by harmonylink
Archives for September 2023
Silsilah and the Dialogue with Creation Partners Movement (DCPM)
Last September 29, 2017, Silsilah launched the Dialogue with Creation Partners Movement as part of the ongoing effort to promote the four pillars of its spirituality of life in dialogue: Dialogue with God, Dialogue with the Self, with Others and with Creation.
The Dialogue with Creation has been always one of the focuses of dialogue in Silsilah giving special attention to “mother earth”. Because of this, Silsilah has a program of formation for organic farming, protection of the watersheds of Zamboanga, Plant, Care and Share program and other related activities. The last one was the Silsilah School of Dialogue with Creation, a program for five weeks. We presented what religions, especially Christianity and Islam, say about creation, the alarming reality of Climate Change, the international, national and local efforts done in this direction, etc. The last day of this Silsilah School on the occasion of the closing and the graduation, Silsilah launched the DCPM to give strength to the different efforts done up to now by Silsilah to invite others to join in this mission. The event was also the occasion to give Certificates of Recognition to three, among the more committed friends of Silsilah who have helped to fight with success against a mining company to enter the area of the Ayala watershed of Zamboanga. They are Atty. Cesar Jimenez, Atty. Laisa Alamia and Mrs. Ofelia Despalo. All of them have done a lot to help Silsilah and are close friends of the Movement.
In giving a special attention to this specific Pillar of Dialogue with Creation Silsilah came up the following.
· RATIONALE
The Silsilah Dialogue Movement, through the Dialogue with Creation Partners Movement (DCPM) invites partners: individuals, groups, institutions and communities to give a special attention to the spiritual, moral and social obligation to save together “Mother Earth, our common home.”
· OBJECTIVES
1. The partners have to “think globally and act locally” inspiring many through sharing of experiences and some agreed forms of advocacies together.
2. The partners have to move in the spirit of freedom and autonomy in this mission but always in the spirit of DCPM.
3. The partners will be encouraged to help each other according to the area of interest, like the advocacy of the Friends of the Zamboanga Watersheds, the Plant, Care and Share Program, the Holistic Health Care, etc.
· GOAL
To give special attention to spiritual, moral and social care for the earth as part of our mission to promote dialogue and peace among cultures and religions for the common good.
The new effort of the DCPM will be extended also to the other Silsilah Forums in Mindanao and Manila areas and it is open to welcome any committed individual, group or institution to be part of this new Movement.
It is our wish to make the DCPM an inspiring avenue for many who are willing to move and educate others in this important aspect of our life starting from a spiritual, moral and social understanding and commitment of dialogue with Creation, an important aspect of Dialogue to save our “Common Home”.
The start of the Dialogue with Creation Partners
We present here a new initiative of Silsilah that we call, DIALOGUE WITH CREATION PARTNERS MOVEMENT. The following are the pillars of the spirituality of dialogue of Silsilah are: DIALOGUE WITH GOD, WITH THE SELF, WITH OTHERS AND WITH CREATION.
The Dialogue with Creation commitment has been in the past year, one of the more dynamic and challenging movements. We are especially challenged to protect the watershed of Zamboanga. We had worked to stop mining companies who entered Zamboanga. We have involved many friends and groups to do this advocacy in many ways.
Guided by the good results of the initiative that Silsilah has taken, starting in 2012 up to now, we promote the World Interfaith Harmony Week, an initiative of the United Nations in 2010 to promote the Love of God and the Love of Neighbor among people of different cultures and religions. We have been able to advocate through friends in politics to pass a republic act under the approval of President Benigno Aquino to introduce this celebration on national level. We have also asked the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines to endorse this initiative in all dioceses and we have created partner groups in different parts of the country forming UNI HARMONY PARTNERS in different cities.
This success story of partnerships is something we wish to do again for the urgent need of the DIALOGUE WITH CREATION. This commitment is urgent when we consider the alarming situation of climate change and the strong invitation of Pope Francis in “Laudato si” ” and “Fratelli Tutti”.
We consider this time as a new beginning and a kind or relaunching of the DIALOGUE WITH CREATION PARTNERS MOVEMENT. We already have a team of experts who are part of the core group of this new movement and partners from different groups, institutions and religions.
