Sisters engage and inspire in the spirit of Laudato Si’
In 2015, Pope Francis penned his encyclical letter Laudato Si’, urging all people of the world to take action on the climate emergency and ecological crisis. In 2021, in a heartfelt response to this call, the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province (SSNDCP) dedicated themselves to a seven-year effort to “live more simply, responsibly, and sustainably and to educate, advocate and act in collaboration with others for the dignity of life and the care of all creation.”
SSNDCP are now in year three of this important seven-year journey and have found meaningful fellowship and success in evolving the goals of Laudato Si’ into actionable ideas for daily life.
To help facilitate this effort, SSNDCP has a Laudato Si’ animation team who work together to develop ideas and actions to help guide sister communities – and others - along the path to fulfilling Laudato Si’ goals.
“I think School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), along with many others, welcomed Pope Francis' Laudato Si' encyclical with its clear emphasis on care for our common home,” said Sister Paulette Zimmerman, one of the members of the Laudato Si’ team for SSNDCP. “The spirituality and concerns of many have surely expanded beyond the human to the wider community of life and the rights and welfare of other species and ecosystems.”
To date, the Laudato Si’ team’s efforts have included such visible initiatives as expanding and launching recycling and composting programs in SSNDCP community buildings, working to ensure meatless and plant-based options are on the menu at SSNDCP events and dining rooms, planting gardens and promoting mindful use of resources such as water, paper and fuel.
It can sometimes be a bit more complicated to accomplish the goals of Laudato Si’ for sisters who are living in a community setting. As sisters move from one location to another, they may find varying levels of involvement or access to programs they had been used to.
“COVID caused problems since food had to be individually wrapped, making more to be recycled,” said Sister Mary Lorentz, a member of the Laudato Si’ team for SSNDCP. “And it is harder to accomplish some goals when you don't have your own place.”
Such circumstances offer opportunities for encouraging participation where it hadn’t been, or simply focusing on personal choices and ways of contributing.
For anyone who might wonder if their individual efforts make enough of an impact in the face of such overwhelming challenges, Sister Maxine Pohlman, member of the Laudato Si’ team, reminds us, “Pope Francis' encyclical states: ‘There is a nobility in the duty to care for creation through little daily actions, and it is wonderful how education can bring about real changes in lifestyle. Education in environmental responsibility can encourage ways of acting which directly and significantly affect the world around us, such as avoiding the use of plastic and paper, reducing water consumption, separating refuse, cooking only what can reasonably be consumed, showing care for other living beings, using public transport or car-pooling, planting trees, turning off unnecessary lights, or any number of other practices. All of these reflect a generous and worthy creativity which brings out the best in human beings. Reusing something instead of immediately discarding it, when done for the right reasons, can be an act of love which expresses our own dignity.’”
“I especially appreciate this concept because it clearly states how doing something brings out the best in us and gives an opportunity for an act of love, which expresses our own dignity - even if it looks like it doesn't really matter in the big picture,” said Sister Maxine.
In the true SSND spirit, one of the key elements of living out Laudato Si’ is an emphasis on educating oneself and others. The team regularly shares opportunities for viewing thought-provoking documentary films, webinars and presentations on topics related to care of creation. Sisters also write and promote articles and mindful recipes as well as prayerful reflections and petitions to further inform and inspire.
“Perhaps it's mainly faith and hope that individual actions do make a difference, but surely the thousands of organizations with their committed individual members around the world call us to be part of a life-giving presence in the Earth community,” said Sister Paulette.
The Laudato Si’ team invites and encourages sisters, associates and all friends of SSND to learn more about Laudato Si’. Explore these resources for incorporating Laudato Si’ goals into your life.