What is the Laudato Si' Action Platform?
The Laudato Si’ Action Platform is the global Catholic Church’s response to the climate crisis.
Under the leadership of Sister Sharon Zayac and a coordinating committee, Springfield Dominican Sisters and Associates will oversee the congregation’s participation in this urgent response.
We will work toward all seven areas of concern as outlined in the Pope’s encyclical Laudato Si': (1) responding to the cry of the Earth, (2) responding to the cry of the poor, (3) ecological economics, (4) adoption of sustainable lifestyles, (5) ecological education, (6) ecological spirituality, and (7) community action.
Join us as we take part in this ground-up approach, empowering all people to take “decisive action, here and now” as we journey towards a better future together. (LS 161)
Our Common Home: A Discussion on the Laudato Si’ Action Platform
Episode Fourteen of F.L.O.W.cast
For decades the Dominican Sisters of Springfield have understood, preached, taught and begun to adapt their lives in response to the ecological crisis facing Earth. Now they and hundreds of other congregations of Catholic Sisters around the globe are responding to the cry of Earth and the cry of the poor by joining Pope Francis in a seven-year journey toward sustainable living. Host Jeremiah Washington talks with Sister Marcelline Koch and Sister Elyse Ramirez, who are on the implementation team for the sisters’ response to the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform, an initiative to change the way we think and act in relationship with one another and our fragile Earth.
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Laudato Si' Action Platform News
Springfield Dominican Sisters Applaud Accountability to Native Peoples
Last week a list of Native boarding schools affiliated with the Catholic Church was made public by Catholic Truth & Healing, a collaborative group of archivists, historians, concerned Catholics, and tribal members, who compiled and refined this resource to help facilitate access to information for survivors of Native boarding schools, their descendants, and Tribal Nations. …
Springfield Dominican Sisters Applaud Accountability to Native Peoples Read More »
A Gift of Wonder: Discovering the “worth of each thing”
By Sister Suzanne Donner, OP “Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature (creation).” Pope Francis-Laudato Si’ What a gift it has been to work in the gardens at Jubilee Farm for the past 18 years! My …
A Gift of Wonder: Discovering the “worth of each thing” Read More »
Illinois’ Catholic sisters launch campaign to “Refuse to Use” single-use plastic beverage bottles
Twenty-three congregations of Catholic sisters serving in Illinois will observe Catholic Sisters Week, March 8-14, with a challenge: do not consume beverages from single-use plastic bottles. “We are taking advantage of the annual observance of Catholic Sisters Week to educate, inform, and act to end plastic waste through a Refuse to Use campaign,” said Sister …
150th Anniversary Prayers
Please join us in prayer! Each month, we’ll post a prayer written by our sisters for use on the 19th (Because it was August 19, 1873 when our mission For the Life of the World began in Jacksonville, Ill.) Each prayer focuses on a unique expression of our preaching ministry. You are invited to print …
End the Violence, Change the Systems, Transform Ourselves: A Pledge in the aftermath of the Mass Shooting in Colorado Springs
Springfield, Ill.—In the aftermath of the mass shooting in Colorado Springs on November 19, the elected leadership of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield today reaffirmed their opposition to exclusion and violence and pledged to work together with members of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious to halt the cycle of violence and initiate a path …
Addressing the Devastation of Climate Change?
The Dominican Sisters and Associates Have a Plan for that. The Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Ill., took Pope Francis up on his climate change challenge. They have just approved the first of a series of plans that they and their associates will put into action through 2023. The plan has three goals: Recognize and interrupt …
Jubilee Farm Honored
with Gold Level Award for Sustainability Leadership
Springfield, Ill.-For their leadership in integrating sustainable practices at Jubilee Farm, the Dominican Sisters were honored with a Gold Level certificate from Sustainable Springfield. This grass roots organization promotes and inspires sustainable solutions by local governments, the business community, and Springfield area citizens. Sister Rose Marie Riley, director of Jubilee Farm and Sister Sharon Zayac, …
Jubilee Farm Honored
with Gold Level Award for Sustainability Leadership Read More »
Celebrate the Season of Creation Sept 1-Oct 4
The Season of Creation is the annual Christian celebration to listen and respond together to the cry of Creation: the ecumenical family around the world unites to pray and protect our common home. The Season “Celebration” begins on 1 September, the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and ends on 4 October, …
A Prayer for the Season of Creation 2022
Creator of All, From your communion of love your Word went forth to create a symphony of life that sings your praise. By your Holy Wisdom you made the Earth to bring forth a diversity of creatures who praise you in their being. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal …
Climate Change Quiz: How Much Do You Know?
By Ryan Bacic and Aviva Loeb April 22, 2022 This article was originally published in the The Washington Post Climate change can feel confusing, big and scary. Trust us: We get it. Just take a deep breath, and let it back out again (it will be full of carbon dioxide, for the record). With this quiz, …
Laudato Si' Action Platform Resources
When we find articles, websites, videos or webinars we think you'll want to know about, we'll put them here. In the meantime, you can't beat these websites for access to great resources you can start exploring today.
Websites
https://www.jomashop.com/blog/articles/guide-to-green-shopping - A Guide to Green Shopping, thanks to Ms. Platt, Lindsie, Nacole, Bryan and Madalyn at Friends of Bay Minette, Alabama.
https://laudatosiactionplatform.org/ - Official Vatican Website
https://laudatosimovement.org - Global Catholic organization focusing on care for Earth and ecological justice
https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/resources - USCCB website with a great searchable directory of resources for everyone
https://www.ipjc.org/climate-change-resources - Catholic Climate Covenant helps US Catholics respond to the Church's call to care for creation and care for the poor
https://grist.org/ - Independent, nonprofit source for news about climate solutions
