Caritas Australia’s Catholic Earthcare program is helping parishes and schools celebrate Laudato Si’ Week, focusing on the theme “Seeds of Hope”.
Every year the Church marks the anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical Laudato Si’, celebrating what it means to care for our common home. The week begins on Sunday and runs through to May 26.
Catholic Earthcare program has published three new resources – one each for primary school, secondary school and parish audiences.
The resources tell the story of Chiquito, a farmer in Timor-Leste who has learnt drought and flood resistance farming techniques to improve income and food security for his family.
Teachers of students in years 4-12 can also sign their classes up to attend Q&A sessions exploring how climate change is impacting communities in Timor-Leste and what can be done to help.
Caritas Australia is also calling on the community to act by engaging with Caritas Interanationalis’ “Together We: Tree of Life” campaign.
This campaign encourages people to take collective action to fight poverty, uphold dignity, and protect nature in the spirit of integral ecology by connecting with local Members of Parliament on how to care for “our common home”. Schools and parishes can create their own “Tree of Life”, where students and parishioners can write a message on a paper leaf.
“Laudato Si’ Week is a time to reflect on how to care for our common home and a time to pray that we may become seeds of hope for our world. ‘Together We’ ensures that we take this task on collectively,” Caritas Australia CEO Kirsty Robertson said.
The Office for Justice Ecology and Peace has also created Laudato Si’ Week resources focused on some of the ecological problems faced by First Nations people and the work Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are doing to heal the Country.
Resources: Catholic Earthcare and Office for Justice Ecology and Peace.
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Caritas Australia urges the government to show greater leadership amid converging global crises (Caritas Australia)
