2013 List of Further Resources #2

Part Two of the  Complete Selection of Further Resources published in Mercy E-News throughout 2013.  If you hadn't time throughout the year to read, watch and listen to these, you might like to do so over the Christmas holidays and before Mercy E-news returns on 22 January 2014.

Note: Timebound news items, including UN observances, conferences and other highlighted events, have been deleted and monthly links to newsletters such as Stop Trafficking and LCWR have been replaced by a link to the year's issues at the end of this list on #4

APRIL

Image courtesy of Sujin Jetkasettakorn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Worth Watching:
Eucharistic Prayer of the Cosmos. Theme: 'God (who is...)...we honour you'. Text by Father Seán ÓLaoire Ph.D. Watch this beautiful reflection here on Youtube (00:13'28").

The annual endowed Dudleian Lecture, the oldest and most prestigious endowed lecture at Harvard, was presented last month by  Mary Hughes OP, prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Amityville and former president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. The title of her talk was "Priesthood of the Faithful: Light in the Darkness." Watch this lecture here (1:09:11)

Worth Reading:
The Medicine of Poetry by Kim Rosen. This article offers insights and activities to help the reader explore the "healing power of poetry". Read it here

Worth Watching: 
Meet the driver behind "Nuns on the Bus". For Sister Simone Campbell, who leads “Nuns on the Bus,” a Catholic campaign for social justice, the new pope is reason for cautious optimism. Watch her interview with Christiane Amanpour here.
-Source: CNN

A *Whole-Sky View* of the Aurora Borealis. Wonderful! Watch it here (Make sure you have it full screen and with your speakers on)

Worth Reading:
'We're All Called To Be Prophets and Mystics'.  An interview with Joan Chittister OSB by Alicia von Stamwitz that appears in the April issue of Reality Magazine, Ireland. Click here to read the interview (PDF).

 Worth Watching:
Over 8 million viewers have listened to Brené Brown on TED. Have you heard her speak on 'The power of vulnerability'? In one of TED's most popular lectures, Brené Brown offers solutions on how we can deal with vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. Watch that video here See more of Brené Brown here
Watch the time-lapse of graphic recording session of Brene' here

Worth Reading:
The Guardian's recent illuminating series "Modern Day Slavery' can be accessed here
Source: The Guardian

Worth Following Up:
Silence in the City. This series of talks on silent prayer and the Christian contemplative life has been running since 2007 in London's Westminster Cathedral Hall. Details and how to obtain recordings of the talks can be found here

 Worth A Look:
Speeding Around The World in Under 5 minutes Time Lapse
17 Countries. 343 Days. 6237 Photographs. One incredible journey. Watch it here.

Worth Knowing: TED Conference at the Vatican TEDx

MAY

Worth Watching:
60 seconds of beauty submitted by users to the first round of The Beauty Of A Second short film contest. View it here

Worth Reading:
Donna Hicks, PhD is an Associate at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, teaches conflict resolution and  facilitates dialogue between communities in conflict. She has created the dignity approach to conflict resolution. Donna has had involvement recently in negotiating work in Northern Ireland and was part of the TEDx Stormont event last month.

Sr Rosemary M recommends 'Dignity- the Essential Role it Plays in Resolving Conflict' by Donna Hicks as being 'a wonderful book'.  Details on Amazon.

Visit Donna's website drdonnahicks.com to hear and read about her approach or watch the conversation with Donna Hicks facilitated by Itonde Kakoma, Assistant Director, Conflict Resolution Program Co-Sponsored by The Carter Center, Emory Initiative in religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding. View it here.

Joan Chittister: Tainted by radical feminism'? More like 'living the Gospel' . Read it here
Source: NCR online

Worth Watching:
Catholic Theological Union (CTU) Chicago has conferred its 2013 Blessed are the Peacemakers Award on Mary McAleese, Eighth President of Ireland, for her efforts in promoting reconciliation in the North and South of Ireland.

