Across the world, communities are signing up to the ‘Laudato Si’ Action Platform’ as a visible sign of our commitment to be better stewards of creation.
More and more, care for creation is becoming a vital part of our mission as a Church. One of the recommendations at our Diocesan Synod under the Mission and Outreach Foundation was “That our diocesan community recognises the importance of integral ecology and ecological conversion articulated in Laudato Si’ and other Catholic Social Teaching.”
Laudato Si’ Week is another opportunity for us to respond to this invitation, and there’s plenty of resources available for individuals and communities who are interested in getting more involved.
The Office of Justice, Ecology and Peace has a wide range of Laudato Si’ Week resources for prayers, announcements, newsletters, presentations, group sessions and promotion on social media. Their ‘Reflection and Action Sheets’ include activity ideas for the head, heart and hands to get us thinking and doing at a local level.
Catholic Earthcare Australia has resources for parishes, schools and families that are actively living the seven ‘Action Goals’ of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. These are:
- Respond to the Cry of the Earth
- Respond to the Cry of the Poor
- Ecological Economics
- Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles
- Ecological Education
- Ecological Spirituality
- Community Resilience and Empowerment.
On Tuesday 17 May Catholic Earthcare Australia will be hosting an online screening of Regenerating Australia, a fictitious news segment set on New Year’s Eve 2029, examining the decade that 'could be'. The film challenges us to consider how we respond to the Cry of the Earth. This screening starts at 6pm. Bookings can be made via www.trybooking.com/BZADT
As part of our Synodal Journey, we have begun telling stories from around our Diocese under the banner ‘Church without Walls.’ One of our first stories came from the Tighes Hill Community Garden, an initiative to live out the invitation of Laudato Si’ in the local community.
(Insert video here: https://youtu.be/kHzBWyqOyyk)
The video closes with a simple invitation that we may all ponder over this week:
“The first step is really just to open your eyes and use a bit of imagination for what is it that we could possibly do? What’s God calling us to do?”