Laudato Si Action Plan 2023 - 2025
"On this Feast day of Saint Francis, the Oceania Leadership team is pleased to launch our first Laudato Si Action plan as part of our celebration of the Season of Creation" "
"This is a 3-year plan that sets targets against each of the 7 Laudato Si goals and is part of an incremental approach to embedding the intent of these goals throughout our Province with a view towards us achieving carbon neutrality in 2028. This Plan is part of our approach to address Imperative 7 from “Our Journey towards Graceful transformation” document that focusses us to make a considered response to the crucial call of our chapters and of Laudato Si to care for the Earth. "
~ Oceania Leadership Team, 4th. October 2023
What is Laudato Si?
Laudato Si' refers to the encyclical written by Pope Francis in 2015 and the words “Laudato Si’” are Italian for “praise be to you.” These words are part of a quotation from St. Francis of Assisi's “Canticle of the Creatures” in which he praises God by rejoicing in the goodness of sun, wind, Earth and water, and other natural forces
Laudato Si' is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. It has the subtitle "on care for our common home". In it, Pope Francis critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, deplores environmental degradation and global warming, and calls all people of the world to take "swift and unified global action."
What are the 7 Goals of Laudato Si’?
The seven goals of Laudato Si's theme of integral ecology include: response to the cry of the Earth; response to the cry of the poor; ecological economics; adoption of simple lifestyles; ecological education; ecological spirituality; and emphasis on community involvement and participatory action.
What are the values of Laudato Si?
Laudato Si' inspires our mission as Catholics. As followers of Jesus, our decisions are guided by Scriptures and Catholic Social Teaching. We recognise the value of caring for God's creation in our faith tradition and our Christian lives. These values are also in line with the Charism of the Blessed Edmund Rice - presence, compassion and liberation.
Presence in that we are present among and stand in solidarity with those who are victims of any form of disadvantage, marginalisation and exclusion. Compassion in how we respond with compassion, which refuses to accept global poverty and suffering and which awakens us to our responsibilities and compels us to take action. And Liberation in that compassion by definition demands action to address injustice and a strong commitment to justice is the foundation for a peaceful world.
These guiding principles inform the Christian Brothers work as they engage with and are present to all people with humility, empathy, and an open heart.
What is the cry of the earth?
In the Encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francis correlates the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. Cry can mean the feeling of pain and suffering, the experience of sadness and loss calling out for relief and sympathy.
