Storyline Demo

NJPN Day

NJPN Day on Sustainability facilitated by Columbans and the NJPN Environment Group. Speakers on being in a Live Simply parish; Tackling Debt and the Climate Crisis in the Jubilee Year; Greening Church Investments: fossil fuel divestment and investment in climate solutions; and looking at creation theology using Laudato Si, Laudato Deum and Al-Mizan.

Flourish@St Columban’s

Launch of Flourish@St Columban’s, a programme involving training teachers to lead eco retreats, a huge increase in the use of the ground’s of the Columban headquarters in Solihull.

Rewilding event

Rewilding event at St Columban’s, Solihull, inspired by Laudato Si.

Restore Nature Now March

Columban group at ‘Restore Nature Now’ march, campaigning for political action on biodiversity.

Encounters

Encounters online between Catholic teachers and people from the Higaonon people of Mindanao

Columban Schools competition

The 2023-2024 Columban Schools Competition in Britain took the theme, ‘Biodiversity Matters’. 

Livesimply Award

Celebration of 100 schools achieving CAFOD’s Livesimply Award – Columbans have helped assess and support the award.

Seeds of Change

Launch of ‘Seeds of Change’, a solidarity programme between Catholic schools in Birmingham Archdiocese and a tree growing partnership with the Columbans in the Philippines and the Higaonon people of Mindanao.

Laudato Deum

Columbans advertise Laudato Deum – a follow up to Laudato Si, which warns that responses to Laudato Si have not been adequate.

Flame 2023

Columbans attend Flame 2023, as part of CYMFed, the Catholic Youth Ministry Federation, which promotes youth ministry across England and Wales. We worked with other organisations to lead an activity for hundreds of young participants to discern which justice, peace and ecology issues they feel called to act upon.

Creation Time

Media and Liturgy resources produced for Creation Time in September.

COP27

Lobbying COP27 on Climate and COP15 on Biodiversity

Creative thinking

COVID restrictions led to creative thinking: eco retreats for Catholic teachers in local country parks!

International Youth Encounters

Working with young Columbans around the world during COVID to put on a series of Columban International Youth Encounters, many of which were inspired by Laudato Si’

COP26

James Trewby and Ellen Teague attended and lobbied COP26 on Climate in Glasgow at which Ellen released a daily blog.

24 hours for the climate

A live broadcast vigil from COP26 in Glasgow, linking young adults and people on the front line of the climate crises.

Laudato Si’ Talks

On-going talks by Ellen include a Laudato Si’ Day with Religious Sisters in Birmingham on 4 April and a Christians Aware Interfaith Conference in West Yorkshire.

NJPN Conference

Columban JPIC supports the annual National Justice and Peace Conference with speakers, a stall and workshops. Conference on Laudato Si’ themes, especially the Climate Crisis. The JPIC team is actively involved with many networks, including the Climate Coalition and the Catholic Youth Ministry Federation.

Extraordinary Missionary Month

During Pope Francis’s ‘Extraordinary Missionary Month’, we ran programmes with young adults and school groups exploring Laudato Si’

Climate Strikers

2019 onwards, supporting local groups of young climate strikers, including taking Catholic school groups and groups of young refugees and asylum seekers to join and organising an encounter between climate strikers and a conference of Catholic head teachers.

Climate Coalition

Columban JPIC part of the Climate Coalition and the Our Voices interfaith climate network, as well as Operation Noah, lobbys for a fair global climate deal and for Britain to do more to decarbonise its own economy. It also supports the London Mining Network, which offers solidarity to communities around the world who are badly affected by mining companies based in, or financed from, London.

World Meeting of Families

James plus Jack (Faith in Action Volunteer), Jane (Columban JPIC volunteer) and Fr Liam O’Callaghan led activities on ‘Caring for our common home’ at the World Meeting of Families in Ireland.

Columban Schools competition

First year of the Columban Schools competition which has often taken ecology themes.

