When Pope Francis published his encyclical Laudato Si’, about caring for all of God’s creation, members of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood, were ecstatic. The pope’s words reinforced something that they have been doing for years at their motherhouse in Brentwood, L.I. Two of the sisters, Mary Lou Buser, and Heather Ganz, who happens to be the youngest member of the Order, maintain and nourish a Garden Ministry that was begun in 1986.
Laudato si’: Pope Francis’s Encyclical on the Environment
Support for Encyclical
Some 1,500 people marched to the Vatican in support of Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on the environment.
Scientific Debate Is Not New for the Church
Recently, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said the pope should “leave science to the scientists.” His sentiment is echoed by those who deny climate change and contend that the Church should stay out of the debate – following the release of “Laudato Si’” and the conversation that the pope’s encyclical letter on the environment has generated.
Laudato si’ : A Study Guide and Summary
The following offers an overview of the 191 pages of the encyclical Laudato si’ and its key points, along with a summary of each of its six chapters (“What is happening to our common home,” “The Gospel of Creation,” “The human roots of the ecological crisis,” “Integral ecology,” “Lines of approach and action” and “Ecological education and spirituality”).
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter One
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter One – WHAT IS HAPPENING TO OUR COMMON HOME
(Pollution and climate change; Pollution, refuse and the culture of waste; Climate as a common good; The issue of water; Loss of biodiversity; Decline in the quality of human life and the breakdown of society; Global inequality; Weak responses; A variety of opinions).
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter Two
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter Two – THE GOSPEL OF CREATION
(The light offered by faith; The wisdom of the Biblical accounts; The mystery of the universe; The message of each creature in the harmony of creation; A universal communion; The common destination of goods; The gaze of Jesus).
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter Three
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter Three – THE HUMAN ROOTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS
(Technology: creativity and power; The globalization of the technocratic paradigm; The crisis and effects of modern anthropocentrism; Practical relativism; The need to protect employment; New biological technologies).
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter Four
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter Four – INTEGRAL ECOLOGY
(Environmental, economic and social ecology; Cultural ecology; Ecology of daily life; The principle of the common good; Justice between the generations).
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter Five
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter Five – LINES OF APPROACH AND ACTION
(Dialogue on the environment; In the international community; Dialogue for new national and local policies; Dialogue and transparency in decision-making; Politics and economy in dialogue for human fulfilment; Religions in dialogue with science).
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter Six
Laudato si’ Study Guide: Chapter Six – ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION AND SPIRITUALITY
(Toward a new lifestyle; Educating for the covenant between humanity and the environment; Ecological conversion; Joy and peace; Civic and political love; Sacramental signs and the celebration of rest; The trinity and relationships between creatures; Queen of all creation; Beyond the sun).