Contemplation and Reclaiming Real Conversations.

During this period of Covid, lockdowns, and working remotely, many human beings experienced for the first time a true sense of what it feels like to be valuable and worthwhile to others and self. The challenge during this period was understanding what prevents us from sliding into deceptiveness and dishonesty about those feelings. This period […]

Holy Week Reading

During this Holy Week, I am reading more of Bonhoeffer and the similarities of thinking at times between him and Louis Putz CSC. The concept of a “religionless Christianity” seems to be having more appeal today, especially in the US and Europe. Even though, as a historian, I would at first knee-jerk say it would […]

Green Junction: We don’t hear much about nitrogen pollution by Julie Peller Ph.D.

We do not hear much about nitrogen pollution, but it poses a serious global problem. While nitrogen is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere and extremely stable, human activities have converted nitrogen to reactive forms. The natural conversions of nitrogen occur by biological nitrogen fixation, biomass burning and lightning. Over 100 years ago, an […]

You are the Church

“Economic justice and equality are, in principle, akin to political justice and equality. To understand this is to understand how economic and political democracy involves parallel institutions.” ~ Mortimer J. Adler “This is our destiny, to do the best and the greatest that is now to be done.” ~Isaac Hecker And with these two thoughts/quotes in […]

Green Junction: Ecosystems and integral ecology. By Julie Peller Ph.D.

Green Junction What comes to your mind when you hear the word ECOSYSTEMS or ECOLOGY? The goal of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is “advancing ecological knowledge and awareness.” The institute is a nonprofit organization that studies disease ecology, freshwater, forests, and urban ecology. The Cary Institute defines ecology, in part, as “the scientific […]

The Green Junction: Pandemic and Plastics by Julie Peller Ph.D.

The heightened use of plastics over the past year of pandemic living is a consequence of necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), required throwaway plastics (i.e., syringes, medical packaging) many plastic items that are low cost and easy choices. The global number of disposable face masks used monthly is estimated at 129 billion, accompanied by 65 […]

Green Junction: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” By Julie Peller Ph.D.

In wearing face masks, practicing physical distancing, getting vaccinated, and following other public health measures, we live God’s commandment, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Moreover, when we respect, value, and show gratitude for the gifts of others, their expertise, the services they provide, especially during difficult times, we live according to this law […]

It’s all about measurements. By Julie Peller Ph.D

Our ability to understand the health of our world is based on practical measurements. Often, stories emerge where measurements informing us of the effects of our material-based lifestyles are just not done. I have written and spoken about the weaknesses in water quality monitoring in the state of Indiana and other places. Indiana is divided […]

A serious problem associated with factory farms By Julie Peller Ph.D.

Food production has changed dramatically over the past decades, in part as a response to an increasing population. Meat production has more than tripled, and egg production has quadrupled since 1960. Farms have become more extensive and are now mostly corporate contracted to produce more and increase profits. In the United States, about 1.6 billion […]

What is Religion?

We are all historians to some degree. Arnold Toynbee wrote in his last book this statement: “Within the last two centuries, Man has increased his material power to a degree at which he has become a menace to the biosphere’s survival, but he has not increased his spiritual potentiality; the gap between this and his […]