Action of the month:

Get ready for our Earth Day program! 

Our 2025 Earth Day program will be available on our website soon! The 2025 Earth Day program will focus on mobilizing and organizing the U.S. Catholic community to build a healthy, sustainable, equitable and prosperous future for all and committing to Renewable Energy Now. Let us bring (renewable) light to our world! The program will complement the secular Earth Day 2025 theme of "Our Power, Our Planet™." The Earth Day program can be used on April 22nd or on any day that fits your community's schedule.

PRE-REGISTER NOW!

Catholic Climate Covenant updates

Join the journey with Pilgrims of Hope for Creation!

The Covenant and our national partners successfully launched Pilgrims of Hope for Creation on Feb. 18! Over 370 people joined together to begin this journey to lead pilgrimages across the United States during the Season of Creation 2025.

Here are some follow-up actions you can take to make sure you don’t miss all the fun!

1. Register your pilgrimage in English here, and in Spanish here. 

2. Access the Launch Party recording here, the Spanish audio of the meeting here, and the presentation here.

3. Subscribe to the Pilgrims of Hope for Creation mailing list to receive updates and resources and connect with other pilgrims in your area here. 

4. Sign up for our pilgrimage planning webinar series here. 

The next gathering is on Tuesday, March 18, at 12 pm ET | 9 am PT. Our topic will be “Initial Pilgrimage Planning and Network Building.” A FAQ page will soon be added to the website, with answers to some of the most common questions we received in the chat.

Watch the recording of our February webinar now!

Last month, the Covenant hosted a webinar on AI’s sustainability and climate challenges. Panelists Céire Kealty, Ph.D., Manann Donoghoe, and Scott Hurd discussed Catholic Church teachings about AI, the risks and challenges, and ensuring that AI is used as a benevolent tool. Scott Hurd, the Board Chair of the Covenant, even had an op-ed published on this topic in National Catholic Reporter following the webinar. You can watch the recording of this discussion here. 

Join our Encounter campaign

Join our Encounter for Our Common Home campaign and advocate for climate action with your fellow Catholics. We meet virtually on the last Wednesday of the month at 11:00-noon (EST). Join the network, receive policy updates and briefings, and make a difference! Sign up to join Encounter here.

Check out these new resources

The Covenant wants to make sure you have all of the resources and tools you need to care for creation. Check out this papal encyclical resource by Marcus Mescher, and several upcoming resources from the Covenant's Episcopal Moderator Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima’s recent speech at the Catholic Social Ministries Gathering.

In Louisiana? Check out our upcoming conference

Catholic Climate Covenant is excited to announce a special two-day conference in Louisiana (April 4-5) called Petrochemical Pollution, the Unborn, and Maternal Health: A Louisiana Catholic Health Conference. This timely event will explore the unintended consequences of petrochemical waste on mothers’ and their unborn babies’ health, with a particular focus on the communities along the Mississippi River, where pollution has had a profound impact on public health and the environment.

REGISTER NOW!

Homily Helps: Resources for sharing the rich insights of creation care at Mass 

Catholic Climate Covenant and the Integral Faith team of the Association of United States Catholic Priests provide resources for homilists that will help you integrate the rich insights of Laudato Si’ and Christian care for creation into Sunday Mass. These include highlights from the scriptures, readings of the day, relevant quotations from Laudato Si’, brief commentary, illustrations and anecdotes, sample applications, and sample petitions. You can subscribe to receive the Homily Helps every month here. 

Lent resources

Looking for ways to make creation care a priority this Lent? Be sure to visit our Lenten resources page to find resources, our Laudate Deum pledge, Lenten calendars, and a host of evergreen resources!

LSAP enrolled dioceses 

So far, 27 U.S. dioceses have enrolled in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP) and committed to a seven-year sustainability journey. You can check which dioceses have enrolled here. 

Nominate a Catholic who cares for creation for this blog series

There’s enough bad news in the world — so help us spread good news instead! We’ve created this nomination form to help you recognize Catholics in your community who embrace caring for creation and tending to the environment around them. Nominated Catholics may be featured in a blog post on Catholic Climate Covenant’s website.

