Dear First Name,
This is a big month for the Covenant. At the end of June, we will be meeting with over 200 Catholic leaders from across the country at Creighton University for the "Laudato Si’and the US Catholic Church" conference. This is the first of three such conferences that seeks to weave green threads through the many ministries in the tapestry of our Church. Stay tuned for the fruits of our shared efforts later in the summer. We will continue to grow this work in collaboration with others in our Church in the coming months and years.
Catholic Energies is announcing the largest ground-based solar array in Washington, DC. Once commissioned, it will offset the costs of electricity for all of Catholic Charities facilities in the Archdiocese. This is the second (see below) of many more such projects which reduce the Catholic community’s carbon footprint, divert energy costs to core mission activities, provide educational opportunities, and become a living witness to the wider community.
Finally, we are in the beginning of our fiscal-year end campaign. All of our programs and projects come at a cost and to keep the momentum going as we head into the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si’, we have created the 2020 Laudato Si’ Fund. Please take a moment to read our appeal below and be as generous as you can!
In Gratitude,
Dan
Dan Misleh
Founding Executive Director
Catholic Climate Covenant
Action of the Month
Support the 2020 Laudato Si’Fund
Your generous gift to the new 2020 Laudato Si' Fund will ensure that on the fifth anniversary of the encyclical (June 2020) we can assert that the U.S. Catholic Church has faithfully answered Pope Francis' call for urgent action on climate change. Will you be part of the solution to the climate crisis by making a generous gift to the new 2020 Laudato Si’ Fund?
Our goal is to raise $40,000 for the 2020 Laudato Si’ Fund. Your gift will immediately have an impact.
- Your gift of $25 will provide the funds to ensure follow up with 10 Catholic leaders attending the Creighton Laudato Si’ conference who will be mapping paths to successfully implement and integrate Laudato Si’ and its climate change teachings into the life and ministry of the U.S. Catholic Church.
- Your $50 gift will empower the implementation of legislative advocacy strategies to ensure that U.S. leaders hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.
- Your $75 gift will help us reach 5 U.S. Catholic facilities and institutions and help them reducing their carbon footprint by installing solar panels and using the savings for core mission activities.
- Your $150 gift will resource at least 40 parishes, schools, and religious communities with new and exciting Laudato Si’ inspired resources such as the Feast of St. Francis, Earth Day, and Creation Care Teams.
NOTE: For every gift of $150 or more, we will send you, as a thank you, a hardbound copy of the book Caring for Creation: Inspiring Words from Pope Francis from Franciscan Media.
Catholics Leading the Way
Register for “Laudato Si’ at Four: Momentum Is Building in the U.S. Catholic Church” webinar!
June 18th, 2019 marks the fourth anniversary of the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. During the past four years, parishes, schools, colleges and universities, healthcare facilities, and religious communities have responded with faith, passion, and enormous creativity to the Pope’s call to care for creation and care for the poor.
Join us on June 11th, at 3:00 pm (eastern) to hear the good news of what has happened in the past four years as well as what lies just ahead so, together, we can build on these efforts.
Feast of St. Francis 2019 – Hold the Date!
This year’s Feast of St Francis theme, “We Are All Connected: Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor” will complement and accompany the Vatican’s Synod, “Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology”. The Amazonian Synod will be held October 6-27, 2109, and the Feast of St. Francis (October 4th) presents a wonderful opportunity for Catholics to explore the issues of integral ecology, environmental and climate justice, and the rights of indigenous communities. The 90-minute educational program will be available by mid-August and may be used by your community in October or any time that is convenient for you.
Pre-register to receive the program and we will automatically email it to you by mid-August.
REGISTER TO RECEIVE THE FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS PROGRAM
Immaculate Conception Parish Becomes the First Catholic Energies Solar Project!
Immaculate Conception Parish in Hampton, Virginia, (Diocese of Richmond) is the first parish to take advantage of Catholic Energies’ solar program. Pastor Fr. John Grace and the creation care team at the parish are thrilled. Fr. John stated, “Working with Catholic Energies was such a wonderful experience. We had many hurdles to overcome and the CE team took them on one at a time.”
On June 14, Dan Misleh and Page Gravely from Catholic Energies will join Fr. John and his team to commission the system which will save the parish 14% over current electric costs. Those savings will go toward a new Caring for Creation fund for the parish to further educate parishioners and fund more energy-savings projects.
Faithful Action on Climate Change
Pope Francis Calls for Immediate Action on Climate Change
On May 27, 2019, Pope Francis addressed finance ministers from various nations at the “Climate Change and New Evidence from Science, Engineering, and Policy” meeting, organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. In the address, Pope Francis called on them to take immediate action on climate change. He urged them to:
- put an end to global dependency on fossil fuels;
- open a new chapter of clean and safe energy, that utilizes, for example, renewable resources such as wind, sun and water;
- agree upon a common plan that accords with climate science, the latest in clean energy engineering, and above all the ethics of human dignity.
- above all, to act prudently and responsibly in our economies to actually meet human needs, promote human dignity, help the poor and be set free of the idolatry of money that creates so much suffering….
You can read the full text of the Pope’s address here.
Green New Deal Continues Being Discussed in Catholic Circles
Catholics are continuing to discuss and analyze the Green New Deal. The Covenant hosted a very informative webinar in April, and this article from OSV Newsweeklyfeatures the Covenant’s Associate Director, Jose Aguto.
Amazonia Synod 5: Spirituality and Wisdom
To help us prepare for the Amazonian Synod this coming October, we invite you to read this article by Amy Woolam Echeverria, Columban Central JPIC Coordinator, where she summarizes some of the wisdom that emerged at the recent preparatory gathering for the Synod at Georgetown University.
10 Things in Your Home Linked to Climate Change
Our partner, Catholic Relief Services, has produced this infographic resource to help us all make ecologically-based decisions in our day-to-day lives.