Caring for Our Common Home

Logo for the Vatican's Laudato Si' Action Platform.

In December our Congregation made a public commitment to the seven-year journey toward sustainability and integral ecology called the Laudato Si’ Action Platform initiated and sponsored by the Vatican for the worldwide Catholic community. As a diocesan congregation of women Religious whose charism is one of unifying love of God and the Dear Neighbor, ecological spirituality challenges us to ecological conversion to build a mutually beneficial relationship between humans and our fragile planet, in order to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. We seek to foster this conversion through on-going spiritual formation and discernment, knowing that we are participating in God’s work of transformation, “for we know that things can change (LS 13)".”

Msgr. Vincent Haut spoke on Laudato Si' in April in our common dining room in St. Augustine.

In April the On-Going Formation Team of the Congregation put together a morning of adult education called “Ecological Spirituality: Love of God, of Neighbor, and All of Creation” that included prayer, an introduction and overview of Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si’ : on Care for Our Common Home, how ecological spirituality connects with our SSJ spirituality, a presentation by Msgr. Vincent Haut on Chapter Six of Laudato Si’, an overview of the seven goals of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, and the distribution of self-assessments on transitioning to integral ecology.

In May Sister Rita Baum, Directress of our SSJ Lay Associates, held a few gatherings of Associates and introduced them to the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. She had them fill out self-assessments also which were turned into the On-Going Formation Team. All of this collected data will help in formulating next steps.

Egrets nesting at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.

As Sister Florence Bryan brought out in her talk in April, as Sisters of St. Joseph we embrace the Gospel Charism of unifying love for the healing and transformation of the world. This Charism compels us to love God and neighbor without distinction, from whom we do not separate ourselves; pray, contemplate, and discern courageous action; respond to the needs of the world and oneness with creation; and forge unity through respect, appreciation of diversity, and collaboration.

On Thursday evening, Sept. 1st, at 7 p.m. the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine will collaborate with Laudato Si’ St. Augustine, the Creation Care Ministry of the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Augustine, in sponsoring a Rosary for the Earth on the World Day of Prayer for the Earth, the beginning of the Season of Creation. The theme this year is “Listen to the Voice of Creation” and participants will be able to do this as it will be held outside in the Motherhouse gardens, at 241 St. George Street. This is the second year we have held this Rosary for the Earth on our grounds. All are welcome.