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Five Years with Laudato Si': Where Are We?

July 9, 2020

Member Series session with NCR/EarthBeat staff writer Brian Roewe. Brian spoke about Pope Francis' ecological encyclical at this milestone, focusing on its impact to date, and where do we go from here.

Watch session recording.

Resources from NCR and NCR Forward members

Opening Prayer was selected from A Prayer for Our Earth, Laudato Si’

Closing prayer was selected from Querida Amazonia, Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation 

From the Vatican:

  • Celebrating Laudato Si’ Week: May 16-24, 2020

  • An action plan for celebrating Laudato Si’ Year: May 16, 2020 - May 20, 2021
  • Announcing the Season of Creation: September 1, 2020 - October 4, 2020
  • Care for Our Common Home added to corporal and spiritual works of mercy

Other resources: 

  • EarthBeat editor Bill Mitchell’s column in which he quotes several NCR Forward members who were present in the call 

  • Catholics Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines in a pastoral letter on the climate emergency by bishops of the Philippines

  • On the occasion of the fifth anniversary of “Laudato Si’”, the U.S. bishops' conference released a summary of activities of the U.S. Church in response

Resources from NCR Forward members:

Agnes Richard, Coordinator of Global Catholic Climate Movement, Canada:
Binbrock, ONT, Canada 

Jerilyn E. Felton, D. Min.
Portland, OR
Email

  • As our planet is diverse and different life forms inhabit our world, I pass on another organization that is concerned with our Common Home: Catholic Concern for Animals out of the UK: "The mission of Catholic Concern for Animals is advancing Christian respect and responsibility for the animal creation. We do this through advocacy, education, spirituality and practical help. Our work is influencing attitudes within the clergy, the political world and the public, making a real difference for animals by helping to create a compassionate world for all God’s creatures."
  • I have had the honor to have two articles on dog ministry published in their journal, The Ark. My last article dealt with doing dog ministry without a dog. (Issue No. 232, Spring 2016, see page 71, "The Dog Died: Doing Dog Ministry without a Dog.")

Joanne MacPeek
Fort Myers, FL
Email

Bruce Segall, Coordinator of Social Concerns/Member of Task Force 
Nutley, New Jersey
Email

  • Cardinal Joseph Tobin of the Newark Archdiocese has established an Environmental Justice Task Force to implement Laudato Si'. We asked him, and he agreed in February, to send each pastor a request to name one person from the parish to be an "parish environmental liaison" to the Task Force. We are in the midst of following through on that so that we are ready for the Active Platform over the next 7 years. 

Sr. Ruth Rosenbaum, TC, PhD, Executive Director and Co-Founder of CREA
Hartford, CT
Email

  • Sr. Rosenbaum invites those who are interested in socially responsible investing to contact her and noted that her organization has “all sorts of resources” that we would be willing to share.

Paul Schlachter
Miami, FL
Email

  • Paul has written a number of homilies based on various Lectionary texts, all of which have a connection to Laudato Si' and the growing climate change threat. 

Thank you! As an NCR Forward member, you provide vital support and we are most grateful for your partnership in this mission of independent Catholic Journalism.