In honor of World Ocean Day on June 8, the Maryknoll Sisters released a video tribute to the beauty and importance of the world’s oceans, created by Sr. Marvie Misolas, MM, the Sisters’ NGO representative to the UN. Sr. Margarita Jamias, MM, also submitted the following poem.  

Watch the Maryknoll Sisters’ video here.

“Water” by Sr. Margarita Jamias, MM

Water is GIFT….

Water comes down as rain from clouds above,

Water flows from lofty mountain streams,

Water runs deep in the Earth in underground aquifers,

Water roars in the mighty oceans.

Generously, water comes to us, and sustains life.

We cannot commercialize water.

Water is LIFE…

Water is the womb of life.

The first one-celled prokaryotes sprung from the ocean,

Water surrounded me in my mother’s womb before I saw the sun,

Water has the power to ease the burning thirst of humans and all beings,

Water gives life to seeds and future harvest.

Water is SACRED…

Water passed over my head at baptism- symbol of my birth in Christ,

Water is mingled with wine- our humanity becomes one with Divinity.

Clear, Pristine Water is DYING…

As mine tailings are dumped in its flowing streams,

As toxic wastes  and plastics make our oceans underwater cemeteries devoid of life,

As mangrove swamps are destroyed and coral reefs are bleached,

As Corporate greed poison its pristine freshness.

LET US RESTORE TO LIFE OUR DYING WATER.

The CALL of WATER is to SACREDNESS…

Clear and pristine waters tell the story of events and memories of LIFE of people.

Its intricate pathways bind all creatures together in mutually enhancing

Earth-human relationship.

Water flows through us, through the earth, then on to the Ocean of LIFE where

We unite efforts to conserve, heal, and love our Sister Water.

Water rushes through these hands.

May I use them skillfully to preserve and enhance LIFE in our planet, our Common Home.

Photo of Sr. Martha Bourne, MM, courtesy of Sr. Marvie Misolas.