Care for Creation

About US

Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care of Our Common Home was the impetus for a small group of parishioners to come together in the spring of 2020 to begin dialog on how to respond to the what the Pope called the “cry of the earth” and the “cry of the poor.”  The encyclical showed that caring for the earth was not merely an ecological issue outside the purview of traditional Christian morality, but most emphatically an ethical issue inextricably intertwined with our capacity to care for the most vulnerable among us.  Our “common home” is the natural world that we share as an extended family through bonds of human kinship and deep reverence for all life.  When we cause harm to nature, we poison the ground of our common dwelling place, robbing it of its dignity, diminishing its bounty, threatening the prosperity of our grandchildren, and impoverishing all of us nurtured by its abundance.

Our small group began planning activities to bring the spirit of the encyclical into parish life.  After one year of groundwork, we requested and were granted permission to establish the Care for Creation Committee, and were formally introduced to the parish in a kick-off event on the feast of St. Francis, Oct. 3, 2021.

Our members include Corey and Madeleine Becker, Rob Lord-Schell, and Bill Stigliani.  Corey and Bill are co-chairs and Christine Szczepanowski is staff liaison to the pastor.

Earth Day Teach-In: How to Lower Your Carbon Footprint

Resources to Download:

• Introduction
• Zero Electricity Footprint
• Transportation
• Recycling
• Recycling Tutorial
• Diet
• Composting

Programs

We seek to encourage an ongoing dialogue within the OSJ community about how to best express our faithfulness to “till and keep” the garden of the world (Genesis 2:15) so as to ensure its fruitfulness for coming generations. The garden is now threatened by climate change, species extinction, and dwindling of the land and water resources that sustain our lives.  It is easy to despair over the magnitude of these problems and to wonder how we could possibly make a difference in overcoming them.  One clear aim of our committee is to assure parishioners that God has not abandoned us and there is ample reason for hope.  We invite all of you to enter into this conversation with fresh eyes and a focus on what is possible.  Together we will explore the many opportunities by which we can make a difference.  We promise that you will be amazed!    

Here is the focus of our activities for years 2022 and 2023:

• A documentary movie series covering the topics of climate change, environmental justice, sustainable agriculture, toxins in consumer products.
• A lecture series on the ecological crisis: information, conversation, focus on engagement and solutions.
• A recycling initiative to enhance recycling activities in parish buildings as well as among parishioners.
• A composting initiative that composts food wastes in the parish rectory and encourages parishioners to compost food wastes in their homes.
• Zeroing out Old St. Joseph’s carbon footprint from its electricity consumption in parish buildings through the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates.
• A book club featuring the Laudato Si’ encyclical, in which parishioners can engage in conversation on Pope Francis’ call to respond to our ecological crisis.
• A Care for Creation resource base with comprehensive information and practical tips on how to live more sustainably.  These materials will be posted on the Care for Creation webpage as well as in parish bulletin inserts.

Networking

Over the long-term we endeavor through ongoing dialog to build momentum for integrating the spirit of Laudato Si’ into the faith-life of the parish.  We cannot do this work by ourselves, and are seeking to build bridges and conduct collaborative efforts with other OSJ committees with mutual overlapping interests.

Another avenue for networking is with other parishes in the archdiocese.  Fortunately, we are doing so through our connection to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform.  This is a program sponsored by the Vatican that supports dioceses across the globe as they seek to actualize the goals articulated in the encyclical.  The operating arm of the platform in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia is EcoPhilly (ecophilly.org).  We are one of six sister parishes actively engaged with Ecophilly, and we collaborate and support each other in our efforts.

Pope Francis wrote Laudato Si, not only as a Catholic document, but as an expression of solidarity with “all people of good will.”  Such people are legion and participate in a vast array of like-minded groups working across the globe on various aspects of care for creation.  The youth, elders, concerned mothers, environmentalists, corporate executives, political leaders, and caring citizens of every stripe are building momentum in a worldwide movement.

The good news in joining this global commitment is that it sets us on a path toward reconciliation, wholeness, and hopefulness in a century already too ravished by wars, environmental and economic disasters, pandemics, and an insidious sense of dread about the future.  Building a world that nurtures the creation would spawn millions of new jobs devoted to restoring our climate and repairing the earth. It would improve public health, benefit the poor, and provide a safe and secure haven where our children and grandchildren can flourish.  And it would rally the public to believe in an optimistic future focused on love rather than fear and division. Our Care for Creation Committee is proud to be part of the movement.  Please join us on this journey!