Action of the month:

Register for our October webinar

Join us for our October webinar, featuring our friends from Ascension and CommonSpirit Health!

In 2021, the Vatican launched the Laudato Si’ Action Platform to engage the Catholic Church in taking concrete actions to address the ecological crisis. This webinar will highlight actions being taken by two large U.S. Catholic health systems that joined the Platform and are responding to Pope Francis’ call to care for creation. 

During this hour-long webinar, staff from Ascension will share their efforts to make their communities more climate resilient, and staff from CommonSpirit Health will talk about their Climate Action Plan and how they embed sustainability into their purchasing processes. Speakers will also discuss how they have integrated sustainability into their everyday work and offer insights on how other Catholic health ministries might adapt this approach in their organizations.

Catholic Climate Covenant updates

Catholic Climate Covenant announces unique 'net-zero' second round of Victory Noll Sisters grant program

On August 12, Catholic Climate Covenant announced that it is now accepting applicants for a second round of the 2024 Victory Noll Sisters small grants program. However, this application cycle will be different from the first round this year and from previous cycles. 

From now until November 4, the Covenant will accept applications for one large grant of up to $20,000. This grant will be given to a diocese or Catholic organization to help initiate or be reimbursed for a large-scale net zero emissions/ decarbonization project. Interested applicants will need to answer a series of questions posed by Catholic Climate Covenant regarding carbon emissions reduction measurements, ties to Catholic Social Teaching, and other metrics for determining impact and success. The Covenant intends to announce the recipient of this large grant by Dec. 2. Read our press release for more information.

Green Saints for a Green Generation

Coming this month (October 23^rd), Green Saints for a Green Generation, written by young Catholic women (scientists, sisters, theologians) on “saints” — canonized and not — who connect their faith to concern for our common home. The book is available for pre-orders.

The writers lift traditional saints, such as Sts. Clare of Assisi, Ignatius of Loyola, and Marguerite Bourgeoys, and contemporary figures like Thomas Merton, author Toni Morrison, and the Martyrs of the Amazon. All of the “saints” provide needed inspiration and hope for our ecological journeys and encourage all of us (young and old) to become green saints.

This is a not-to-be-missed book that should be on all of our “to read” lists. Order the book, read it (and maybe add it to your Christmas gift list)! Then join us on December 12^th (Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe) at 7-8 p.m. (ET) for an online “book salon” (co-hosted with Laudato Si’ Movement-North America and Ignatian Solidarity Network) with the editor and three of the authors of Green Saints for a Green Generation.

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. 

Preparing for election season

Voting is an important way for Catholics to live their faith, which “always involves a deep desire to change the world, to transmit values, to leave this earth somehow better than we found it” (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 183).

That’s why the Covenant recently hosted an election season webinar, titled, “Voting for Our Common Home: Reflections from the Catholic Tradition,” featuring speakers Bishop Joseph Tyson of Yakima, Washington and Episcopal Moderator for Catholic Climate Covenant, and Dr. Daniel DiLeo, associate professor and director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at Creighton University. You can view the recording here. The Covenant also recently created a one-pager — in English and Spanish — and infographic to help individuals with the voting process. You can view all three here.

Additionally, the Covenant hosted a First Time Voter Community Conversation on Sept. 25. Panelists talked about their experiences as first-time voters and what their organizations do to support civic engagement. Watch the recording here. 

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 and see which dioceses have enrolled here.

September's blog highlights

• Nature and the National Eucharistic Congress: Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sr. Mary Teresa Bettag reflects on the Marian Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee at the Catholic Ecological Center.
• Statement on Hurricane Helene: The Covenant released this statement, calling on Catholics and people of goodwill to take action on climate change following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.  
• Combatting hopelessness through writing: 15-year-old Julia Walsh, a sophomore at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts, couldn’t stand feeling helpless — so she decided to start an environmental blog. 
• Together for Hopeful Action: The Covenant’s Youth and Young Adult programs have been going full speed ahead these past few months with in-person trainings, conference attendance, listening sessions, community conversations, and more.
• Teachers adapt Feast of St. Francis program for students: Pat and Paul Kelly, members at St. Francis of Assisi in Raleigh, North Carolina, recently worked with parochial school teachers to adapt the Covenant’s Feast of St. Francis program at their local parochial school.

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 news and media hits

• Lights, camera, (climate) action!: EJ Acworth and Emily Mbi Ojong recently chatted on “This is The Day” with Bishop Robert P. Reed and Jay Fadden about being youth leaders of the Catholic Climate Covenant. The week before, Fran Ludwig, co-chair of the Boston Catholic Climate Movement, spoke with co-host Victoria Sechrist about the importance of creation care teams. 
• Hope and Act with Creation: The Catholic Star Herald recently wrote an article about Covenant founder and executive director Dan Misleh giving a talk in the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, for a program called “To Hope and Act with Creation.”
• Green Mass: The Archdiocese of Boston marked the beginning of the Season of Creation with a green Mass for the fourth year in a row, The Boston Pilot reported, celebrated by Vicar General Bishop Mark O'Connell with whole-wheat unleavened bread baked at the Paulist Center.
• Nation’s Climate Literacy Guide: This month, the U.S. Global Change Research Program released the third edition of the nation’s climate literacy guide. This guide presents information that is important for individuals and communities to know and understand about Earth’s climate, the impacts of climate change, and solutions.
• IRA and health: A recent scientific study projects the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on cardiovascular and respiratory health. 
• Solar-powered bishop: Bishop Edward Weisenburger of the Diocese of Tuscon, Arizona, told National Catholic Reporter’s Earthbeat about the benefits of using solar power in the diocese and the importance of creation care. 
• Dominion versus domination: The Catholic Sun recently reported on a homily delivered by Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix urging Catholics to be better stewards of the earth during a Mass for creation.

Upcoming events

• Sept. 1 – Oct. 4: 2024 Season of Creation
• Oct. 8: Franciscans For Earth “Maya Land: Listening to the Bees” film discussion. Find more information here. 
• Oct. 8: Faith in Transition: Engaging Francis’ Life for an Urban Ecospirituality online discussion. Find more information here.
• Oct. 8: Intro to Faithful Citizen workshop, the Catholic Church’s guide for political participation. RSVP here. 
• Oct. 13: Franciscan Justice Leadership Conference: Acting for Peace, People, Planet. Learn more and register here.
• Dec. 12: Online book club meeting on Green Saints for a Green Generation. Register here.
• SAVE THE DATE: Jan. 25-Jan. 28: The 2025 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering will be held Saturday, Jan. 25 - Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill. 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.