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care for Creation
Caring for our Earth is a requirement of our faith, as through this practice we become stewards of creation. In doing so, we are compelled to live and act in ways that protect the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants, whether human or non-human, in caring for creation we show respect and love to the Creator. Our bond to creation primordially calls us to be advocates and disciples in the current issues that environmentally threaten the integrity of our planet. The mitigation of human-induced climate change affects us all and the future of our younger generations.
“Concern for the environment thus needs to be joined to a sincere love for our fellow human beings and an unwavering commitment to resolving the problems of society.” — Pope Francis, Laudato Si', 91
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Upcoming events
March 20, 2022
We are all interconnected! That is the theme of the afternoon on Sunday, March 20 from 1-3pm, in the Koenig Center. There will be a presentation facilitated by a representative of the Archdiocese Office of Human Dignity & Solidarity and local team members, followed by a reception with light refreshments and time for Q&A. We will talk about the Laudato Si' goals and how they relate to our parish and each one of us. This is not about making a commitment, but to hear about the approach and possibilities for St. Joseph Parish.
Click Here to sign up for this engaging afternoon. Spouses or any other interested adults are also invited to join us.
Laudato Si’ is Pope Francis’ insightful encyclical on Caring for Our Common Home. It stresses how all life on earth is interconnected in an intricate web called “integral ecology”. Recognizing this integral ecology where everything is connected, we are urged to hear and respond to the ”cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”
The Laudato Si Action Platform (LSAP) is an opportunity for parishes to embrace a new collaborative, faith-based approach in Caring for our Common Home. This approach begins with the development of a Creation Care Committee, which includes members from across all parish ministries, staff, and clergy working towards an integral ecology. All parish ministries/staff/clergy reflect on the Laudato Si’ Goals and work together to break down the silos, bridge communication, set collaborative goals, work more effectively together, and amplify the impact of those efforts and activities to respond to the ”cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”
Why This Is Important- As Pope Francis states in Laudato Si’, “Caring for our brothers and sisters means caring for the home we share. This responsibility is ‘essential to a life of virtue.’” (LS 217)’
- “Our faith dictates that we have to care about and for humankind and we can’t do that without caring for the earth, our common home.” “As Catholics, we are called to be stewards of all of God's creation. By protecting our planet and all of its inhabitants, we show our love for each other and our Creator.” – Cardinal Blasé Cupich, 2015
- https://www.chicagocatholic.com/chicagoland/-/article/2021/12/01/local-leaders-helped-plan-global-laudato-si-platform
I thank you for your interest and support in bringing the Laudato Si’ movement to life here at our parish. My hope and prayer is that this universal topic of care for all of God’s creation can be a fruitful avenue for bringing new life to all ages in our faith community as we find a new sense of “normal” in 2022 and beyond.
I hope to see you on March 20.
Blessings,
Louise Przywara
"Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of all, always with great respect and gratitude." Pope Francis
September Green Tip
SUPPORT RENEWABLE ENERGY
Electricity generation contributes significantly to earth warming greenhouse gas emissions. Consider and shop green electricity sources for your home. Here’s one simple way to do it. There are 2nd party providers that guarantee to repurchase certified wind power equivalent to your household demand. You reduce your environmental footprint and support/expand renewable energy. Select a provider that has no sign-on or discontinuation fees, and that enables you to be billed and serviced through your current electric utility. The process should be seamless: no equipment or service interruption required. Compare rates and select a supplier where clean energy upcharge is negligible. Explore community solar as another easy way to support renewable energy. Compare to: www.aepenergy.com/residential/renewable-energy/
Upcoming Events:Annual Green Team Summit September 12-14
Creator of All,
Join Faith in Place for a 3-night immersive and interactive journey into healing to reconnect to our land, body, mind, spirit, and community. From walking through vividly green wetlands in Shawnee National Forest, to touring a farm, and gathering in a racial healing circle, this virtual Summit will inspire our environmental work through healing.
https://www.greenteamsummit.org/2021-registration
Season of Creation September 1- October 4
The Season of Creation runs annually from September 1 through October 4. It is the time of year when the world’s 2.2 billion Christians are united around one shared purpose -- to pray and engage in actions to care for creation. As followers of Christ from around the globe, we share a common role as caretakers of God’s creation. We see that our wellbeing is interwoven with its wellbeing. We rejoice in this opportunity to care for our common home and the sisters and brothers who share it. Celebrate the Season of Creation with the following prayer:
We are grateful that from your communion of love you created our planet to be a home for all. By your Holy Wisdom you made the Earth to bring forth a diversity of living beings that filled the soil, water and air. Each part of creation praises you in their being, and cares for one another from our place in the web of life.
