Ocean Deep Retreat
Facts about the Ocean to reflect on:
- The ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface.
- Less than 10% of the world’s ocean floor has been mapped.
- 94% of living species live in the sea.
- Humans keep discovering new marine species; who knows how many more we have never seen!
- Over 70 per cent of our planet’s oxygen is produced by ocean plants – so 2 out of 3 breaths we take is thanks to phytoplankton and seaweed.
- Plastic is made from fossil fuels, so when breaks down in the sea by waves & sunshine it releases greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, adding to the vicious cycle of global warming.
- If global temperature rises by another 2 degrees, coral reefs will all die.
- There are 25,000 islands in the Pacific.
- Global sea level has risen about 10cm over the last 30 years – a centimetre every 3 years.
- But we can expect this to increase as the Earth warms, to a centimetre a year. 10cm per decade.
- Why is sea level rising? … because of melting ice, and because water expands when it warms.
- At the rate we are going, most of fish that humans eat will be wiped out in 25 years.
- The water in the ocean off the beach here has taken about 1,000 years to flow all around the world.
- There are 4 times as many creatures living in the deep dark ocean than those living on land or in the air. Most life on earth never sees the sun.
- We are on track to triple the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean over the next 40 years … more than a billion tonnes.
The Moana Prayer – for the Pacific Ocean
Archbishop Emeritus Winston Halapua[i]
Loving and Embracing God,
You are the God of the universe and all Creation.
You create and give life, and see that your Creation is good.
We praise you for your gift of Creation.
We thank you for the Moana.
We thank you the great Oceans flowing into one another
and around the continents and islands.
We thank you for the life-giving of the Oceans,
for the oxygen, food and resources they continually provide.
We thank you that the Ocean is the home for most species, small and great.
We are people of the Moana.
Our ancestors navigated by the stars and crossed the waves to find new homes.
The waves breaking on the reef thunder with the message
of your constancy and your love and care for Creation.
May we hear the voices of sea creatures endangered by the selfish greed of humanity.
May there be a deep listening to the voice of waters rising to engulf land.
May ears be open to the groaning caused by refusal to honour Creation.
May eyes be open to the suffering caused by power which destroys.
We beat a lali drum, alerting people around Planet Earth
to the destruction of nature and human life threatened by climate change.
We blow a conch, calling for the worship of a God of immense goodness.
Our forbears set out across the Moana.
We set out on a venture to protect our home – the Planet Earth.
Help us to challenge short-sighted greed,
Help us to address unjust structures and practices
and to change our relationship with creation to one of care.
We affirm our guardianship of the precious gift of Creation.
We have a vision. We have courage. We have your guidance.
We have the presence of the Risen One
whose power to love is greater than all the powers of destruction.
Grant that together we may bring peace to our Planet Earth,
to its many creatures and its many people.
We lotu (pray) in the name of our God –
Creator, Redeemer and Life-giving Spirit.
Amen
[i] Used with permission from Archbishop Emeritus Winston Halapua.
Archbishop Emeritus Winston Halapua[i]
Loving and Embracing God,
You are the God of the universe and all Creation.
You create and give life, and see that your Creation is good.
We praise you for your gift of Creation.
We thank you for the Moana.
We thank you the great Oceans flowing into one another
and around the continents and islands.
We thank you for the life-giving of the Oceans,
for the oxygen, food and resources they continually provide.
We thank you that the Ocean is the home for most species, small and great.
We are people of the Moana.
Our ancestors navigated by the stars and crossed the waves to find new homes.
The waves breaking on the reef thunder with the message
of your constancy and your love and care for Creation.
May we hear the voices of sea creatures endangered by the selfish greed of humanity.
May there be a deep listening to the voice of waters rising to engulf land.
May ears be open to the groaning caused by refusal to honour Creation.
May eyes be open to the suffering caused by power which destroys.
We beat a lali drum, alerting people around Planet Earth
to the destruction of nature and human life threatened by climate change.
We blow a conch, calling for the worship of a God of immense goodness.
Our forbears set out across the Moana.
We set out on a venture to protect our home – the Planet Earth.
Help us to challenge short-sighted greed,
Help us to address unjust structures and practices
and to change our relationship with creation to one of care.
We affirm our guardianship of the precious gift of Creation.
We have a vision. We have courage. We have your guidance.
We have the presence of the Risen One
whose power to love is greater than all the powers of destruction.
Grant that together we may bring peace to our Planet Earth,
to its many creatures and its many people.
We lotu (pray) in the name of our God –
Creator, Redeemer and Life-giving Spirit.
Amen
[i] Used with permission from Archbishop Emeritus Winston Halapua.