Faith in the midst of wildfires

What we have experienced these past days has become one of the most devastating wildfire seasons in the history of Canada. According to the Canadian government, more than 15 million hectares have been scorched and there are more than a thousand fires that are still active. Wildfires have spread throughout Canadian territory, from the Atlantic coast, in cities such as Halifax, capital of Nova Scotia, to the Pacific region, in different areas of British Columbia and to even some populations in Quebec, Alberta and the Northern Territories.

In the middle of this catastrophe, faith and prayer have been paired with active engagement among Catholic communities. Precisely in Yellowknife, capital of the Northern Territories, situated less than 500 kilometers from the Arctic Circle, Father Marek Pisarek, OMI, has provided support to families forced to leave their homes and relocate in temporary shelters. “It’s like in this week’s Gospel where we ask Jesus to have mercy,” Father Pisarek has said.

In Rainbow Lake, on the border of Alberta and British Columbia, Father Gerald Mendoza, pastor of Our Lady of Assumption Parish, decided to volunteer at the fire department to help keep the flames that threatened his community under control.

These are just two examples of how the Catholic people have engaged in combating wildfires. We pray, as a Providence Family, that God may preserve our planet and that the Holy Spirit may ignite our hearts, moving us into action to protect our common home according to what Pope Francis has written in his encyclical Laudato si’.

PIC Communications Office

* Text prepared with information from Vatican News (Canadian priest relies on faith and perseverance to flee wildfires) and the Detroit Catholic (Priest is among heroes fighting flames in Canadian wildfires )