Laudato Si’ has started a veritable “environmental movement” in the Christian world and in October, we are still reaping the fruits of this encyclical. There are several global initiatives and projects by Church communities that have developed a host of resources which discuss, explain and call us to care for our “common home”. Here we list a few of these initiatives that teachers and educators might find useful. If you know of any initiatives or resources that could be added to this list, or indeed shared on Educate Magis, please use the conversations field below to let us know.
Educate Magis Keynote
“The Committed Person” by Fr. Joseph Carver, SJ is a keynote video on Ignatian Spirituality and Ecology. The keynote was delivered at the SIPEI Seminar (2014) and is accompanied by a presentation and the text of the keynote.
Jesuits and their partners throughout the world are invited to understand and share in the critical work of reconciliation and ecological concern (GC35 Decree 3). Ecology and Jesuits in Communication or Ecojesuit, initiated by the Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC) and the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP), is an online communication currently in Spanish and English, open to all who share in this vision and action.
Ecojesuit hosts a series of resources, including:
- A“Guidance Map for Laudato Si’”.
- Books, such as “Reconciling with Creation”, which elaborates on the core Jesuit document on ecology “Healing a Broken World”.
- A series of booklets for reflection and prayer on ecology (in Spanish) from Jesuitas Social are available to download.
- A section called Global Youth Accompanying Communities features stories of initiatives from around the world.
The Global Ignatian Advocacy Network (GIAN) on Ecology coordinates the Dialogue on Sustainability Science and Values, which is part of a series of meetings between Jesuit Universities and scientists. GIAN – Ecology aims to develop resources and motivate local action to the sustainability of people and their landscape.
Catholic Earthcare Australia is the ecological agency of the Australian Catholic Bishops’ Conference. Their vision is for an ecologically sustainable and resilient Australia, where Catholic communities play an active part in the holistic care of social, human and environmental ecology. One of its community initiatives focuses on ecological education in schools. This section of the website provides a range of useful resources and recommends actions for schools. It includes such resources as:
- “Laudato Si’ – An urgent appeal for action” video.
- “Laudato Si’ Youth Workshops”;
- Video resources such as “Garden Planet” and “Connect, Care, Share: Our Common Home”.
- “ASSISI” (A Strategic, Systems-based, Integrated Sustainability Initiative) providing a theological, spiritual and practical base for sustainable development in Catholic schools.
- “Pure Gift”, containing formation and prayer exercises.
- “The Awesome Cosmic Story”, an interactive program exploring the creation of the universe.
All these and more are available on the Resources page of the website. It encourages actions too, such as signing the Catholic Climate Petition and Fasting for the Climate and celebrating Meatless Friday.
The Catholic Climate Covenant works with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to share the Church’s authentic teaching on climate change. Catholic Climate Covenant has partnered with more than 25 Catholic organizations to answer the call of the Pope and Bishops, and to offer a united Catholic voice and coordinated Catholic actions to promote the care of Creation, the protection of poor people and the advancement of the common good. The page contains a wide variety of resources, including news, study guides and prayers, which will help dig deeper and call on Catholics to pray, act and advocate for climate change by taking the St Francis Pledge.
Trócaire is the overseas development agency of the Catholic Church in Ireland. Trócaire‘s Development Education team provides support for educators in the formal and informal education sectors, school workshops, and a range of resources to explore and critically examine global justice and human rights issues. For Lent 2015 the Development Education team designed a remarkable school resource around the theme of Climate Change and how it is affecting communities around the world. School Resource available here.
