Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home, was published on May 24, 2015 by Pope Francis.

May 24-31 is Laudato Si’ Week in the Catholic Church. It was 10 years ago, on May 24, 2015, that Pope Francis released his third papal encyclical, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. While Care for Creation had been a part of Catholic social teaching for a while, Laudato Si’ stated with new force that concern for the environment was no longer “optional” behavior. Pope Francis wrote how “we are all interrelated and interdependent” and that we needed to hear the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. He said, “The earth herself…is among the most abandoned and maltreated of the poor.” In the last chapter (my favorite part), Pope Francis wrote “The ecological conversion needed to bring about lasting change is …a community conversion.”

Besides being the 10th anniversary of Laudato Si’, this year is a Jubilee Year with the theme Pilgrims of Hope. As one of the spiritual programs our Congregation is offering this year, I was asked to lead a morning of reflection related to the Season of Creation in the fall. “Peace with Creation” is this year’s theme of the season, with the theme of the Sept. 1st World Day of Prayer for Creation, “Seeds of Peace and Hope.”

Flower seeds drying out before being put into envelopes for saving for future planting.

The Season of Creation, Sept. 1 to Oct. 4, is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. It was begun in the Orthodox Church in 1989 and became celebrated in the Catholic Church about 10 years ago. On Saturday, Sept. 6, I will facilitate a morning of prayer and reflection with the theme, “Seeds of Peace and Hope in the Garden.” Currently, I am enrolled in a web-based Laudato Si’ animator training sponsored by the Laudato Si Movement and am using this morning as my “seed” project. Seed projects have to involve others (at least 5 people or more), and reflect on one or more of the Laudato Si’ Movement goals. My goal area is ecological conversion through spiritual reflection and prayer.

In keeping with the theme, “Seeds of Peace and Hope in the Garden,” I am already at work drying out seeds from spent blooms of marigolds and gazanias in a flowerbed I take care of in front of our Motherhouse. I also found some packaged wildflower seeds that will be divided into small envelopes to distribute to attendees of the Sept. morning of reflection at its conclusion.

Planning this Season of Creation morning of prayer is a labor of love for me, as I love gardening and appreciate the beauty of flowers, trees, and all of God’s creation. The theme of “Seeds of Peace and Hope” emphasizes the need for long-term commitment and action towards peace, justice and harmony with creation. The metaphor of the seed highlights the importance of nurturing these values over time.

Seeds of Peace and Hope in Jubilee Year

Pope Francis Called Us to Hear the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the Poor