On 17 April Mary McAleese spoke to CTU students during a community forum. To view her remarks, click here (51'.59")
Source: CTU

Worth Reading:
The Monthly Bookclub. Each month Ramona Koval– broadcaster, writer and former host of the Book Show on ABC  (Australia) Radio National – will choose a book for the club and provide reading notes and a video interview with the author or another expert. The Childhood of Jesus - JM Coetzee was the April selection. The World Until Yesterday – Jared Diamond is the May title. There is no charge to join this book club.
Source: The Monthly

Worth Watching:
All the Why Poverty? films can now be downloaded for free from Vimeo. This means you can keep them on your computer or burn them to DVD. The Teachers' Packs that go with each film should be ready by June. We'll keep you posted.

Worth Reading:
Influential Women Share Advice on Staying Calm and Centered in Hectic Times. Article by Marianne Schnall in the Huffington post online. Read the suggestions here

Worth Checking out:
'Mission: one heart many voices' is the title of a recent Sydney conference. The Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia & Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG) was one of the Conference Partners.The conference title reflects the diversity of talks, videos and papers on offer in the resources now online, the contributions of presenters whose names and bios can be found here

Worth Viewing:
Faith and the Environment is described as a ' compelling and beautiful short film on how an alliance between faith communities and science can be a powerful tool in saving wildlife, wild places and deal with climate change.' 8'27" Watch it here

JUNE

Worth Doing:
The Google art project has been upgraded and now features a 'user galleries' section which will let you create your own art gallery from the art on show across the world. Visit Google Art Project
 
Worth Reading:
"Nuns on Tractors Can Bring a More Sustainable World." Faith communities are among the most influential entities in the world today. Did you know that these groups are linked to 85 percent of the world's population? Or that they own seven percent of the world's arable land? That they are involved in more than half of the world's schools? Or that they are the third-largest category of financial investors in the world? Read the article

"Compassion Can Be Cultivated In The Brain, Study Finds.' According to a new study reported in the Huffington Post, it is possible to become a more compassionate person by training your brain. Read the article here.

"The Best and Simplest Way to Fight Global Poverty" Proof that giving cash to poor people, no strings attached, is an amazingly powerful tool for boosting incomes and promoting development, new studies reveal. Read the article here.

Worth Watching:
"A girl  has eyes to see beyond the village; a girl has energy to fetch more than firewood; a girl has ability to carry more than water. Educate a girl, educate the whole family and educate the whole world
"School of My Dreams" (Trailer 1:24) is a follow-up to the earlier short film "Girls of Daraja" (14.29), about students at Daraja Academy (6.57), a boarding secondary school for girls northwest of Nairobi in the valley of Mount Kenya.

Worth Reading:
'Living In The Age of Distraction'.  "Our lives, relationships, and politics are being shaped by an ecosystem of interruption technologies," argues Margaret Wheatley who offers us "the practice of three difficulties" for restoring balance. Read the essay here.

'Mobilizing at the Margins: An Interview on Women, Leadership, and Faith'. An interview with Joan Chittester OSB by Sally Steenland of the Center for American Progress. Read the interview here.

'The evolution of the committed life in the 21st century' by Maureen Fiedler, SL Read the first of the two parts, published in NCR Online, here.

Worth Listening to:
Thank you to Sr Elizabeth Y for the link to this most extraordinary voice - that of 11 year old Jackie Evancho - singing 'To Believe'. Watch and listen here.

Worth Watching: 'Nuns on the Bus out for Immigration' - Video on NBCNews.com. Watch the interview with Simone Campbell SSS in San Antonio, Texas, where the nuns are currently campaigning for immigration reform.
Watch and listen here 

Worth Viewing
The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) is a multi-faith network . For World Environment Day they released a climate action kit which can be downloaded here

Worth Reading:
'Poverty, chastity, obedience: traditional vows redefined for the 21st century' part 2 of Maureen Fiedler's essay published in NCR online. Read it here

Worth Knowing:
'Buying the Field: Catholic Religious Life in Mission to the World', the latest work from Sandra Schneiders IHM can be ordered online from Amazon. Available from 1 July 2013 in paperback.

One in three women suffers violence, global study finds. "More than a third of all women worldwide – 35.6% – will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, usually from a male partner, according to the first comprehensive study of its kind from the World Health Organisation." Read the article here.
 Source:  Guardian

Worth Watching:
Paul Pholeros is a director of Healthabitat, a longstanding effort to improve the health of indigenous people by fixing their living environment and housing. His topic: How to reduce poverty? Fix homes. Watch it here