Spiritual growth includes caring for God’s creation. We can see this throughout Scripture and the writings of the Church. In the 6th Century, Saint Maximus the Confessor said, “It is according to whether we use things rightly or wrongly that we become either good or bad," and in Caritas in Veritate (51) Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “The way humanity treats the environment influences the way it treats itself, and vice versa.”
We are all called to protect people and the planet and to live out our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. There is a plethora of resources, and parishes are encouraged to be connected to local efforts and to discern the use of other resources.
Presentation
Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato si’ called on people worldwide to heed the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (49) and engage in large-scale societal changes in response to the threats posed by climate change. In 2021, two pieces of legislation are seeking to address the climate emergency in the United States: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget. In this presentation, the Diocese of Raleigh’s Laudato si’ Intern Michael Beauregard discusses those pieces of legislation, and how their climate provisions relate to the aims of Laudato si’ and the goals of the Catholic Church.
Resources
Across the diocese
North Carolina Catholics Caring for our Common Home, a ministry in the Diocese of Raleigh to help NC Catholics become better stewards of the earth and to care for all God’s creatures by implementing the seven goals of Laudato Si'. This ministry, which goes by N4CH, is reaching out to everyone in the diocese. We are called to fall in love with creation again, fall out of harmful habits and rise up in hope to respond to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Our main current initiatives are to promote involvement with the Laudato Si' Action Platform (see link below), to promote energy audits in all the parishes and to show how there is money to be saved through LED lighting and conversion to solar. To learn more, contact Deacon Joshua Klickman at Joshua.Klickman@raldioc.org or Monica Kleimeyer, secretary for N4CH, at laudatosicircle@gmail.com.
We're All Part of God's Plan(et)
We’re All Part of God’s Plan(et) is a national Laudato Si’ awareness and engagement campaign for U.S. Catholics to care for creation and participate in the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform. Learn what the Church is doing in these seven sectors and how you can be a part of God’s plan, since we are all part of God’s planet.
NC Catholics feature article: Creation: Close to my heart
Father Scott McCue talks about Laudato Si' in video series
Around the world
Read Pope Francis’ Encyclical letter “On Care for Our Common Home,” Laudato Si’
Catholic Climate Covenant
The Catholic Climate Covenant is “…grounded in the Church's deep history of teaching on creation, ecology, and the poor. Caring for creation and caring for the poor have been a part of the Catholic story since the beginning, but in recent years St. John Paul II, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and especially Pope Francis have added a sense of urgency to their call for Catholics to act on climate change. The US Bishops themselves having been calling for action since 1981.”
We serve Catholic individuals and institutions worldwide and help the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics bring Laudato Si’ to life and save God’s creation.
Laudato Si’ Animators
Become a Laudato Si' Animator - Join us in acting to care for our common home. This free leadership development course will empower you to bring Laudato Si’ to life.
Saint Kateri Conservation Center
This is a “…national Catholic conservation group that promotes faith, integral ecology, and life.”
USCCB Care for Creation
A site managed by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding the topic of caring for the earth and God’s creation.
USCCB Environmental Justice
Resources and initiatives (in English and Spanish) regarding the environment.
Laudato Si’ Advocates (and Interns) Program
This program is for anyone interested in becoming more active in environmental issues. Advocates work with the USCCB Environmental Justice Program Coordinator to engage in federal policy advocacy whereas Interns serve both local diocesan needs and federal policy advocacy under direction of the USCCB.