Celebrating Feast Days of Père Chenu & Sister Dorothy Stang

This weekend is of particular significance to me and to anybody eager on remembering and celebrating individuals of nice spirit. My mentor, Père  Chenu, OP, died on February 11, 1990. And my pupil, Sister Dorothy Stang, was martyred within the Amazon on February 12, 2005.

Chenu named the Creation Spirituality custom for me at school within the Spring of 1968 on the Institut Catholique in Paris, France. That was his final semester of educating, so I used to be particularly blessed to have been amongst his final college students. 

Chenu taught Yves Congar, OP, early in his educating profession and Congar was a pioneer in ecumenism who performed an outsized position at Vatican II (as did Chenu). Chenu additionally taught Father Schillibeeckx and Gustavo Guttieriez, father of liberation theology who gave a chat a couple of years in the past in Tubingen entitled “Liberation Theology: The Daughter of Père Chenu.” 

I keep in mind the second vividly when Chenu talked concerning the “two traditions” in spirituality within the West—that which begins with sin which he known as the “Fall-Redemption” custom, and that which begins with creation he known as the “Creation-centered” non secular custom. The latter was the oldest custom within the Bible.

The good medieval historian Étienne Gilson mentioned that “a person like Chenu comes alongside solely as soon as per century.” At his funeral, held in Notre Dame Cathedral, his eulogy was delivered by the eminent French historian Jacques le Goff, who was an atheist and an ex-student of Chenu. 

At one level he spoke to Chenu within the second individual: You have been in your existence the sunshine, the vivacity of beneficiant thunderstorms, a person who didn’t ignore the darkness however who adopted the sunshine, all the time current, ever flashing. A person all the time open to others, attentive to them. Human, too human some would say, however not those that have identified you…. You’ve taught us braveness, firmness, fearlessness, even resistance–however in humility.

I confess that I cried translating this eulogy to Chenu. It names so completely what I knew concerning the man, and it culminates with what I think about a very powerful advantage for our time: Braveness, a real signal of the spirit. Braveness and pleasure and magnanimity marked the person.  

To be continued.

See Matthew Fox, Confessions: The Making of a Submit-denominational Priest, pp. 40, 73, 79-82, 90, 97, 21, 239, 2251, 76, 281, 285, 311, 440, 451.  

And Matthew Fox, Important Writings on Creation Spirituality, pp. 36-65.

And Fox, Authentic Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality.

Banner picture: Composite of Pere Chenu, from biography in Backward View Weblog, February 12, 2012; and Sister Dorothy Stang, photograph by Roberto de Vasconcelos on Wikimedia Commons.

Queries for Contemplation

What has studying concerning the creation spirituality custom meant to you?

Really helpful Studying

Confessions: The Making of a Submit-Denominational Priest (Revised/Up to date Version)

Matthew Fox’s stirring autobiography, Confessions, reveals his private, mental, and non secular journey from altar boy, to Dominican priest, to his eventual break with the Vatican. 5 new chapters on this revised and up to date version carry added perspective in gentle of the creator’s continued journey, and his reflections on the present adjustments happening in church, society and the setting.
“The unfolding story of this irrepressible non secular revolutionary enlivens the thoughts and emboldens the center — should studying for anybody inquisitive about braveness, creativity, and the way forward for faith.”
—Joanna Macy, creator of World as Lover, World as Self

Matthew Fox: Important Writings on Creation Spirituality
Chosen with an Introduction by Charles Burack

To encapsulate the life and work of Matthew Fox could be a frightening process for any save his colleague Dr. Charles Burack, who had the total cooperation of his topic. Fox has devoted 50 years to growing and educating the custom of Creation Spirituality and in doing so has reinvented types of schooling and worship.  His greater than 40 books, translated into 78 languages, are inclusive of immediately’s science and world non secular traditions and have woke up thousands and thousands to the a lot uncared for earth-based mystical custom of the West. Important Writings begins by exploring the influences on Fox’s life and spirituality, then presents picks from all Fox’s main works in 10 sections.
“The essential insights, the inventive connections, the centrality of Matthew Fox’s writings and educating are second to none for the unconventional renewal of Christianity.” ~~ Richard Rohr, OFM.

Authentic Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality

Matthew Fox lays out a complete new course for Christianity—a course that’s in truth very historic and really grounded in Jewish pondering (the truth that Jesus was a Jew is commonly uncared for by Christian theology): the 4 Paths of Creation Spirituality, the Vias Positiva, Negativa, Creativa and Transformativa in an prolonged and deeply developed means.
“Authentic Blessing makes accessible to the Christian world and to the human group a radical remedy for all darkish and derogatory views of the pure world wherever these could have originated.” –Thomas Berry, creator, The Dream of the Earth; The Nice Work; co-author, The Universe Story