Archdiocese marks 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’ ‘Laudato Si’’

Ten years after Pope Francis released “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” the message of the encyclical has taken root in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The archdiocese celebrated the anniversary with a Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Larry Sullivan, the vicar general, at St. Moses the Black Parish, 331 E. 71st St., followed by a reception for people who are active in the archdiocesan Care of Creation ministry.

The Archdiocese of Chicago was one of two U.S. dioceses to help develop the Laudato Si’ Action Platform, released December 2021, which invited dioceses, parishes, universities and schools and other organizations to commit for working for seven years towards Laudato Si’ goals.

Sister of St. Joseph Kathleen Sherman is one of the coordinators of her community’s efforts toward the Laudato Si’ goals.

She said the message of the letter is alive in the Archdiocese of Chicago, but it is thriving more in other parts of the world, perhaps because they embraced Pope Francis’ insistence that care for the earth and care for poor people cannot be separated.

“Where the planet is most devastated is where the people are suffering the most,” she said.

The encyclical called on everyone, not just Catholics, to hear “sister earth … cry out, pleading that we take another course” (‘Laudato Si’,’ 53), and to understand that justice calls for caring for the earth and caring for the poor, who suffer when the earth suffers.

“Today, however, we have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (LS, 49).

In his homily, Bishop Sullivan shared a story about an event a parish held to say farewell when he was a priest moving to a new parish. Bishop Sullivan wanted it to be a family event, with things to do that would appeal to children, so the committee hired a company that brings animals such as reptiles and spiders that children can see and touch.

Bishop Sullivan said he was skeptical, but “the kids loved it,” especially when the people who brought the animals called children to the front to hold them. Then, he said, they wanted him to join in the fun. He very much did not want to touch the spiders, snakes or lizards, much less let them crawl on him.

His family had come, he said, and his mother saw his reluctance. She leaned over and whispered, “Larry, do you want me to go up there and do it in your place?” he said. “A mother will do anything for her child.”

If that is how much a human mother loves her child, Bishop Sullivan said, imagine how much more God loves each and every person, he said.

“We know God loves the world because God created the world,” he went on. “God created the world as a gift to us. How do we respond to God’s love for us? By the way we care for one another and care for our common home.”

That includes individual efforts to not be wasteful, to recycle, to bring beauty to the world, and wider efforts to care for the planet.

In the archdiocese, that included a shift to buying electricity from renewable resources in 2024; the installation of solar panels at the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary; and the encouragement for parishes to plant “Laudato Si’ gardens,” which are recognized with plaques that remind visitors to take time among the plants to pray and connect to the earth.

It also has organized and participated in ecumenical prayer services to recognize the Season of Creation, which runs from the beginning of September to Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Parishes have formed their own Laudato Si’ or Care of Creation ministries and are networking with one another within their vicariates and across the archdiocese, said Andrew Panelli, who leads the ministry at St. Elizabeth Seton Parish, Orland Hills, and is a member of the archdiocesan working group.

St. Elizabeth Seton held its second Care of Creation art contest this year in honor of the 10th anniversary of “Laudato Si’.” The contest allowed students and adults to create work that expressed their understanding of the care of creation, with the works displayed at the parish.

Panelli said the ministry at St. Elizabeth Seton also communicates regularly with parishioners through the bulletin, offering suggestions for what they can do in their own lives or in advocating for legislation, and that members speak during Masses on occasions such as the Season of Creation and Earth Day in April.

The ministry has done events such as bringing in speakers for adults and hosting the same kind of animal show that Bishop Sullivan spoke about, because, he said, if children do not learn about the natural world, they will not understand why or how it must be protected.

“I’d like to see continuing coalition building among people of all faiths,” Sister Kathleen said.