Laudato Si’ is Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical issued in 2015 on the care for the Earth and all creation as part of God’s plan for the world. As a follow-up to that letter, in 2021 Pope Francis encouraged everyone to develop an action plan to implement the points of his encyclical. Fortunately, here at St. Francis, the Care for Creation Ministry is pushing for just such an action plan.
Pat Kelly, one of the long-time volunteers in the ministry, along with her husband Paul, says, “Figuring out how to develop a meaningful Laudato Sí Action Plan has taken much thought, but we’ve got the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) providing guidelines for support.” Paul adds, “The Diocese of Raleigh actually collaborated in a meeting with 18 other dioceses in Washington, D.C., and we had representation there because Bishop Luis wanted our Diocese to be involved. The Diocese of Raleigh is going to create its plan, but the idea is that it could be a model for the parishes and individuals to create their own plan.”
The Care for Creation ministry has an important role in this effort, but they do so much more. “I think what we do and what our goal is are two different things,” says Pam James, the coordinator of the ministry. “Our goal is to change the behavior of both the parish and individuals to be better stewards of the earth, and to be more environmentally conscious.” Parts of that effort are the larger global initiatives, such as the Laudato Si’ action plans for the parish, the ministries, and individuals, but it is also locally focused efforts. “We do things like the community garden,” says Pam, “and also provide leadership on our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, Earth Day celebration and recognition, Season of Creation, Francis Fest, and we are working really hard on campus-wide recycling.”
A large part of their effort is also educating our St. Francis community, including our schools. “The sixth-grade science teacher, Karin Kuropas, brought her students to the garden,” says Pat. “We asked them what they know about Laudato Si’ and, at the beginning, they were, as you might expect, unfamiliar with it. Well, Karin went back, and she started teaching them and helping them not just learn about it, but to live it!” The educational aspect of their ministry is for all members of St. Francis, from the youngest to the oldest.
Their Care for Creation website is a resource replete with the spirituality of their efforts, recycling and composting tips and locations, local resources on environmentally strategic practices, listings of movies and literature, and even family-friendly activities to make environmental stewardship a way of life. Of course, we are all interconnected, and St. Francis is far from an insular community. The Care for Creation ministry is part of the Interfaith Creation Care of the Triangle, an organization that links people of faith across our area.
As Pam says, “There is always something to do. What I try to tell people who express an interest is, ‘You tell me what you want to do, and I will help you do it.’ There are always opportunities to help, especially at Francis Fest.“ It can be overwhelming at times to look at all the ways you can make a beneficial change in ‘caring for our home,’ but, as Pam says, “I encourage everyone to work on improving their personal eco-habits and to try to get their friends and family to do the same.” In that effort, it’s always good to remember what our patron, St. Francis, said about the small steps that lead to big change: “Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
To find out more information or ways you may be able to help meet the goals of the worldwide Laudato Si’ action plan on a local and state level, please see the Care for Creation website or contact Pam James, Ministry Leader, at stfccreation@gmail.com.