Many of you may have already learned about the “Laudato Si’ and the U.S. Catholic Church: A Conference Series on Our Common Home." As a Creation Care Team member, we are pleased to extend to you a special invitation to apply to attend the conference.
The Laudato Si’ conference will be held from June 27-29, 2019 at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and is co-sponsored by the Catholic Climate Covenant and Creighton University. The event will bring together current and potential U.S. Catholic leaders to equip and inspire them to more deeply integrate Laudato Si’ and its climate change teaching into seven “tracks” of U.S. Catholic life: Adult Faith Formation; Advocacy; Creation Care Teams in Parishes, Schools, and Religious Orders; Energy Management; Liturgy; School Education; and Young Adult Ministry. The application deadline is April 1st. However, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible since there are a limited number of attendance spots available. Learn about the event, view the schedule and roster of speakers, and apply here.
This email also has ideas to get your Creation Care Team (CCT) to connect with God’s Creation by going OUTSIDE! Do you have other outdoor activities/ideas to share with other CCTs? Send them to me!
Will your faith community celebrate Earth Day? Register for our upcoming webinar to learn more about this year’s Earth Day theme. Remember to send me information on your Earth Day events . . . and include photos if you can!
Blessings,
Paz
How will you take action?
Reflect
Prayer
O Giver of Life,
you are the source of all creation,
Through the healing power of Jesus
you brought sight to the blind.
Open our eyes to the pervasive
consumerism in this country.
Free us from its grip
so we might enjoy spiritual freedom.
Teach us to use your creation
with moderation and compassion
for those who do not have enough.
You are our hope.
Amen.
(Note: This prayer is from Lent 4.5-Christian Simplicity, a seven-week faith formation program which inspires and informs Christian communities on how to use the traditional Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to protect God's creation, embrace Gospel justice and nurture spiritual fulfillment. It offers practical opportunities for people of faith to apply the values of Christian Simplicity to their everyday lives. Lent 4.5–Christian Simplicity is a program of the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center, a JPIC organization sponsored by the Passionist Congregation of Holy Cross Province.)
Act Together
Ten Minutes
Two quick actions that you can take:
Register for Earth Day Webinar: We invite you to join us in a conversation with the Earth Day Network on March 20th at 3:00 pm (eastern). Tune in and learn more about the Covenant's Earth Day educational program and how you can facilitate a program in your parish, school, or religious community. We will be joined by Helen Rose, Earth Day Network ‘s Faith Outreach Coordinator, and Mary Placide, Earth Day Network’s Protect Our Species Campaign Manager. They will discuss why "Protecting Out Species" was chosen as the 2019 Earth Day theme and share all the wonderful resources and toolkits that they have available for your use.
Register for Earth Day Webinar
Take Action
: Urge Your Member of Congress/Senators to Support Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Legislation
HR 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA) is a market-efficient and revenue-neutral approach to reduce the carbon dioxide pollution that is a primary driver of the climate crisis. Introduced by a bi-partisan group of legislators, the EIDCA would reduce national carbon pollution emissions by over 90% by 2050 by pricing carbon at $15 per metric ton and increasing $10 every year. The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops has expressed support for the bill. We encourage you to ask your House Representative to co-sponsor this bill and ask your Senators to introduce a similar bill on a bipartisan basis.
Half Day
Spring is rapidly approaching in the northern hemisphere and it is time to get your Creation Care Team outside! What can be done in half a day?
- Take a group hike. Arrange a group hike (or bike ride) on a weekend. Be sure to invite families with children. Integrate meditation and prayer as part of the hike. If a group outing isn’t possible, hand out lists of hiking trails/bike trails close to your parish or school.
- Invite a naturalist knowledgeable of the trees, plants, birds and ecosystems in your area to guide you in a walk through a local park, forest, meadows and beaches, or around streams, rivers, marshes, ponds and lakes.
- Host a community clean-up day in your neighborhoods and surrounding green space, or around local natural resources like streams, parks, rivers and beach.
Ongoing
Of course, some outdoor activities need more time. Here are a few long-term ideas:
- Plan a camping/canoeing trip. Some people have never experienced these activities. Providing these opportunities through the church/school is a great way to make it easy for them to participate. Plan some storytelling or prayer time around the campfire that focuses on creation care and faith. This is a great activity to ask Scout leaders and youth leaders to assist in planning.
- Start a community garden. If your church has the land it can be on site. Also inquire with your town, city or local government to see if they have open plots of land that your team can use.
- Switch to natural landscaping on your parish, school, or religious community’s property. Use native plants and plants that require little watering. Cut down on the amount of grass that needs moving. Create butterfly and humming bird gardens. Eliminate pesticide use on the grounds. Build a rain garden.
- Have a Bike or Walk to Church Sunday. Encourage those who are able and within a reasonable distance to walk, bike or carpool to church. Make sure you provide a bike rack. Here is a carpool sign-up sheet.
Lent Resources
Still searching for Lent resources? I highly recommend:
- Global Catholic Climate Movement: Eating Simply - Make a commitment to eat less meat this Lent.
- Franciscan Action Network: 40 Days; 40 Ways - Suggestions for merging your Lenten disciplinary spirit with creation-centered activities.
- The Inter-religious Working Group on Extractive Industries: Return to God This Lent: Examine Your Relationship with Creation and Your Role as a Consumer. You can download the ecological examen developed by the Jesuits and a consumer examination developed by the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach. Both documents are also available in Spanish.
- Interfaith Power and Light: Lent Fast Calendar
- Anglican Church in Canada: Less Plastics for Lent Calendar