Fr. Joe Veneroso of Maryknoll prepared this photo meditation on creation and the Catholic faith.

Vatican Radio is reporting that the Holy See is calling for stronger education about climate change, especially for the young.  This should come as no surprise, since Chapter 6 of Laudato Si' focuses on "Ecological Education and Spirituality."

How is your parish or school helping educate people about these issues?

Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder reference Laudato Si'​ and shares some practical ideas for how faith communities can help all of us connect back to"Vitamin N," in a time when technology and busyness keep many away.

Catholic News Service reports that, in response to Pope Francis encyclical, the Archdiocese of Chicago is benchmarking all 2,700 buildings of its buildings for sustainability goals.  They will seek to evaluate and optimize for their water usage, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions.  Chicago parishes who already performed this work have found that financial savings come along with this work.

But you don't have to be in the Chicago Archdiocese to make your parish or school buildings more environmentally friendly.  The book 77 Ways to Save Money and Energy at Your School or Parish steps you through the process.  

Pope Francis speaks of our need to stay connected to nature, and how technology has become so dominant in our lives (not always for the better).  This powerful video from Nature Valley Canada shows three generations of families being asked, “What did you like to do for fun as a kid?”

We have just announced our first set of eResources supporting Laudato Si' and creation care:

• Laudato Si' Powerpoint & Talking Points (50-slide Powerpoint, 16-page PDF/Word)

• Open Hearts - Open Minds: Working together on Creation Care even when some disagree (3 PDF documents)

• Laudato Si' Glossary: Definitions of key terms in the document (only available in our bundles)
  
• Catechetical Resources: Handouts for busy parents, "Help My Child to Know the Saints - Creation 3-Pack," and Becoming Faithful Citizens for Kids.

Learn more about them on our Resources page.

Many parishes are not familiar with how eResources work, but they have many advantages.  They are electronic files (Word, Powerpoint, or PDF documents) that we email to you.  They come with permission to make as many copies as you would like or otherwise share within your parish or school.  They're flexible, inexpensive, convenient, and environmentally friendly (as we don't have to ship them across the country).

In Laudato Si', Pope Francis calls the climate a common good shared by and meant for all, and says, "A very solid scientific consensus indicates that we are presently witnessing a disturbing warming of the climatic system." (LS #23)

Some people disagree about the extent of that consensus, which many cite as at 97%.  But an analysis by James L. Powell, director of the National Physical Sciences Consortium and a member of the National Science Board under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, shows that the climate consensus is actually 99.99%.  That would seem to fit Pope Francis' assessment of "very solid."

Here is an amusing video created before the encyclical was released.  What do you think? Has Pope Francis viewed this by now?