The Phillipines and Thomas Berry

Catholic New Times, Feb 13, 2005 by Christina Vanin

To the children, to all the children, to the children who swim beneath the waves of the sea, to those who live in the soils of the earth, to the children of the flowers in the meadows and the trees in the forest, to all those children who roam over the land and the winged ones who fly with the winds, to the human children too, that all the children may go together into the future in the full diversity of their regional communities." --Thomas Berry, The Great Work

Recently, I had occasion to visit gain with 90-year-old Thomas Berry, the cultural historian and geologist who has had a profound influence in my professional and personal life.

As we talked about his latest reflections on the significance of the 20th century for the life of this planet, I was reminded of the many. people whom I have met who find his ideas significant for their lives--story, the dream of the earth, the great work, the universe story. These are not just the titles of Berry's books; they are ideas that have transformed lives and are consequently transforming the earth.

One particular place that has been affected by Thomas Berry is the Maryknoll Centre for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation in Baguio City, Philippines, where I spent a week last February. Ann Braudis, the director of the Maryknoll Centre, arrived in the Philippines in the early 1990s to begin work on ecological issues for her religious community. The opportunity arose for her to go to Baguio after an earthquake had destroyed the local community's convent. When she saw the land there, Ann was inspired to begin this centre. I didn't know until I arrived that Ann had spent time at Holy Cross Centre for Ecology and Spirituality, formerly located in Port Burwell, Ont.

As at Holy Cross, part of the Maryknoll Centre is an ecological sanctuary that includes a set of 14 cosmic stations that celebrate significant moments in the story of the universe--the cosmic journey. It is extraordinary.

The centre is also focused on education that is based on the universe story. A class of deaf students put on a play about the earth. The pre-school children did the same; after the play, we went down to station number three, which celebrates the oceans. We participated in a ritual that included a blessing with water and the planting of indigenous trees. It was over whelming.

It was also overwhelming to talk with the staff of the centre. They are all indigenous persons who told stories of having been healed and restored through their contact and work with the centre. In a country so full of human and ecological injustice, where you might expect that the primary concern would be daily survival, the staff is committed to the work because of the children. Living, working and educating from the perspective of the universe story makes sense to them because it concerns the legacy that we pass on to all the children of this planet.

Filipino children and adults come to the centre almost daily to take the Cosmic Journey, visit the art gallery, participate in a workshop. The staff speaks of the impact the centre is having on people's sense of self-worth and the worth of their indigenous culture; it is a healing and restorative experience that gives them hope in the face of daily struggles, their long history of colonial oppression and extensive ecological devastation. The community of life here is definitely contributing to the healing of this planet.

Thomas Berry provides us with a legacy of insight into the universe and who we are as human beings. He hopes and believes that the story of the earth can become one of mutually enhancing relationships between humans and all other beings and systems. He expands our limited human horizons and teaches us to see beyond ourselves, our species, to the whole community of life. He inspires us to pursue the dream of the earth and contribute to its healthy unfolding. He challenges us to live and work with the future of all the earth's children always in our view.

Cristina Vanin teaches in the Department of Religious Studies at St. Jerome's University, Waterloo, Ont.