February's blog highlights

• A Letter from the Staff of Catholic Climate Covenant: This letter from the staff of the Covenant renews our commitment to protect all of God’s creation, lift the voices of those impacted by environmental injustice, and pursue the common good with faith, hope, love, and action, guided by Scripture, Catholic Social Teaching, and the wisdom of our Church leaders.
• Honoring Black History Month: In honor of Black History Month, the Covenant wrote this blog to reflect on the enduring strength and contributions of Black communities in shaping our nation and world.

Don’t forget to read more stories and submit stories of your own on our God’s Planet website, which is an initiative of the Covenant. Join our new Substack for notifications and alerts every time a new blog, statement, or press release comes out.

Climate and Church News and Media Hits

(Screenshot of the Science Moms Super Bowl Commercial)

Climate change, the Catholic Church, and the Covenant were popular in the media this month. 

• Several environmental and climate change adds aired during the Super Bowl this year. One commercial from Science Moms Climate Change Education on protecting our children from climate change. 
• Catholic Climate Covenant’s joint statement with Laudato Si’ Movement made waves in the media for the last two months, with continued reporting from outlets such as The Tablet, Cleveland.com, and Yale Climate Connections.
• Our partners at the Sisters of Mercy were inspired by our action alert asking you to contact your governor about climate change, and issued an action alert of their own. 
• The Covenant’s program manager of youth mobilization at the Covenant will be a featured speaker for the virtual event “Eco-grief: Finding Hope Across Generations,” from 7:30-9 p.m. EST Thursday, March 27.
• An article in Catholic Standard reflected on the environmental legacy of former Washington, D.C. Archbishop Wilton Gregory, including a solar array developed with the help of Catholic Energies, a program of the Covenant.

Updates from U.S. Parishes, Dioceses, and Creation Care Teams

The following are just a few of the highlights from the December 2024 reports submitted by the Interdiocesan Creation Care Network and Creation Care Teams. Both groups meet regularly to share information and offer support. 

• The Diocese of Charlotte hosted a Creation Care Conference on Feb. 8. Their new bishop, Bishop Michael Martin, a Franciscan, followed professor, Dr. Catherine Wright, as keynote speaker. Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point, NC is sponsoring a foam recycling trailer in collaboration with Tiny House Community Development.
• The Creation Care Network in the Archdiocese of Seattle is in conversation with Diocese of Yakima and Spokane to form the Laudato Si Washington Chapter, to launch in March 2025.
• The Diocese of Syracuse, NY is initiating "Meatless Meals for God's Creation" starting on Ash Wednesday for anyone in our Diocese who wishes to join in.
• The Archdiocese of Washington Care for Creation Committee held a Zoom meeting to discuss upcoming initiatives, such as featuring care for creation as part of the Archdiocese’s Catechetical Day, refreshing the Archdiocesan website pages on its Action Plan in preparation for the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’.
• The Archdiocese of Indianapolis held a retreat/planning day in January to discern goals for the next Laudato Si’ Action Plan.
• St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Reston, VA, recently submitted their three-year Laudato Si’ Action Plan.
• We also welcomed a new Interdiocesan Creation Care Network member in Lafayette-in-Indiana!

Upcoming events

• March is Women’s History Month. Keep an eye on our blog for celebratory posts throughout the month.
• March 18: The next webinar from Pilgrims of Hope for Creation will be at 12 pm ET | 9 am PT. The topic will be “Initial Pilgrimage Planning and Network Building.” Sign up here.
• March 18: Catholic Health Association's Earth Day webinar. Find more info and register here.
• March 27: Eco-Grief: Finding Hope Across Generations. A transformative webinar exploring a spiritual approach to dealing with eco-grief and intergenerational action for our common home, featuring the Covenant’s Policy Advisor and Youth Mobilization Program Manager, Kayla Jacobs. Learn more and register here.
• March 29: Eco-Philly’s fourth annual Summit, focusing on Pilgrims of Hope for Creation.
• April 20: Easter Sunday
• April 22: Earth Day
• April 24-25: Theology & Integral Ecology Conference 2025 at the University of Oxford. Learn more and register here.

Are you planning an event themed around spirituality and creation care? If so, please share the news with others by adding it to our online calendar. It’s free and easy to use. Submit your event here, and see what other events are coming up.