Dear First Name,
A few years ago, during the last 20 miles of my 100-mile bike ride, the doubts began to surface: I started too fast, I’m not sure I can turn another crank, that ice cream bar at the 80-mile rest stop was not smart. But I did finish that “century” ride and overcame all of the this was a really bad idea moments. I hit the finish line fully spent but elated to join the other riders with a sense of real accomplishment. I was also thankful that no one would force me to sit on that saddle the next day.
Jeff Rauenhorst, a Covenant board member and distance athlete, is doing something way bigger: Running the entire 500-mile length of the Camino de Santiago in Spain at 30 miles/day for over two weeks! I’m sure he’ll have somethis was a really bad idea days, but he’s doing it for a great cause: The Covenant’s Catholic Energies program. Jeff—also an energy efficiency expert—is combining his running, religious and professional passions to draw attention to the climate issue and the Covenant’s solutions. Please see the links below to follow Jeff’s blog, social media, and please consider sponsoring him through a donation!
You can follow Jeff’s El Camino pilgrimage here, or on
With gratitude,
Dan
Dan Misleh
Founding Executive Director
Catholic Climate Covenant
Action of the Month
Gather Support for Catholics Are Still In Campaign
Will your parish, school, religious community, organization be represented on the Catholic Climate Declaration? The deadline to sign-on (June 11th) is quickly approaching! A huge thanks to all who have worked hard in securing signatures of their pastors or other Catholic leaders. If you know other Catholic leaders in your community (pastors, principals, heads of Catholic agencies), please invite them to sign-on. We have resources at the bottom of our webpage that can help you discuss—knowledgeably and confidently—the declaration with your Catholic leaders.
We especially welcome your outreach to the bishops in your dioceses. As of this morning, we can confirm that the following (arch)dioceses have signed-on: Archdioceses of Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis, Miami, Newark and Santa Fe, and the Dioceses of Buffalo, Burlington, Des Moines, Fairbanks, Fort Wayne-South Bend, Juneau, Lexington, San Angelo, San Bernardino, San Jose, Superior, Cleveland, Savannah, St. Petersburg, Great Falls-Billings, San Diego, and Toledo. Is your diocese or archdiocese listed? If so, please feel free to send them a thank you. If not, we’re willing to help you get them on!
Catholics Leading the Way
Feast of St. Francis Program
Every year, the Covenant produces a free 90-minute educational program to help parishes, schools, and other faith communities to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis on Oct. 4th (or another date of your choosing).
This year’s program, Who Is My Neighbor In A Climate Threatened World? focuses on the interconnections between immigration, refugees, and climate change. To receive the 90-minute educational program, please pre-register and we will send you the program in mid-August via email.
REGISTER TO RECEIVE FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS PROGRAM
Beyond a Throwaway Culture “Plastic Challenge Campaign”
This year’s Earth Day program focused on the growing impact of single-use plastics and how we can take action to reduce our consumption of throwaway plastics. We invited faith communities to take-up a plastic reduction challenge.
Choose a plastic reduction activity (for a list gohere), or brainstorm how your community can reduce the use of disposable plastics. Your community is unique: you are the experts about what you can do to reduce single-use plastics in your parish, school, or religious community. You decide what type of program fits your community!
Sign up! Your community signs up online as a challenge participant here. Then report back the results of your challenge to Catholic Climate Covenant by Sept. 30th, using this online form.
During the Season of Creation (Sept. 1st-October 4th), Catholic Climate Covenant will promote your community’s challenge results through our website and social media. All challenge participants will receive a “Beyond a Throwaway Culture” certificate (sent via email). On October 4th, we will tally all the reported data and let the world know what the U.S. Catholic community is doing to reduce throwaway culture and plastic pollution. Questions? Email us!
Learn more About Catholic Energies
Catholic Energies is thrilled to be able to offer Catholic organizations a single place to go to get all of its energy questions and projects addressed. Thinking about solar? Want to upgrade to LED lighting? Need to address that failing boiler? We can help - with no upfront investment required! Visit our website or contact us for more info!
Faithful Action on Climate Change
Illinois Environmental Lobby Day
On April 26th, 2018 Catholics from across Illinois joined an Environmental Lobby Day at the state Capitol sponsored by the Illinois Environmental Council, Sierra Club and Faith in Place. Participants asked lawmakers to sponsor a resolution honoring Pope Francis' 2015 ground-breaking encyclical Laudato Si', as well as support legislation creating a program for low-income residents to get access to clean, affordable water in light of the recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Religious Leaders and Scientists Press Massachusetts to Lead on Climate
More than 500 scientists and religious leaders in Massachusetts signed onto the faith and science joint appeal for climate action which was issued during a May 23 press conference at the Pastoral Center of the Boston Archdiocese, in Braintree, Massachusetts. In addition to Boston’s Cardinal Sean O'Malley, other Catholic signers included Bishop Robert McManus of Worcester, Massachusetts, Fr. Michael McGarry, director of Boston's Paulist Center, and Christina Leano and Fran Ludwig of Global Catholic Climate Movement. To read more about the joint statement go here.
How Faith, Reason, and Environmental Protection Go Hand in Hand
Don’t miss this excellent op-ed in The Hill newspaper by Dr. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a top climate scientist with the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Dr. Ramanathan states, “Climate change is an existential threat that will require unprecedented cooperation between divergent sectors and members of society. As a climate scientist, I know that the faith community is critical to the process. I therefore urge persons of all faiths to prophetically help lead the nation towards a world of climate stability that safeguards the common home we all share”.
Climate Change’s Health Impacts – Catholics Highlight the Justice Concerns
An article in America Magazine, “As the Earth warms, mosquitoes become a social justice issue. Here’s how”, focuses on how climate change’s impact on mosquito populations could have serious consequences for the most vulnerable populations and how Catholic healthcare institutions are preparing and responding to this coming health crisis.
“Teach-In on Laudato Si’ and Climate Change
On June 16th, 2018, the Diocese of San Diego will host a “Teach-In on Laudato Si’ and creation care. The event is sponsored by the Creation Care Team Network of the San Diego diocese. See the flyer here.