Message From The Coordinator
Welcome to the Web site of the Ecology Project. We very much appreciate your interest in ecology and spirituality.
Nearly a century has passed since the Jesuits first began farming the land in Guelph, Ontario. Since that time — both locally and globally — we have witnessed the emergence of an ecological crisis: loss of biodiversity; pollution of our waterways; deforestation; over consumption; climate change.
The current ecological crisis goes beyond just “the environment”. As John Paul II noted in his document, Peace with God the Creator, Peace with All of Creation, it is “a moral issue”. Similarly, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has said, “the ecological crisis is … a profoundly religious crisis.”
It is now widely recognized that a spiritual perspective is essential to restore right relations between humanity and its home planet. Even the scientific community concurs. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, “we must recapture the sense of the sacred again“.
It is people like you who will make the difference. There are many ways you can get involved: go on a retreat, volunteer, donate, sign up for a reading course, attend a talk, participate in a camp with your family, or come to a land blessing, organic feast or open house. Explore the rest of this site for more information about who we are, what we do, why we do it and how you can help.
We invite you to join us in the healing of the Earth.
The Peace Pole Project
What better and more appropriate welcome to those at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre than the message of a Peace Pole. Each of the more than 200,000 Peace Poles worldwide carry the message “May Peace Prevail On Earth” in a variety of languages and dedicate the surrounding space as a place of peace.
The Ignatius Jesuit Centre of Guelph, known as “A Place of Peace” to its many friends, supporters and visitors could not be a more fitting place for a Peace Pole. We would like to add a Peace Pole, with 12 languages specially chosen to reflect the diversity of visitors to our centre, to our newly constructed outdoor prayer and meditation area but we need your help.
The cost of a Peace Pole and its installation is $2000 and we are asking each one of our friends to support this visual reminder of peace and our ministry.
The time to give is now. We would like to have this monument in place by the time we do our annual land blessing and our special Stations of the Cosmos Opening on May 31st. So please call our office if you want to contribute. If each person were able to give $20, $50 or more then we could achieve this target quickly. Please contact Miriam Koopman at 519-824-1250 ext 250 to donate.
With thanks for your generosity.
Ecology Project Abstract
The Ecology Project was established in 1999 to address ecological issues from a Christian faith perspective. Key to this initial effort was the "greening" of the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, which integrate ecological awareness with spiritual transformation.
Because we believe that the root of the ecological crisis is spiritual, we seek to restore a spiritual relationship with Earth. We believe deep-seated change in personal lifestyles and collective accountability will take place when individuals experience God’s presence in Creation.
Educators, religious, theology students, scientists and professionals in all fields are increasingly interested in incorporating a knowledge and practice of ecology and spirituality into their daily lives. Our programs combine science, faith, Ignatian spiritual practices and hands-on training in ecology and spirituality. Our retreats, workshops and other events help people to experience the profound mystery and wonder of Creation and understand how ecological awareness is critical to our faith at this time.
The Ecology Project team is dedicated to fostering a just relationship between humanity and the Earth. As an Ignatian Ecological Community founded on a commitment to ecology and spirituality, we empower people to address the ecological crisis and transform their lives spiritually by "finding God in all things" (St. Ignatius of Loyola).