wonderful staff working in Bloomfield Health Services.  Founded in 1812 by The Religious Society of Friends,  Bloomfield today consists of New Lodge Nursing Home with 36  beds and a Mental Health facility of 114 beds with a staff complement of over 200, from all around the world.

Bloomfield will need an  Emergency Fund to help them all through lockdown, isolation and infection.   Their immediate need is for iPads/tablets to help residents connect with and talk to their families remotely but  they will have to face and cope with other unexpected consequences for both residents and staff.   We ask Friends all over Ireland to Back Our Bloomfield Heroes.

We appreciate that many of you are already coping with job losses and other personal and financial difficulties so our appeal is to those who can help to please donate to our own Quaker charity.

Donations can be made on line by clicking on the following link
https://www.bloomfield.ie/support-us/donate/

On Monday 6th April, Rathfarnham Friend Ciara Harrison presented a 5 minute spiritual message on behalf of Quakers in Ireland on RTE News Now.  The following link will provide you with Ciara’s script.

A calendar of Quaker-related events across Europe and worldwide is available on https://www.fwccemes.org/calendar/ should Friends be travelling throughout 2020 and wish to attend.

Some events are online!

The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) has produced a poetry book, Pilgrim Verses, with all profits from sales going to the work of AVP.

Pilgrim Verses contains a collection of beautiful and simple poems about travels, religion, family and life by Padraic Murray, who is one of the AVP directors and who attends Monkstown Meeting. 

The poems are accompanied by calligraphies by Vincent Daniau.   

Padraic says, “I have had the pleasure of walking parts of the Camino de Santiago on four separate occasions between 2006 and 2013. It was a vivid reminder, if needed, that life indeed is a pilgrimage.

“For reasons of health and climate concern, I am now discovering the pilgrim paths of my native Ireland. The pilgrimages marked my journey from spiritual certainty to questioning. Many of these concerns are reflected in the verses, which for the most part were composed ‘on the spot’ with the help of a series of now defunct iPhones. The verses of varying quality were herded into a single document and with the help of family and friends we narrowed them down.”

As of early 2023, most of the physical copies have now been sold, and the remainder are to be sold to individuals who are in a position to collect them. For those who wish a physical copy and are able to collect the book, the book costs €15, and you can obtain a copy by emailing padraicmartinmurray@gmail.com. 

‘Pilgrim Verses’ can also be purchased online from Amazon Kindle at a cost of about £10.

Padraic is happy to visit Meetings around Ireland to share a couple of his poems and to talk about the work of AVP. Why not invite him?

The Clerk of Ireland Yearly Meeting, Denise Gabuzda, and the Clerk of Britain Yearly Meeting, Clare Scott Booth, have issued the following joint statement:

Feidhlim Harty’s book “Towards Zero Waste – How to lead a circular life” gives ideas and inspiration for those looking to reduce their household waste.

You can order the book by clicking on the following link www.wetlandsystems.ie/shop.html
Or by contacting Feidhlim by email: reeds@wetlandsystems.ie

‘Quakers: The Spiritual Journey of Earthcare’ – a film by EcoQuakers Ireland – premiered during Yearly Meeting at the Millennium Theatre, Limerick, on 19th July 2018.

The film features a number of Irish Quakers talking about the spiritual challenges around sustainability, where they find joy in the sustainability journey and what their one wish for change in Ireland would be in relation to sustainability >>

You can find out more about EcoQuakers Ireland here.