Journeying Towards Care For Our Common Home, Five Years after Laudato Si’, English Version  In case you missed it, the Interdicasterial Working Group of the Holy See on Integral Ecology has posted the English version of Journeying Towards Care for Our Common Home Five Years after Laudato Si’. Published in Italian in May, five years after the Encyclical Laudato Si’, the new English-language version is now available. The Interdicasterial Working Group was established in 2015 for the promotion and implementation of integral ecology. New Interfaith Book Out on Protection of the Environment  The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Parliament of the World’s Religions released a new book, "Faith for Earth — A Call for Action", which gives readers a wide-ranging look at the history and diversity of faith teachings and their advocacy for the protection of the environment. The online book and its print edition were launched during the Faith for Nature Global Conference, held October 5-8 in Skálhol, Iceland. The book provides a comprehensive overview of the faith traditions and scientific findings that underpin the understandings and reflections of world religions concerning environmental sustainability. Take a Good News Coffee Break  These are challenging times, but despite that, there is good news to be shared from around the world. In the face of COVID-19, Catholic Relief Services is working with families in some of the world’s poorest nations to ensure they have access to food, soap and other basic necessities. Together with people across the United States, Catholics are leading the way to support our sisters and brothers who experience poverty, hunger, conflict and displacement and are made even more vulnerable during this pandemic. CRS’ talented Global Fellows—Catholic priests, and deacons who have witnessed the work of CRS first-hand—are ready to share some good news with you. Tune in on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 12 Noon ET for 15 minutes to hear a short story that will lift your heart. Click here to register and receive your Zoom invitation for this month’s chat: November 11, 2020. Georgetown Post-Election Dialogue on Religious Values/Voters - TODAY!  The Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University presents Faith and the Faithful in the 2020 Election: What Happened? Why? What Now? a week after the United States’ election day, Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. This online dialogue will bring 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. They will also look back at what issues, strategies, and tactics were used by the Trump and Biden campaigns and how effective they were. This conversation will also look ahead to 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. Register here. Help needed for Church’s response to super Typhoon Goni in the Philippines  From Catholic Relief Services, we have an update on the Church’s response to super Typhoon Goni, which slammed into the Philippines on November 1. An estimated 346,000 people have already sought refuge in evacuation centers and about 19.8 million people living within 35 miles may be affected. Catholic Relief Services is on the ground, providing lifesaving assistance. Based on initial information from various sources, emerging unmet needs are food, potable water and shelter materials. To help with donations for families affected by Typhoon Goni in the Philippines, please visit: in English and here in Spanish. A faithful conversation on environmental racism  The St. Philip Neri Social Justice Ministry in South Carolina recently presented the virtual conversation “Environmental Racism: The Cry of the Poor and the Cry of the Earth” featuring Dr. Catherine Wright, Executive Director, Collaborative for the Common Good and Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Wingate University. She discussed Pope Francis' invitation to love our neighbors more abundantly. Watch the recording here. “Water is Life”: a Conversation  The Archdiocesan Care for Creation Team of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is hosting “Our Essence and Our Life,” a virtual program about water conservation and efforts to help water quality in both rural and urban areas on Tuesday, November 17th from 7-8:30 p.m. via Zoom. This gathering is an opportunity to learn about the water situation in our communities and how to work with our watershed districts to preserve the quality of our water … and our life. Speakers include Patrick Mader, author and speaker working with Canno River Watershed Partnership; and Abby Moore, Training and Community Specialist with the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization. To attend click here. If you plan to attend, please email (fitzpatricka@archspm.org) to let the organizer know you will be attending, so that you can be admitted in to the event. U.S. Bishops to Meet Virtually Nov. 16-17 for Annual Meeting; Assembly to be Livestreamed and Live-Tweeted  The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather virtually for the 2020 Fall General Assembly on November 16-17. In August, after consultation with the Holy See, the bishop-members of the USCCB voted to approve the convocation of this year’s November meeting in a virtual format in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The assembly will begin with an address by the Papal Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Christophe Pierre. The bishops will also hear from Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles as he gives his first address as USCCB president. The bishops will also hear a report from the National Review Board which advises the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People on matters of child and youth protection, specifically on policies and practices. The meeting agenda is expected to include dialogue by the bishops on a pastoral response to the COVID-19 pandemic and a pastoral response to racism. They will discuss and vote on the revised strategic priorities of the USCCB’s 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, the renewal of the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism, and the USCCB’s budget for 2021. Public sessions of general assembly discussions and votes will be available via livestream at http://www.usccb.org/live. | 
Solar Builder Magazine has awarded the Catholic Diocese of Richmond its Solar “Project of the Year Winner” in the C&I Rooftop category. Congratulations to both the Diocese of Richmond and our Catholic Energies program! 
