Bishop Jon Hansen, CSsR:
Laudato Si’ & Laudate Deum
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Laudato Si’
Laudato Si’ is an encyclical about hope. It reminds us that we must change our course but also that we have what it takes to change.
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Laudate Deum
Laudate Deum is a trumpet call to responsibility. It asks us to look honestly at what is happening to our land, our waters, and our communities, and to act with the urgency of faith, justice, and love.
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Prayers to Mary, Mother of Creation
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Prayer One
By Bishop Jon Hansen, CSsR
Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith
Holy Mother of Perpetual Help,
You who have always watched tenderly over the Church and her children,
we turn to you in this moment of reflection and hope.
You know the struggles of our northern lands—
the melting ice, the changing seasons,
the wounds of abandoned communities,
and the yearning of peoples to live in harmony with creation.
You also know the beauty: the silence of wide skies,
the strength of the rivers, and the enduring wisdom of Indigenous traditions.
Mother, intercede for us before your Son.
Help us to love this land as He loves it,
to care for every creature as a brother or sister,
to act with courage when comfort tempts us to stand still,
and to walk humbly with one another in truth and reconciliation.
Guide our hearts toward conversion,
our hands toward justice,
and our voices toward praise.
May we, like you, always point to Christ,
so that in Him all creation may be healed and renewed.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Our Mother of Perpetual Help—pray for us.
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Prayer Two
By Bishop Jon Hansen, CSsR
Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith
Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help,
you know the beauty of God’s creation,
and you see the wounds that scar the earth and the poor.
We ask you to intercede for us,
that we may receive the grace to live with gratitude for the land,
with conversion of heart in how we live,
and with solidarity for all who suffer from the effects of climate change.
Mother, you stood with courage at the foot of the Cross;
stand with us now as we face the challenges of our time.
Teach us to trust, as you trusted,
that God’s love is stronger than destruction,
and that Christ’s resurrection brings life where there is death.
Help us to be caretakers of the land,
defenders of creation,
and servants of one another.
Guide our leaders, inspire our communities,
and make our homes places of hope and care.
Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help,
pray for us, protect us,
and lead us always to your Son, Jesus,
who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Amen.
Bishop Jon Hansen, CSsR:
Mary’s Northern Church
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To Be a Northern Missionary
As the people of the north have had to adapt to the changing technology of our time, the role of the missionary has also needed to adapt. Today being a missionary is to be a presence that helps journeys humbly with the people, helping to bring awareness to what God is with the people he or she has come to serve.
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Truth and Reconciliation
I am hopeful for what I see when I visit the communities in the North. The people are very spiritual, and they have always known and had a deep hunger for God. They want to reconcile with the church and are willing to keep walking together on this journey.
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Workers in the Northern Vineyard
The love of Mary throughout the North is strong. She unites us North and South. Devotion to Mary, Mother of Jesus, Mother of God is also part of the missionary understanding. Mary's virtues of humility, resilience and awareness, these are virtues I seek to develop in myself as a missionary bishop and they are the marks of a vocation for all who come here to work with us. Mary is a guide for all of us.
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