Care for God's Creation

A Culture of Care as a Path to Peace
In his message for the World Day of Peace on January 1, Pope Francis stated, “There can be no peace without a culture of care”. The principles of Catholic social doctrine serve as a compass pointing us to a shared path towards peace. This includes “commitment to promoting the dignity of each human person, solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, the pursuit of the common good and concern for the protection of creation.” All are needed. Click here to read his full message.

Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato Si’ – On Care for our Common Home, stated “an awareness of the gravity of today’s cultural and ecological crisis must be translated into new habits…to profound interior conversion.”  

The encyclical also points the way to directions that can help make a difference, bringing hope to those in need and to our children and future generations.

In his apostolic exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis calls on us to care for all creation. He writes, “I am speaking of creation as a whole. We human beings are not only the beneficiaries but also the stewards of other creatures. Thanks to our bodies, God has joined us so closely to the world around us that we can feel the desertification of the soil almost as a physical ailment, and the extinction of a species as a painful disfigurement. Let us not leave in our wake a swath of destruction and death which will affect our own lives and those of future generations... Small yet strong in the love of God, like Saint Francis of Assisi, all of us, as Christians, are called to watch over and protect the fragile world in which we live, and all its peoples.”

"Christian people when giving thanks to God through the Eucharist, should be conscious that they do so in the name of all creation, aspiring to the sanctification of the world and working intensely to that end.” 

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, The Sacrament of Charity

In his Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate - On Integral Human Development in Charity and Truth, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI writes, “The Church has a responsibility towards creation and she must assert this responsibility in the public sphere.  In so doing she must defend not only earth, water, and air as gifts of creation that belong to everyone.  She must above all protect mankind from self-destruction.”  According to our pontiff, human ecology and environmental ecology go hand in hand.  Our moral calling is to live a culture of life in all its expressions. We advocate for stewardship of creation by urging our elected representatives to show leadership in combatting all forms of environmental degradation. We take actions as individuals, as families, as parishes and as schools. We pray.

St. Francis Pledge
Take the St. Francis/Laudato Si’ Pledge to care for creation and the poor:

"I pledge to pray, live, and advocate Laudato Si'

Take the St. Francis/Laudato Si' Pledge to mark the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home. By taking the pledge, you (re)commit to living out the vision of the encyclical and our Catholic faith through prayer, concrete action, and advocacy. Get started on your journey to care for creation and the poor. We invite you to (re)commit or for the first time commit by taking the pledge today!

Over 10,000 individuals and families and 75 institutions have taken the St. Francis Pledge. They commit to living out their Catholic values through deep reflection, concrete action, and advocacy. Those who take the pledge show resolve and constancy in living the way of St. Francis and seeking a right place in creation, day after day.

Click Here to Pledge

Create Bottled Water-Free Zones
Development and Peace (Caritas Canada) encourages us to create bottled water-free zones in our homes, our parishes, our schools and all public institutions where clean tap water is available.

Bottled water represents the privatization of water - a consumer product rather than a requirement for life that must be publicly accessible. It creates extreme amounts of waste that degrades the environment. By choosing tap water over bottled water we show solidarity with people in the Global South whose water sources are being taken over by private interests and sold at unaffordable prices resulting in death to many.

Let us accept the challenge and become bottled water free in our homes, our parishes and our schools. 

Green Audit
Faith and the Common Good delivers a Green Audit. This walkthrough audit helps your faith community identify the potential areas of concern within the building with respect to the environmental impact. The audit makes recommendations, both short-term easy fixes and long-term capital planning solutions.  

Click here to learn more about the Green Audit.

Meditate on this Reflection

• Do I stop to experience the awesome beauty of creation, allowing me to connect with God?
• Do I conserve energy by ensuring that lights and electronic equipment are turned off when not in use?
• Do I travel in ways that minimize pollution and carbon emissions associated with climate change?
• Do I use reusable dinnerware, cups, and containers at social events to minimize waste?
• Do I use reusable bags to carry newly purchased items?
• Do I repair items that can be repaired rather than buying more?
• Do I separate my waste thoughtfully using available programs that protect the earth from harm?
• Do I reduce my use of paper and use paper from recycled sources to help protect forests?
• Do I purchase products, such as fair trade products, that help ensure fair wages and ecological justice in other parts of our world?
• Do I share what I have with the poor, such as donating food to local food banks or contributing to charitable organizations such as the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace?

“The Church has a responsibility towards creation and she must assert this responsibility in the public sphere.  In so doing she must defend not only earth, water, and air as gifts of creation that belong to everyone.  She must above all protect mankind from self-destruction.” 

Pope Emeritus Benedict, Caritas in Veritate