Catholic & Evangelical Leaders Urge Political Action on Climate Change

In a strive to encourage recognition and response to climate change as an urgent and moral issue, Catholic and Evangelical leaders, inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical, have begun signing onto an open letter to members of Congress and presidential candidates.  Organized by Faith in Public Life, the letter includes signatures from 20 Catholic university presidents.

Click here to read more about the letter and how Catholic and Evangelical leaders are standing with Pope Francis.

Catholic Institutions Commit to Pope Francis’ Call to Action

Following the release of the encyclical, Laudato Si’, Catholic higher education institutions from around the world have responded to Pope Francis’ urgent call to action by signing the letter, Statement of Leaders in Catholic Higher Education Globally. A number of leaders from Catholic higher education around the world, including many ACCU members, have declared their commitment to addressing the climate and justice crises that threaten our planet.  Read the statement here and see which ACCU members have already signed.

 

Roundtable on the Encyclical Planned for Fall 2015

The Institute of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University Chicago has been working to unite 28 U.S. Jesuit colleges and universities as a common voice on climate change. Nancy Tuchman, Founding Director of the Institute of Environmental Sustainability, recently announced that a school colloquium on the Encyclical is planned for September 9th, 2015.  The Institute plans to collect reflections on Pope Francis’s Laudato Si from students, faculty and staff, focusing on their personal reactions and how they can respond to the encyclical’s call to action.

 

Georgetown University ending investments in coal companies

Georgetown University announced earlier this month that they will be ending their investments in coal companies as a way of addressing and embracing the tensions related to climate change. The board resolution emphasizes Georgetown’s Jesuit Catholic mission as an impetus to “lead on issues of justice and the common good such as environmental protection and sustainability.”  The board identified the contributions of the group Georgetown University Fossil Free and the University’s Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility.

To read more about Georgetown’s resolution, and efforts to consider divesting from fossil fuels at other Jesuit universities, visit the Ignatian Solidarity Network blog.

More Resources: Laudato Si

Looking for more resources on the new encyclical, Laudato Si’?  The USCCB Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development have shared the following resources:

• Bulletin Insert: “Praise Be to You, My Lord” – overviews important themes in the encyclical and includes suggestions for prayer and action.
• Discussion Guide on Laudato Si’ – for use in a small group setting, delves more deeply into main themes of Laudato Si’.
• Blog Post: Pope Francis’ New Encyclical—this post on JPHD’s ToGoForth.org blog is the first of several posts on Laudato Si’ during the next several weeks.
• Caring for God’s Creation: Resources for Liturgy, Preaching, and Taking Action – includes resources for preaching and teaching about care for God’s creation.
• Press Release – includes USCCB President Archbishop Kurtz’s “Statement on the Occasion of the Promulgation of Laudato Si’”
• Children’s books by USCCB, in collaboration with Loyola Press, on caring for God’s creation.
• USCCB Environment page—contains additional resources, including backgrounders and links to the U.S. Catholic bishops’ statements on environmental concerns.

Some additional helpful resources include:

• Catholic Climate Covenant—has resources, stories, opportunities for action, the St. Francis Pledge, and a sign-on thank you message to Pope Francis in English and Spanish.
• Catholic Relief Services Pope Francis page—includes stories of how climate change is impacting vulnerable communities around the world with whom CRS works.

Additionally, Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service has shared a helpful glossary of terms used by Pope Francis, while John Allen of Crux has published two articles analyzing the history of the Church’s teachings on the environment and the impact of the encyclical in the U.S.

In light of the encyclical, many Catholic colleges and universities have shared how their Catholic mission drives their commitment to the environment and implementation of sustainability initiatives.

• Loyola University Chicago alumnus Zac Davis wrote a piece on how his alma mater leads the way in sustainability initiatives for America.
• Saint Vincent College shared their sustainability initiatives, inspired by the Benedictine tradition of environmental stewardship.
• University of Saint Francis (IN) campus ministry has shared that they, along with Our Sunday Visitor, will host a conference on campus this fall to discuss and study the encyclical.
• A community of scholars and practitioners gathered at University of St. Thomas (MN) to discuss Human and Natural Ecology: Economic, Political and Cultural Implications, in anticipation of the encyclical.  Visit the Center for Catholic Studies website to learn more and read presentation summaries.

Visit ACCU’s webpage on the release of Laudato Si to learn more!

Laudato Si Release: Pray

Earlier today, Pope Francis released his long-awaited encyclical letter, Laudato Si.  We at ACCU are sharing resources and best practices to help our campuses pray for commitment to care for creation, learn about the encyclical and our call to stewardship, and act upon our beliefs to work for the common good.

˜PRAY˜

We share these prayers, from Catholic Relief Services and Xavier University, so that we may reflect and pray together for a renewed commitment to care for God’s creation.