Laudato Si’ Talks

Ellen Teague gave zoom and face to face talks in many places, including Macclesfield, Tyneside and Hanwell Parish in West London.

Ecology Workshops

Columban JPE team asked to lead workshops, retreats and talks on ecology themes. Audiences have included school and university students, diocesan youth gatherings, retreats and training for teachers, justice and peace groups at parish, diocese and national level and groups of Religious. Some events were ecumenical and interfaith, such as the Christians Aware Conference.

Divest from Fossil fuels

Columbans announced a pledge to divest from fossil fuels on 4 October

Eco retreats

James visited the Columbans in Ireland to take part in the ecology programme for teachers led by Ger Clarke. This led to the first eco retreats for Catholic school groups in the grounds of St Columban’s Solihull.

Inspirational school and conferences visits

Fr Peter Hughes, Columban involved in REPAM, a Catholic Church network that promotes the rights and dignity of people living in the Amazon. Inspirational school visits and speaking at conferences.

Resources produced

Stations of the Forest and resources for Lent and the Season of Creation produced.

Laudato Si’ Talks

Ellen spoke at ‘Laudato Si’ days around various dioceses in England and Wales. The encyclical continued to inspire and guide diocesan priorities. The Columban Laudato Si’ study programme was popular, and also Sean McDonagh’s new book on Laudato Si’ – ‘On Care for our Common Home’.

Columban Day

Columban Day in Westminster Diocese where Columban JPE ran a workshop on ‘The inspiration of Laudato Si’, highlighting Columban action on environmental justice and a study programme based on the 2015 environment encyclical. And Ellen Teague was a speaker at a ‘Laudato Si ‘ Day in Birmingham Diocese and several other dioceses.

Online encounters

First facilitated online encounter between a group in Britain and Columban Fr Liam O’Callaghan in Pakistan, exploring themes such as mission, care for creation and Laudato Si’. Since then we have done 100+, and other Columbans, such as Marjorie Engcoy in the Philippines and Fr Kurt Zion Pala in Myanmar have also been featured.

Laudato Si’ INSET training

Since 2016, after a couple of ‘pilots’ in 2015, we have been offering Laudato Si’-themed INSET training from schools.

Paris climate talks

Ellen Teague and Columban Charles Rue attended the Paris climate talks where a strong climate deal was made. They also attended one of the first meetings of the Global Catholic Climate Movement – later the Laudato Si Movement.

Liverpool Laudato Si’ Day with Columban missionaries.

Archbishop McMahon and around 140 people attended the ‘Faith and Creation’ day in Liverpool, organised by Columban missionaries and Liverpool Archdiocese Justice and Peace Commission. Paeticipants represented more than 30 parishes of the Liverpool Archdiocese, and some in Shrewsbury, Lancaster and Wrexham.

Celebrating Young People’s Awards

Columban JPIC supported the ‘Celebrating Young People’s Awards’, given at a ceremony in London by sponsoring the ‘Caring for the Environment’ Award (the Barbara Ward Award).

NJPN Conference

Columban JPIC ran workshops and stalls at the 2015 National Justice and Peace Conference 17-19 July, which had a strong focus on the environment.

Appearance on Radio 4 Today Programme

Ellen Teague interviewed by Mishal Husain about the international launch that day of the environment encyclical of Pope Francis – Laudato Si.

The JPIC office supported Laudato Si publicly and welcomed it in articles and radio interviews. Columbans supported the June ‘Pray and Fast with the Climate’ service in London and the lobby of parliament on climate.

Study Days

Throughout the decade Columbans have supported many study days on Laudato Si in Dioceses, parishes and schools. Good use has been made of ColumbansUK social media.

Vocation for Justice

Our 12-page Columban magazine produced three times a year – raises awareness of many campaigns, particularly the issues of Climate Crisis, Biodiversity loss, Migration and Laudato Si’. Sign up for your copy.

Climate Marches

Columbans have marched in the annual climate march in London to coincide with and show public support for the UN COP Climate Conferences.