St. Joseph Catholic Church - Earth Stewardship

Caring for God's Creation

The mission of the Earth Stewardship ministry is to raise awareness
of Catholic teaching on our responsibility to care for the environment
and to provide practical suggestions on living out the teachings.

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Caring for God's Creation this Lent

"Ask of the Lord rain in the spring season! It is the Lord who makes the storm clouds,

and sends men the pouring rain, for everyone, grassy fields." Zechariah 10:1.

As we begin Lent and think about prayer, fasting, and almsgiving,

let us also consider how these can be applied to our being stewards of the earth.

On our Lenten journey let us prayerfully consider how what we do has an impact

on the whole planet now and for future generations.

Last year Rich Heffern published an article entitled A Lenten Carbon Fast.

The article listed for each day of Lent a small change

that we could make to reduce our carbon footprint.

For example, we could check our tire pressure knowing that

low tire pressure increases our fuel consumption.

We could ensure that our cell phone charger is unplugged

and our electronic equipment is turned off – not just on standby.

As we pray we can pray for those in the world who are going to bed hungry

or who have inadequate heat or shelter.

For the complete article, click here.

Hints and Tips

Thanks for taking the time to find out more ways to cultivate and care for the world. Here are this month's tips:
Tip 1 Try hanging a bag under the sink, in your garage or basement, in which to place recyclable plastic bags, and then to grab it on the way to the store for a weekly recycle.

Tip 2 Collect small appliances and consult the SWALCO website for where and when to dispose of them. Ace Hardware on Route 137 will recycle all kinds of batteries (including those from cell-phones, electronics, etc.), fluorescent bulbs and latex paint! You may also call SWALCO for help in figuring out how to dispose of something at: 847-336-9340.