We are excited to welcome Annaliese Dorchinecz as Catholic Climate Covenant’s Advocacy Intern for the summer!
Annaliese brings both passion and experience to our team. A native of La Grange, Illinois, she just completed her first year at Middlebury College in Vermont, where she is pursuing a double major in Environmental Studies and Earth and Climate Sciences, with a minor in Spanish.
Annaliese is no stranger to the Covenant’s mission. From her sophomore through senior year of high school, she served on our Chicago Youth Leadership Team, helping to organize the Annual Youth Climate Summit in partnership with the Archdiocese of Chicago. Now, she’s deepening that commitment through hands-on advocacy work at the national level.
“I am thrilled to be working with the Covenant because the work they do comes at such a unique and vital intersection,” Annaliese said. “Often when I tell people I’m interning with a Catholic nonprofit that does environmental advocacy work, people are surprised, and say, ‘huh, I didn’t know the Church did that!’ It’s exciting to be part of a movement like this, something at once urgent and big, as well as deeply spiritual and personal. I have definitely grown in my faith over my years of involvement with Laudato Si’ work. Working toward the large changes we want to see in the world and people’s hearts is tough work, but I have learned so much about God’s love for us through Creation and our role in it.”
Having become familiar with the Covenant through our youth programming, Annaliese knows firsthand the pivotal role that young people play in creation care and environmental work.
“I think it’s imperative for young people to be involved with the care for Creation movement in the Church, not only because it’s our future we are fighting for, but also because fighting for Creation is doing God’s work we were born to do,” Annaliese said. “Embracing our roles as stewards of the Earth entails knowing God personally. It’s really beautiful to realize that yes, there is a lot of change to be done in the world to create a sustainable environment for everyone, but entering into this work is entering into Love.”
Annaliese will support our advocacy campaigns and outreach efforts, helping to amplify the voices of Catholics who live out their faith through care for our common home.
Please join us in welcoming Annaliese to the team! You can reach her at annaliese@catholicclimatecovenant.org.
