Prayers for the COP21, made by the students of Tokyo Sacred Heart High School

In response to the call of the International JPIC Coordinating Committee (JPIC CoCo) and by the appeal of Sister Eriko Oyama rscj, the headmistress of Tokyo Sacred Heart School in Sankocho, each class of the 12^th grade students wrote a prayer in English for COP 21, which was about to take place in Paris. 

We present below the prayers of these three classes as they contain their reflections, desires, hopes, and convictions. 

The students are aware of climate change and other environmental issues, and they have been reflecting on these issues from a world-wide perspective with a view towards the future. 

Last May, two students of these classes participated in the International Model United Nations Conference on urgent issues of the world, including Climate Change.

These prayers have already been distributed to all our communities through the JPIC News Letter of the Japan Province.  We invited everyone to pray and reflect with the young people during the weeks of COP21 in Paris.

We are also united in prayer with all of you, so that each nation will deepen understanding of the serious situations we are in, and we will be able to take a step forward to resolve this issue.

Thank you for your project.  We will be very happy to participate in this kind of exchanges among Sacred Heart Schools in various Provinces.

 

Prayer of the 12^th Grade (Class Bara: Rose)

God,

There are lots of pollution problems around the world today. 

Also, animals and plants lose their dwellings, and their numbers are decreasing

because of the industrial development done by human beings.

 

We are busy living our own lives, so we tend to think only about ourselves. 

We lack a wide view towards them and do not consider their situations. 

However, when we face the grandeur of nature,

we can find the delight that we are a part of it.

 

This environment, delight, and our lives are given from God. 

We are grateful to be born with this bliss. 

Moreover, we realized that we cannot live alone,

and must be supported by our surroundings. 

Animals, plants, and of course humans; we all coexist in this planet.

 

Help us not to think that global warming is too big a problem for us to change. 

Lead us to be aware that doing little things every day,

will lead to alleviating global warming. 

 

We pray that more and more people will be aware of environmental issues

and cooperate to solve them for others, with others.

Amen.

 

 

 

Prayer of the 12^th Grade (Class Yuri: Lily) 

Dear Lord,

Although we human beings have created an outstanding modern civilization, 

due to the pursuit of convenience, the threat of global warming is 

rapidly spreading. 

 

Today, we pray for all animals, plants, and people,

suffering from global warming, especially for those people

who are in vulnerable situations in the countries they live in.

 

As a high school student, we sometimes take methods which aggravate global warming.

We cannot prevent large scale global warming alone,

but each of us is not incompetent, and by working together, 

we can make a great difference.

 

Therefore, we will try to turn off the power of electrical appliances, not to 

waste water and to use replacements which discharge little CO2.

We will also try to get information about global warming

and continue to pray for an everlasting peaceful and sustainable world. 

 

We hope the future of this world will be filled with laughter of our children.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

Prayer of the 12^th Grade (Class Kiku: Chrysanthemum) 

Our Father,

Today, human beings are destroying the environment that we have received from you,

owing to the lack of tenderness towards our surroundings.

 

Help us to overcome our weakness and reconfirm our love for mother nature,

to play a role in the globe as human beings, a part of environment.

 

In order to accomplish this, we will make great efforts

to reduce waste and use renewable energy.

 

Where there is confrontation, when we face difficulty,

show us the right way to go, on the basis of love and cooperation.

 

Amen.