 

 Prayer for Environmental Sustainability

Let us pray for an end to the
Waste and desecration of God’s creation
For access to the fruits of creation
To be shared equally among all people
And for communities and nations to find sustenance
In the fruits of the earth and the water God has given us.

Almighty God, you created the world and gave it
Into our care so that, in obedience to you,
We might serve all people:
Inspire us to use the riches of creation with wisdom,
and to ensure that their blessings are shared by all;
That, trusting in your bounty, all people may be
Empowered to seek freedom from poverty, famine, and oppression.

 

Looking for additional prayer resources?  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Climate Covenant have shared resources on ecology for prayer and the liturgy.

Laudato Si Release: Learn

Earlier today, Pope Francis released his long-awaited encyclical letter, Laudato Si.  We at ACCU are sharing resources and best practices to help our campuses pray for commitment to care for creation, learn about the encyclical and our call to stewardship, and act upon our beliefs to work for the common good.

˜LEARN˜

Pope Francis has released his encyclical, Laudato Si, to teach Catholics around the world about environmental stewardship.  The full encyclical, along with brief comments, and a list of quotations, can be found on Catholic Climate Covenant’s website, while Jim Yardley and Laurie Goodstein have compiled a strong analysis of the themes of the encyclical for The New York Times.

Laudato Si continues Pope Francis’ commitment to caring for all members of creation and the world around us, furthering the Catholic Church’s engagement with environmental justice.  Catholic Climate Covenant explains that previous leaders Pope Benedict XVI and Saint John Paul II further developed the Church’s teachings on care for creation. The U.S. Bishops have interpreted and applied these teachings in a local context for the American Catholic Church through a number of statements and letters, including advocating for legislation that promotes responsible care for the environment.

Other Resources to Learn More

Looking for a short history of the Church’s teaching on stewardship?  Watch “Catholicism and the Challenge of Ecology“, a video from Catholic News Service.

Interested in a resource more specific to Catholic higher education?  Xavier University has compiled a list of resources on higher education, Catholic identity, and sustainability.  Highlights include remarks on sustainability and Catholic mission from the president, Fr. Michael Graham, SJ, and professor Kathleen Smythe, Ph.D. on Jesuit identity and sustainability.

Laudato Si Release: Act

Earlier today, Pope Francis released his long-awaited encyclical letter, Laudato Si.  We at ACCU are sharing resources and best practices to help our campuses pray for commitment to care for creation, learn about the encyclical and our call to stewardship, and act upon our beliefs to work for the common good.

˜ACT˜

ACCU member institutions have acted upon their call to care for creation through a number of sustainability and environmental justice initiatives.

• The Catholic Climate Covenant, with support from the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities, and the Catholic Campus Ministry Association, have produced Sustainability and Catholic Higher Education: A Toolkit for Mission Integration (PDF; 3MB).  Through mission-based initiatives, the Toolkit offers practical suggestions to inspire individuals, families, schools, parishes, and dioceses to follow the Catholic Coalition on Climate Change’s St. Francis Pledge.
• 29 Catholic colleges and universities have taken the St. Francis Pledge, sponsored by the Catholic Climate Covenant, committing to living out the value of care for creation through reflection, action, and advocacy.  These campuses include: Aquinas College (MI), Cabrini College, Chestnut Hill College, College of Saint Benedict, Creighton University, Gonzaga University, John Carroll University, Lewis University, Loyola University Chicago, Marquette University, Mercyhurst University, Mount St. Joseph University, Neumann University, Rosemont College, Saint Anselm College, Saint Francis University, Saint John’s University (MN), Saint Joseph’s College (IN), Saint Mary’s College of California, Saint Michael’s College, Salve Regina University, Seattle University, St. Thomas More College, Stonehill College, University of Notre Dame, University of Portland, Villanova University, Viterbo University, and Xavier University.
• The Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability at Seattle University lives out a core tenet of the university mission.  The Center has undertaken a number of initiatives, including supporting faculty and student research through fellowships.  Dr. Trileigh Tucker, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at Seattle University, and one of CEJS’s first Faculty Fellows, developed a teaching resource on environmental justice, compiling syllabi, assessment methods, and foundational documents used frequently in courses on environmental justice.
• Benedictine University in Illinois has received a $46,000 Food Scrap Composting Revitalization and Advancement Program (F-SCRAP) grant from the state to allow for the diversion of food scraps generated in the campus cafeteria and other buildings.
• In spring 2015, Cabrini College held a conference, “Faith, Climate, and Health”, to examine how climate change affects the health of the most vulnerable citizens.
• At the University of Portland, professors Dr. Russell Butkus and Dr. Steven Kolmes, teach a course entitled “Theology in Ecological Perspective”, exploring Catholic and Christian teaching and environmental science.

Read more ways ACCU member campuses have undertaken sustainability initiatives on the ACCU website.  Check back frequently as we will post new updates and ways that ACCU campuses react to the Laudato Si to the blog!