Monai connects Christians with inspiring practitioners and thinkers in seeking the common good of the places we live in, by providing feature stories, analysis and spiritual reflection. While there are many Christian initiatives in England around the natural environment and climate change, international aid, and in support of personal development, there are few resources considering the built environment, the local economy and rebuilding trust in institutions. This is a special concern given the sophistication employed in marketing consumerist views of what constitutes a sense of worth and security.’
Rooted in long traditions of Catholic engagement with land, building and social justice, Monai aims particularly to inspire Catholics to get their hands dirty and bring this aspect of human ecology into closer relationship with what they practise in the Eucharist.
Monai promotes:
- A clearer understanding of an integral ecology of place, a ‘circular economy’ and Christian (particularly Catholic) social teaching.
- Efforts for justice and equality of opportunity in power structures that are seen to isolate people from each other.
- Attention to the built environment and open space within the social dimension of the Church’s evangelisation and use of resources.
- Hopeful, reliable and open source content.
Monai is independent and lay-led with an ecumenical vision. It aims to nurture the active and interior life of the faithful, to help more people realise an integral human ecology, built on realistic approaches to the sustainability and reign of peace in human settlements.
The word ‘monai’ (Greek μοναὶ) for dwelling places, used very rarely in the Bible, is a rich source of inspiration for this site, with its many levels of meaning.