With the Psalmist, we sing your praise that in your house “even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young.” We remember that you call human beings to keep your garden in ways that honor the dignity of each creature and conserve their place in the abundance of life on Earth.
But we know that our will to power pushes the planet beyond her limits. Our consumption is out of harmony and rhythm with Earth’s capacity to heal herself. Habitats are left barren or lost. Species are lost and systems fail. Where reefs and burrows, mountaintops and ocean deeps once teemed with life and relationships, wet and dry deserts lie empty, as if uncreated. Human families are displaced by insecurity and conflict, migrating in search of peace. Animals flee fires, deforestation and famine, wandering in search of a new place to find a home to lay their young and live.
In this Season of Creation, we pray that the breath of your creative Word would move our hearts, as in the waters of our birth and baptism. Give us faith to follow Christ to our just place in the beloved community. Enlighten us with the grace to respond to your covenant and call to care for our common home. In our tilling and keeping, gladden our hearts to know that we participate with your Holy Spirit to renew the face of your Earth, and safeguard a home for all.
In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation, Jesus Christ. Amen.
For more information search Season of Creation 2021 Guide
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26 Key Quotes from Pope Francis’ Encyclical on the Environment, Laudato Si'CLICK HERE FOR THE 26 KEY QUOTES FROM POPE FRANCIS
During this stressful time, take a few quiet moments to read and reflect on this beautiful letter either alone or as a family. We encourage you to share your thoughts on social media with the hashtag #LaudatoSi. CLICK HERE for link to Laudato Si’ (official Vatican text)
CLIMATE CHANGE -You Can Help!
WHAT CATHOLICS ARE DOING TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE – An Example from the Sisters of Providence
While you are learning of wildfires, droughts, storms, consider making your own Climate Agreement. You can model it after the one written for the Sisters of Providence. It was developed as an action of resistance to climate change that is significant, doable, and at least roughly measurable.
Climate Change Manifesto
Whereas this precious and beautiful planet is our mother and our only home. Yet, for more than two centuries, many humans in Western societies have- Treated Earth with superiority and disdain
- Made choices based on greed and privilege
- Failed to speak and act for the common good
- Related to Earth with attitudes of irreverence, exploitation, and control
and whereas the results of these attitudes and actions, such as the following, intersect and demand continuous justice:- Severe weather events, crop failure, pests, and sea level rise, affecting all who depend for their livelihood on subsistence farming
- Low rainfall, lengthening the time spent (mostly by women and girls) in fetching water and caring for crops, thus precluding time for school and necessary self-care
- Extreme and prolonged heat levels, which foster increased violence and assault, especially within families and in crowded cities
- Desertification, famine, and drought, forcing people to endure certain misery and probably death in flight from their homelands
and whereas all of these destructive realities and countless others disproportionately affect women, children, and people of color,
therefore, we the members of the Climate Change Task Force, enter and invite all others to enter into the Providence Climate Agreement.
Make your own pledge!
* The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) helped form Catholic Climate Covenant. Inspired by the USCCB's 2001 statement on climate change, and supported by 19 national partners (which include the USCCB, Catholic Relief Services, Catholic Charities USA, the Catholic Health Association, congregations of religious men and women, and other national organizations), Catholic Climate Covenant helps US Catholics respond to the Church's call to care for creation and care for the poor.
Advocacy through Catholic Climate Covenant*:
https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/ program/advocacy
Action alerts for IL environmental justice legislation.Advocacy through Citizens Climate Lobby:
·Write Congress On Climate:
https://cclusa.org/write
·Call Congress On Climate:
https://cclusa.org/call
·Tweet Congress On Climate:
https://cclusa.org/tweet
·Monthly Calling Campaign:
https://cclusa.org/mcc
·Follow us on Facebook:
http://cclusa.org/facebook
·Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CitizensClimate
·Hashtag:
#BipartisanClimate #GrassrootsClimate
https://www.faithinplaceaction.org/action- alerts
Action alerts for the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/text-alerts/
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