Laudato Si’ Action Platform
Response to the Cry of the Earth: Protect our common home for the wellbeing of all, as we equitably address the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and ecological sustainability.
Response to the Cry of the Poor: Promote eco-justice, aware that we are called to defend human life from conception to death, and all forms of life on Earth.
Ecological Economics: Acknowledges that the economy is a sub-system of human society, which itself is embedded within the biosphere–our common home.
Adoption of Sustainable Lifestyles: Grounded in the idea of sufficiency and promoting sobriety in the use of resources and energy.
Ecological Education: Re-thinking and re-designing curricular and institutional reform in the spirit of integral ecology to foster ecological awareness and transformative action.
Ecological Spirituality: Springs from a profound ecological conversion and helps us to “discover God in all things”, both in the beauty of creation and in the sighs of the sick and the groans of the afflicted, aware that the life of the spirit is not dissociated from worldly realities.
Community Resilience and Empowerment: Envisages a synodal journey of community engagement and participatory action at various levels.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace accepted the invitation extended by Pope Francis in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform to commit to measurable action on environmental justice, ecology, and sustainability. The Congregation has long embraced these same values and goals. Laudato Si’ encouraged us to look at how we could further promote them and work collaboratively within the Congregation as well as partnering with other like-minded people and groups. Subcommittees formed to address all seven goals, remain active, and are a reflection of our commitment to be who we say we are.
The Laudato Si’ Action Platform is living hope. In recognizing the sacredness of Earth, the Church hopes to reverse the exploitation of it and unite people in new ways of caring for our planet and each other to spare us from a grim future. This requires commitment and freedom from self-centeredness and isolation.
For our Congregation, and most other women religious congregations, the call to organize around Laudato Si’ is a way to focus our varied ecological and human service efforts and set smart, accountable goals. It is also an invitation to collaborate on work that one congregation could not do effectively alone.
— FrankTalk: Sisters of St Joseph of Peace Commit to Laudato Si’, Living Peace, Summer 2022
“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord”. In the words of this beautiful canticle, Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. “Praise be to you, my Lord, through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us, and who produces various fruit with coloured flowers and herbs”
