Resources to Promote the St. Francis Pledge

Catholic Climate Covenant: The St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor

Today the great gift of God’s Creation is exposed to serious dangers and lifestyles which can degrade it. Environmental pollution is making particularly unsustainable the lives of the poor of the world … we must pledge ourselves to take care of creation and to share its resources in solidarity. — Pope Benedict XVI

A rich array of resources on climate change for individual or collective prayer, education, assessment, action and advocacy that are rooted in Catholic teaching and express care for God’s creation appear throughout this website.

Celebrate the St. Francis Pledge with these Resources

The following liturgy, worship, and graphic resources are available to help you celebrate the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor:

• The St. Francis Pledge Bulletin Insert (PDF)
• Bulletin Insert 2-sided: St. Francis Pledge & What You Can Do to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint Flyer
• Prayer Cards (print on card stock)
  • St. Francis Pledge and Prayer (side 1 & side 2)(PDF)
  • St. Francis Pledge (PDF)
    
• Suggested Prayers (PDF)
• Liturgy and Worship Suggestions (PDF)
• Petitions (PDF)
• “Who’s Under Your Carbon Footprint” Poster (PDF)
• Pledge Sign Up Form for group meetings/parish gatherings (PDF)
• Bulletin Quotes from the Pope and the Church on Climate Change (PDF)
• Clip Art (PDF)

Other Resources:

• A comprehensive primer on Catholic teaching on climate change is the inspirational speech given by Bishop The Most Reverend William Skylstad, Bishop of Spokane, entitled “Facing the Wind-What are the Signs?” He offered the speech to students and faculty at Gonzaga University.

• Global Climate Change and Our Catholic Response is an excellent handout for school, parish or other group events. As part of the Catholics Confront Global Poverty campaign, it invites Catholics to advocate for policies that reduce the impact of climate change on people living in poverty.  A central moral measure of our response to climate change is how it touches poor and vulnerable people. Download the PDF document here

• Bulletin Resource on Pope Benedict’s World Day of Peace Message, “To Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation” for parishes and schools from the USCCB.  Includes Catholic Social Teaching on care for creation, examples of current climate change impacts on poor people, and suggested prayer.  Download the bulletin resource here.

• One Page Flyer on Climate Change from USCCB provides an overview of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ position on the issue of climate change and why action and advocacy are called for:  The Catholic Church brings a distinct perspective to the debate about climate change by lifting up the moral dimensions of this issue and the needs of the most vulnerable among us. Download and print the flyer here.

• Catholic Climate Covenant Parish Resource Packet from the Office for Catholic Social Justice Ministry of the Archdiocese of Hartford
• Stewardship of Creation Resource Packet from the Departments of Facilities and Properties, Stewardship and Pastoral Services, of the Diocese of Green Bay
• A Primer on Catholic Teaching and Climate Change on an authentically Catholic approach to this important moral issue.  It highlights the key themes and the moral measure of successful outcomes: ones that encompass both the care of God’s gift of Creation and of poor and vulnerable populations.

• A Franciscan Approach to Climate Change on the Franciscan Action Network website.

• “Catholic Perspectives on Climate Change & Population” offers a clear articulation of Catholic teaching on the immorality of coercive, artificial, and abortive population control measures in the face of climate change.  Using statements from the Vatican, the Bishops, and other sources, the page focuses on two interrelated issues: “The Sacredness of Human Life and the Imperative to Respect Human Dignity” and the “Proper Use of the Resources of the Earth Intended for All.”

For more information send email to: info@catholicsandclimatechange.org.   Send us your Stories about how you celebrated the  St. Francis Pledge using these materials.

And More for Publicity:

• Direct Mail: resource sent to all parishes, elementary schools, and diocesan directors of religious education and youth ministry. Download it in English Direct Mail or Spanish Direct Mail (PDF).
• Covenant Print Ad: The Coalition is launching a nationwide ad campaign. It asks the question “Who’s Under Your Carbon Footprint?” and encourages widespread participation in the St. Francis Pledge. Print Ad (PDF)
• Bulletin Quotes and Clip Art: A variety of paragraph-sized quotes as well as clip art are available here for use in your parish bulletins, newsletters, or other publications.  Downloadable Bulletin Quotes and Clip Art (PDF)
• “Who’s Under Your Carbon Footprint?” Download a high resolution copy of our video in QuickTime format (826 MB). Right-click and choose “save as”.