In the Netherlands and Flanders, the number of friars is limited, but due to the good cooperation with the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO), the JPIC exists of four members (one Franciscan friar and three members of the SFO).
Sending a (digital) card
Every three months, we send an e-mail to all the friar minors, the SFO fraternities and the houses of the conventuals, the capuchins and the poor claires. The e-mail exists of short letter about an aspect of Laudato Si, with some practical suggestions, and a short text from St. Francis or St. Claire, accompanied by a picture for illustration or for meditation.
A lot of ideas we borrow from the “Laudato Si -alliance”. This alliance has 21 Roman catholic and protestant organizations, who share and combine their ideas, activities and liturgical material concerning environment, justice and peace. In 2025, we will focus our themes on the Canticle of the Creatures.
Focusing on the Youth
In the period of Lent, we work together with our Franciscan Youth workers. Every week we will send and publish some practical questions to enhance the awareness of the youth about their ecological footprint. For example, by asking: From how many countries come the clothes you ‘r wearing today? Look at the labels of your clothes. What do you know about these countries, its environment and culture? Where is your food coming from? How do you go to you work or studies? By car or motorbike or by cycle or by train? How often do you visit a park or develop an activity to do with your friends to enjoy the environment or help to increase the quality of the environment?
Pilgrimage
With different Franciscan groups, we are organizing a scale of activities to celebrate 800 years the Canticle of the Creatures. There is a pilgrimage through rural territory along different houses and places where people can take part of working in mother nature or marvel about art or successful environmentally friendly projects. On secular festivals (on musical, art or academic level), we want to be present with an exhibition and by sharing and discussing ideas about taking care of the environment.
Exhibitions
In the parish where I work, we decided to host for a month an art/exhibition called “Whole the Earth”. Due to the close contact with the surrounding protestant churches, we could effort this exhibition. Together with these churches we’re able not only to finance the exhibition but also to organize a program of activities like lectures and excursions, for not only church members but for the public schools and other people outside of the churches.
It is a protestant tradition to organize a “Day of prayer for the crop” in the month of March, and “a day of thanksgiving for the harvest” in the autumn. Because of the exhibition, this year, the evening prayer will be ecumenical.
Giving back to nature
In the monasteries of friars minor as in those of the poor clares in the Netherlands, we’ve had a long tradition of gardening with respect to sustainability. In the monastery of Megen (Netherlands), we have a ‘liturgical garden’ with a special part of the garden dedicated to the Canticle of the Creatures. Just as in the garden of Megen, we depend also on a fast group of volunteers in Den Bosch (the other monastery in the Netherlands), who take a leading role in organizing and taking care of the garden. We think, it is necessary, not only because of the limited number of friars who can work in the garden, but also to guarantee the continuity and to reach more people with our message especially in a more secular country.
We open our gardens for all people, to get inspired by the beauty, the peacefulness, but also singing of the birds, to take more care for nature in their own neighborhood. We experience that the environment of the garden, helps people to get more easier connected with other visitors but also to talk about their own personal questions with the friars or sisters who are present.
Fratelli tutti
We experience that working with the song of The Canticle of the Creatures, makes it easier to let people understand that we’re all related, especially with the vulnerable nature and the poor, but more over that we’re all loved by a God who invites us, to take care for all he has entrusted to us.
Br. Roland Putman OFM
JPIC Animator of the Martyrs of Gorkum Province
Netherlands
