Laudato Si’ Makes an Impact in Jesuit Higher Education

The upcoming one-year anniversary of the release of Laudato Si’ has inspired reflection on the impacts it has had on Catholics around the world, especially institutions of Catholic higher education. In the April 2016 issue of Connections, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities’ (AJCU) monthly  newsletter, several institutions were featured as having responded to the encyclical with fervor:

• Laudato Si’ was a “Game-Changer” for Creighton University, where professors of theology, biology, environmental science, cultural and social studies, and communication studies, and sustainability studies have experienced renewed interest and and energy in their studies and coursework.
• Gonzaga University has taken a “Multidisciplinary Approach” to responding to the encyclical with “deep academic engagement around Catholic social teaching,” encyclical reading groups, inter-departmental panel discussions, lectures, documentary film screenings, and a renewed commitment to sustainability on campus.
• Food justice and social justice have been major themes for Loyola University Chicago‘s response to Laudato Si’, as well as “eco-education” through conferences focused on poverty and climate justice, lectures, and assisting in the development of a new free online environmental textbook.
• Marquette University has made a renewed commitment to “Going Green” through participating in research at the Global Water Center in Milwaukee, the hiring of the University’s first sustainability coordinator, assisting in the development of the above-mentioned textbook, the LEED certification of two campus buildings, and the focusing of Mission Week on care for creation and sustainability.
• A reflection on the call to promote and fight for environmental justice, as inspired by Laudato Si’, written by Clint J. Springer,  associate professor of biology at St. Joseph’s University.
• Santa Clara University has taken the encyclical as a “Charter Document” for its “commitment to climate justice,” as evidenced by the visit of Peter Cardinal Turkson for a conference on climate change, reading groups, the visit of Carolyn Woo of Catholic Relief Services, academic integration of the encyclical, Ignatian reflection, and more.

These institutions of Jesuit higher education are just a few examples of the Catholic response to Laudato Si’.   How has your college or university responded to Laudato Si’? Let us know! 

Peace and Justice in ACCU’s Winter Newsletter

Earlier this week, ACCU released the Winter 2015 issue of its quarterly newsletter, Update. Read it in its entirety here, but be sure to take note of the peace and justice related sections. The highlighted sections include:

Marymount University Students Help Create Urban Farm by transforming an inner Washington, DC land plot into a venue for a “farmers market, public art, a community garden, and more.”

St. Thomas Aquinas Event Focuses on Water, in an effort to raise awareness about water conservation, sustainability, and more.

Mount Saint Vincent Releases Findings on Human Trafficking that show widespread lack of awareness about the issue.

Loras Professor Works to Start Interfaith Dialogue through the recently established interfaith movement called Children of Abraham, which seeks to foster dialogue among the Abrahamic faiths.

Carlow Dedicates LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-Certified Building, which features advanced technology throughout the building that will save energy and water and reduce waste.

Christian Brothers University, Felician University, Georgetown University, and The University of the Incarnate Word Answer the Call to Action with expansive initiatives to reach out to Hispanic and Latino students pursuing higher education.

 To subscribe to Update, please email Paula Moore.