Dear Friend,

Whew, what a year! It’s hard to recall, given all that has happened, that the year started with an impeachment trial! It went swiftly downhill from there: the pandemic, the recession, the killing of George Floyd—adding urgency to racial justice, the weeks-long demonstrations in our cities, the hurricanes battering our southern coast and southern neighbors while wildfires in the west raged out of control, the political battles, the election, and the pandemic entering its third and most devastating period leaving millions sick and hundreds of thousands of souls gone before their time.

Through it all, you, our loyal and dedicated supporters, walked through the fires and floods with purpose. With Christ as our light and our guide, we are all called to do our part. The Covenant is committed to the path of creation care but we need your help: pray for our success, tell others about us, and do what you can to support us. Our year-end campaign is here and we could use your help. We have lots to do in 2021 (see below) and we’ll need your financial support to accomplish all that is ahead.

Dan Misleh         
Founding Executive Director         
Catholic Climate Covenant

From our Blog: Protecting sacred seeds in a pandemic, and into the future

We are honored to share a story from partners in the Pawnee Seed Preservation Project, an uplifting group working to protect the ancestral corn of the Pawnee. The story of the sacred heirloom Pawnee corn has had many twists and turns, including being brought back from near extinction almost 20 years ago, an intervention from St. Kateri, and now surviving a pandemic. We hope you will enjoy this unfolding and layered story as told by the keepers of the sacred seeds.

Read the story here.

Faithful Action on Climate Change

UCS Conversation: Connecting Faith, Climate, and Justice

Climate change does not exist as its own calamity—it is deeply interconnected with the inequities and injustices that pervade our society, both in the United States and globally. The Union of Concerned Scientists invites you to a virtual conversation among faith leaders  on Tuesday, December 8th at 4 p.m. Pacific/7 p.m. Eastern to learn how they have come to connect the call of faith with the need for action on climate change and racial justice.

Speakers include Ken Kimmell, UCS President (Introduction); Rev. Canon Sally Bingham, UCS National Advisory Board (Moderator); Ibrahim Abdul-Matin; Rabbi Melanie Aron; Rev. Dr. Gerald Durley; and Dr. William Edelglass.

Register for the virtual conversation here. Contact events@ucsusa.org if you have questions.

Georgetown Post-Election Dialogue on Religious Values/Voters

The Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University presented Faith and the Faithful in the 2020 Election: What Happened? Why? What Now? a week after the United States’ election day.

With more than 5,000 participants, the online dialogue brought together respected reporters and experts on faith and politics to examine how religious values, voters, and communities shaped the debate and affected the outcome of the presidential election. 

This conversation also addressed whether and how the nation can come together after the election and the roles of religious believers and communities in defending human life and dignity, lifting up “the least of these,” protecting our democracy, and pursuing the common good.

View the video recording here.

Archdiocese of Hartford discusses Laudato Si’ teachings in series

The Archdiocese of Hartford recently hosted an interactive webinar exploring our responsibilities as co-inhabitants of our Common Home. Webinar #1 in their Laudato Si' Care for our Common Home series offered an introduction to the encyclical with Sr. Ruth Rosembaum, and is part of a planned series discussing the teachings in the document. The webinar series is part of the Archdiocese’s activities to celebrate and protect creation.

Watch the webinar recording here.

Help needed for Church’s response to Hurricanes Eta and Iota

From Catholic Relief Services, we have an update on the Church’s response to super Hurricanes Eta and Iota, which slammed into Central America back to back, making their way across Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, and battering communities with powerful winds.

Heavy rain caused flash floods, river overflows, and landslides. Families in vulnerable areas now face a new threat amid the COVID-19 pandemic. An emergency like Hurricane Eta or Hurricane Iota is putting more lives in danger, as evacuations could increase the transmission of the virus. Having both in the same month could be disastrous. Catholic Relief Services is on the ground, providing lifesaving assistance.

To help with donations for families affected by Hurricanes Eta and Iota, please go here.