Our Commitment to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform

On November 14th, 2021, the Congregation of St. Joseph pledged to participate in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. Pope Francis invited all people of good will to this Vatican-sponsored effort, facilitated by the Laudato Si’ Movement, to achieve sweeping environmental sustainability.  

As part of making this pledge, we have developed an ambitious seven-year plan of actions to address the cry of Earth, cry of the poor, ecological economics, adoption of sustainable lifestyles, ecological education, ecological spirituality, and community resilience and empowerment, among ourselves and in collaboration with the global Catholic community. (You can follow-along with our efforts via our evolving toolkit here.) 

In 2024, we announced that we were making our largest gift to date in support of Laudato Si’ efforts through the global Laudato Si’ Movement. Our support enables the Laudato Si’ Movement to equip a vibrant network of lay leaders to engage their communities in care of the Earth and people. With resources and guidance from the Laudato Si’ Movement, leaders in the United States are advocating for moral climate policies, organizing prayer services, and encouraging everyone to move to renewable energy sources. Read more about this major grant here.

We urge others to join with us in caring for our common home through the lens of integral ecology, the reminder that ‘everything is connected’. In the context of Laudato Si’, integral ecology proclaims that the cries of Earth and the cries of the poor are one voice. This means that our efforts towards a more just and loving world must be integrated and holistic. Through the lens of integral ecology, we are called to recognize the political, social, economic, and environmental realities that lead to harm and healing, lament and joy.  

Updated information will be shared on an ongoing basis, so we invite you to check back here often. You can also learn more about us and the Laudato Si’ Movement by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or by subscribing to our bi-weekly eNewsletter and our bi-annual magazine, imagineONE. 

 

Congregation of St. Joseph Integral Ecology Examen

As a congregation, we want to hold ourselves accountable for making a difference for Earth and each other. One of the first things in the process is to ask each person to do an ‘examen’ of where they are personally in their thinking and actions about integral ecology, environmental issues, and where they feel change needs to occur. We offer this reflection as a possible starting point for your own approach to integrating the call of interconnectedness and Laudato Si’ in your own life.

 

Learn more about how we work to Care for Creation here.