PROTEC Year 4 and Season of Creation 2023 launched in Miri

By G. Clare Westwood

MIRI — Year 4 of the Malaysia-wide PROTECT OUR EARTH, PROTECT OUR CHILDREN (PROTEC) CAMPAIGN organised by the Episcopal Commission for Creation Justice of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (ECCJ-MSB) was launched along with the Season of Creation 2023 with a special Eucharistic celebration at St Joseph’s Cathedral in Miri, Sarawak, on the morning of 31 August 2023. 

The Year 4 theme for PROTEC (1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024) is “Cut fuel consumption” with a focus on transport fuel. Meanwhile, the theme for the Season of Creation 2023 (1 September to 4 October annually) is “Let justice and peace flow”.

The main celebrant of the Mass was Bishop Richard Ng, Bishop of Miri Diocese, with Bishop Joseph Hii, President of the ECCJ-MSB, as con-celebrant. Dancers in ethnic costumes followed by ECCJ-MSB delegates proudly carrying their diocesan banners led the entrance procession as the congregation sang the melodious Iban hymn of “Apai, Peda Kami Ditu”. 

In his homily, Bishop Richard expounded on how justice was founded in the being of God. He quoted the Prophet Amos, stressing that worship was meaningless to God without justice. He said justice is a basic right which is extended to the world around us and which we, as God’s children, must defend. Bishop Richard called upon everyone not to despair at the global warming situation because “God is on our side. God is the defender of the poor and oppressed including the whole of creation—this is who God is.” He urged everyone at the individual and collective level to reduce their carbon footprint by reducing fuel consumption.

Bishop Joseph Hii gave the closing address. He said that the fact that people were present from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei for this launching Mass showed our unity and oneness; that we were truly in the synodal journey the whole Church was now engaged in. Further evidence of this synodal journey was the signing of the Ecological Diocese Pledges by all the Malaysian bishops in MAJODI Centre in July this year. He called upon everyone to “dream big, that we are truly able to transform Mother Earth into a liveable planet not just for ourselves but for future generations”.

The Mass ended with both bishops unfurling the PROTEC Year 4 and Season of Creation 2023 banners, thereby officially launching both events.

About 30 visitor-delegates from the Creation Justice Commissions of Malaysian dioceses outside Miri as well as the Archdiocese of Singapore made their way to Miri to celebrate the launch Mass and participate in other events. This included an ECCJ-MSB general meeting on 30 August 2023. In the afternoon of 31 August, a workshop entitled “Decarbonisation: A Malaysian Perspective” was organised at SMK St Joseph’s school hall. It was open to the public and people from various walks of life attended the event. It was also graced by the presence of Miri Municipal Council officers and local community leaders.

On the night of 31 August, the delegates enjoyed a wonderful Solidarity Night while being feted with sumptuous local cuisine and traditional performances by the parishioners of St Dominic and the Rosary Church, Miri. 

The ECCJ-MSB delegates celebrated the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation with a Mass on the morning of 1 September 2023 at St Francis Chapel. In his homily, Bishop Joseph Hii focused on the importance of respecting indigenous culture and knowledge which he said taught us how to have a healthy relationship with nature. At the end of the Mass, Bishop Richard Ng presented each visitor-delegate with a souvenir bag, with compliments from Miri Diocese.

In 2020, the Catholic Bishops of Malaysia signed off on the PROTEC CAMPAIGN for all Malaysian dioceses. PROTEC runs for five years from 1 September 2020 to 31 August 2025 with different themes each year. The PROTEC theme for Year 1 was “Use less electricity” followed by “Cut down meat, dairy and food waste” for Year 2 and “Stop plastic pollution’ for Year 3.

In July 2023, Bishop Joseph Hii wrote a letter to all dioceses about PROTEC Year 4 and the Season of Creation 2023. In it, he explained that even with current pledges, the world was headed for over three degrees celsius of warming by Year 2100 unless we changed things drastically now. One clear non-negotiable was the phasing out of fossil fuels, which provide almost all the energy we use. 

This is why, in early 2023, the ECCJ-MSB launched its Decarbonising Malaysia Project wherein the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia committed to promote and facilitate a just transition to an equitable, resilient, regenerative and decarbonised economy in the country from within the Catholic Church. The theme of PROTEC Year 4 to reduce fuel consumption was specifically chosen as part of this project as the transportation sector contributes 14 percent to global greenhouse gas emissions. In Malaysia, the sector is responsible for some 28 percent of the country’s total GHG emissions, with road transport making up 85 percent of that contribution.

All parishes in Malaysia are urged to celebrate PROTEC YEAR 4 and the Season of Creation 2023. Resources for PROTEC have been made available to all dioceses through this folder: https://cloud.exooxe.com/index.php/s/StWkjPb2e687c7H. Please contact your local Creation Justice Commission for assistance or write to Ms Clare Westwood at creationjustice.msb@gmail.com. The launch Mass is viewable on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0vH1wL662w.