Pastors

April 22, 2017 marks the 47th anniversary of Earth Day, a secular celebration that many faith communities have incorporated into their annual calendars. This year, we join with the Earth Day Network to celebrate Earth Day and to embrace our call as Catholics to increase awareness of care for creation and climate change issues. This Earth Day program should be seen as the beginning of an educational campaign to increase creation care and climate literacy within our parishes, schools, and religious communities.

Michael Lasky: Franciscan Friar from Climate Stories NC on Vimeo.

Father Mike from Climate Stories NC on Vimeo.

This program is designed with the 2016 Feast of St. Francis (October 4) in mind. However, we hope you will feel free to implement the program at a time that is convenient to your parish or school.

As you know, Pope Francis was so inspired by St. Francis of Assisi that he is the first Roman pontiff to take the saint’s name. He has challenged us to make care for creation and care for the poor a cornerstone of our Catholic witness.

This year marks the 37th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi being named the Patron Saint of those who promote ecology by St. John Paul II.

Este folleto es una breve introducción a la encíclica y maneras en que puede responder a la llamada de papa Francisco. 

Containing a selection of hymns pertaining to God's creation and the Earth, this Mass of Creation offers resources for incorporating creation into personal and community worship. It can be found here.

A collection of songs focusing on God's creation and the Earth can be found below:

From USCCB, Why Does the Church Care About Global Climate Change is a theological examination of the impacts of climate change, specifically how it impacts the poor and hungry. It can be found here.

Care for Creation in the Holy Year of Mercy is a call-and response style prayer service for a leader and congregation, asking for God's protection of the planet in this Year of Mercy. It can be found

From the Catholic Climate Covenant, RENEW International, and GreenFaith, Creation at the Crossroads is a small-group resource for studying and internalizing the message of Laudato Si'. Focusing on Pope Francis's message of love as the most potent tool for action, this study guide is a motivational call to action. It can be viewed here.

Suggested Prayers to Reflect on Creation, offered up by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is a collection of reflective and petition prayers for individual or group practice.

Suggested Scriptures and Hymns to Reflect on Creation, by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is a collection of verses and hymns for use in specific masses, or in individual or small-group study.