Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’ of 2015 is a call to all people of good will to respond to the cry of the earth and to everything and everyone who live on it now and will live here in the future. His papacy has been greatly influenced by the life of St. Francis of Assisi, who embodied a tradition of respect and compassion for the community of nature. The title of this encyclical is from St. Francis of Assisi’s 13th-century "Canticle of the Sun" in which God is praised for the creation of the different creatures and aspects of the Earth. It is a call to action!

St John XXlll parish has enrolled in the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (LSAP), a guide from the Vatican on how to concretely achieve the solutions proposed by the encyclical.  We’ve formed a Care for Creation Committee to organize educational and spiritually enriching events, discuss the encyclical, and address the LSAP with information specific to our parish. The work ahead will require individual action, work at St. John XXIII, and parish-to-parish networking. We look forward to helping to organize these efforts, making sure our actions protect all of God’s creatures and our common home.

For information on efforts at St. John XXIII, please contact:

Tony Quintanilla
tonyquintanilla@gmail.com
312.401.6636

Karie Ferrell, Director of Lifelong Faith Formation
kferrell@archchicago.org
847.864.0333
 
Sara Roemer Fieberg
Sfieberg@comcast.net
847.894.0125

---

Additional Resources

Laudato Si’ Study Guides

• The official Vatican publication of Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home
• On Care for Our Common Home: Laudato Si’ - Discussion Guide from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Materials for prayer and reflection by individuals and  discussion in groups. Includes quotes and questions on a variety of themes which can be spread out among several sessions.
• Study Guide for Laudato Si  from The Inter-Franciscan Commission for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation
• Laudato Si’ Study & Action Guide from the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach. May be used individually or in a group, one chapter at a time or in totality. Each chapter of Laudato Si’ is addressed in two ways: study and action.

For Students & Youth

For College Students

• See this post from Focus (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) making it easy to learn about Laudato Si’ in two minutes or ten! Also includes quotes on the major themes and shareable materials for social media.

For Young People

• Laudato Si – CRS High School Animated Brief from Catholic Relief Services. A four minute video summary of the encyclical for high school students, created in collaboration with Caritas Catholic international.
• Laudato Si': Animated Clip for Kids, by Caritas Canada. For elementary school students. 

Helpful Websites

• Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
• Archdiocese of Chicago Care For Creation Ministry
• Archdiocese of Chicago Season of Creation Guide
• Laudato Si’ Action Platform
• Laudato Si’ Movement
• Catholic Climate Covenant
• Season of Creation