Novena For Earth Defenders

83 environmental defenders were killed in 2018. 197 were killed in 2017. Many more are being targeted by state forces or corporations and their security guards.

In many countries around the world, Columbans see how extractive industries can forcibly displace communities, pollute the surrounding ecosystems, and endanger local cultures. The 2019 meeting of Amazon bishops (or synod) said that “defending and promoting human rights is demanded by our Faith. … [We] denounce the violation of human rights, as well as extractive destruction.”

Our faith calls us to stand in solidarity with those who are vulnerable and persecuted. One way we can do that for the courageous people who defend our common home, especially indigenous communities, is by praying a "Novena for Earth Defenders."  

You can download the PDF here, or by clicking on the button below.

We hope that the novena will be an opportunity for you to encounter God in those who are rendered poor, and to respond with justice, mercy, and compassion. We pray that our solidarity with these courageous people will awaken within us the grace of God, the Holy Spirit, who sets our hearts on fire and empowers us to be faithful witnesses to the Gospel.