We can share more about this plan. Meanwhile, those who are interested in this partnership movement can express their solidarity and suggestions. Most probably, the special week of this celebration will be the first week of May every year.
We believe when the crisis is strong like the urgency to protect our Creation/Mother Earth the partnership becomes stronger. We are convinced that this partnership program have to be developed in areas and cities where partners can meet regularly and act together. This is the experience of the World Interfaith Harmony Week that we wish to apply for this specific concern, It will also help us to work together especially with people of different cultures and religions.
The beginning of the Dialogue with Creation Partners Week
On the occasion of the Second National gathering of the partners of the World Interfaith Harmony Week in Harmony Village, Zamboanga City, the participants decided to launch a new partners week called DIALOGUE WITH CREATION PARTNERS WEEK to be celebrated by those who are sensitive to CREATION and MOTHER EARTH in the spirit of unity without barriers of cultures and religions.
A good number of the UNI Harmony Partners Zamboanga attended to the second national gathering with the participants who came from the Manila area and different parts of Mindanao. It was a big delegation from the Santo Tomas University and De La Salle University in Manila, together with the delegates from different parts of Mindanao, most of them are Silsilah Forum Coordinators. The participants have shared together the ongoing programs of the World Interfaith Harmony Week from different religions, as well as from different sectors of society. It was a great sign in this world that is becoming more conflictual, often using religions as a way to divide peoples.
The WIHW was promoted by the United Nations in 2010 focusing on the love of God, the love of neighbor and the love of common good.
We in Silsilah starting from Zamboanga City have introduced this initiative in Mindanao and other areas, including Manila, forming groups of partners that move in their own way and style, using the same logo and theme for the first week of February.
During the second national gathering in Zamboanga City, in April 28, together we decided to commit ourselves as UNI HARMONY PARTNERS to launch the DIALOGUE WITH CREATION PARTNERS WEEK, choosing the first week in October as the week of the celebration. The choice of this week is connected to the fact that this week is already far enough for the WIHW in February and it is a week during school time and , by coincidence, coincide also with the time when we celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, an icon of Dialogue with creation with his famous Canticle of Creation “LAUDATO SI.”
The spirit of this special week is to invite all who believe in the importance of DIALOGUE WITH CREATION and move as partner for one week celebration. Today, there are many initiatives on the local, national and international level that, in many ways and forms, promote dialogue with creation with different initiatives, like those who promote the “Season of Creation,” the ‘Laudato Si’ program, etc.
The DIALOGUE WITH CREATION PARTNERS WEEK does not directly join to any of the initiatives, but encourage partners to be active in any group that each one or group feel that better answer to the DIALOGUE WITH CREATION mission. These guidelines help all of us to continue to involve ourselves to any group which promote love for “Mother Earth” and join together with other partners for one week celebration , from October 1-7.
For sure this special week will create a lot of challenges to do more and better in every place we are to continue to promote ” dialogue with Creation”. Based on this reflection the members of the WIHW together decided to:
The partners promoting world interfaith harmony week will celebrate the Dialogue with Creation Week every first week in October. The celebration highlights the need of dialogue with creation as an essential aspect of interreligious dialogue. The care for our common home is our shared goal and common responsibility. During this week, the interfaith community will organize series of activities/programs to celebrate the beauty of mother earth and the need to protect and care for our common home through the dynamics of dialogue with creation.
Objectives:
For the Interfaith community,
- To raise awareness about the emergency condition of mother earth.
- To organize activities as expressions of solidarity and dialogue with creation.
- To foster friendship and advance common action between and among the interfaith communities for the care of our common home.
For this year 2023 during the first week in October we will launch the partnership program identifying partners and together reflect and plan in order to start officially the celebrations of the DIALOGUE WITH CREATION PARTNERS WEEK the first week in October 2024.
In presenting this new initiative on behalf of the delegates, Prof. Bong Baybado, Jr. from the University of Santo Thomas, said that we have to have the ability to “DREAM.” Dreaming, he said, is a form of prophetic attitude that we have to acquire and learn from those among us who are moving with this attitude of dreaming, to make this new dream of the DIALOGUE WITH CREATION PARTNERS WEEK a reality. Thus, we are called to “DREAM TOGETHER.”