You can engage in eco-conscious practices within your daily life, participate in ecological initiatives organised by the Diocese, and consider contributing your time, skills, or resources to support our environmental programs and advocacy. To get involved, you can contact our Peace, Justice and Ecology team.
In its Laudato Si’ Action Campaign, the Diocese of Parramatta has embarked on a journey towards achieving the seven Laudato Si’ Goals, Bishop Vincent Long OFM Conv invites all people in the Diocese to respond to Pope Francis’ encyclical letter Laudato Si’ – On Care for our Common Home and the Australian Catholic Bishops’ 2021-2022 Social Justice Statement Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor by doing what you can to care more deeply for God’s creation and our sisters and brothers in need.
Read Laudate Deum (“Praise God”) – to all people of good will on the climate crisis, an apostolic exhortation from Pope Francis. This is the Holy Father’s call to action to address the climate crisis and care for our common home. In it, he warns of the dangers of a technocratic ideology that drives the exploitation of nature and the poor, and he calls for a new ecological conversion that is rooted in a deep respect for all of creation.
Read Pope Francis’ second encyclical Laudato Si’ (“Praise Be to You”) – on care for our common home, to learn more about the urgent need for environmental stewardship and social justice. In this letter, the Holy Father emphasises the moral responsibility we each have to care for the planet, address climate change, and alleviate the suffering of the poor and vulnerable affected by environmental degradation. He calls for an integral ecology that recognises the interconnectedness of all life and advocates for a more sustainable and just world.
Join Caritas Australia’s Catholic Earthcare Programs for parishes, schools, organisations or individual households. You will receive resources, guidance, and tools to help them become more environmentally conscious and take practical steps toward caring for creation. The programs encourage parishes, schools, organisations and households to adopt sustainable practices, reduce their ecological footprint, and raise awareness about environmental issues within their faith communities. Our Peace, Justice and Ecology team can provide more information and help you to get signed up.
Laudato Si’ Week (16 – 24 May) and the Season of Creation (1 September – 4 October) are special times of the year when the Church celebrates God’s wonderful creation and highlights the importance of environmental stewardship. They are times for personal and communal renewal in both prayer and action. The Diocese of Parramatta regularly organises retreats, special Masses, presentations, or hands-on activities during Laudato Si’ Week and the Season of Creation.
Several parishes in our Diocese have a community garden and a team of volunteers that plant, harvest and share the gifts of the earth with the community and people in need. You can get involved or initiate a new community garden project. Our Peace, Justice and Ecology team can assist you.
Every year on the first weekend in March, Clean Up Australia Day inspires and mobilises communities to improve and conserve our environment, eliminate litter and end waste. You can join a Clean Up Australia Day event or organise your own in your parish, school or community.
Resources
In an era marked by ecological challenges, the Church aims to set an example of caring for God’s creation and our fellow beings. This mission, as Pope Francis emphasises, signifies hope in difficult times. Together, the Diocese of Parramatta aims to build a network of parishes, schools, and organisations committed to the principles of Laudato Si’ and its seven goals.
At the Diocesan level, the commitment entails the development and implementation of a Laudato Si’ Action Plans for all large Diocesan agencies (as highlighted in the Diocesan Pastoral Plan, p. 27), and reporting to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development through the Laudato Si’ Action Platform.
Meet the Laudato Si’ Action Team
Bishop Vincent has also formed a Laudato Si’ Action Team to drive action at the Diocesan level and to accompany parishes, schools, and organisations in their own efforts. The team members are:
- Andrew Wilson (CSPD Mission Team)
- Sr Carmel Pilcher rsj, PhD (Liturgy and Culture Consultant and Educator, Lapstone)
- Claire Thomas (Jesuit Social Services & Diocesan Pastoral Council)
- Br Jeff Regan cfc (Christian Brothers Mulgoa & Sacred Heart Parish Luddenham-Warragamba)
- Melissa McDonald (Parish Pastoral Council St Finbar’s Glenbrook & Confraternity of Christian Doctrine)
- Fr Paul Roberts (Parish Priest Our Lady Queen of Peace Greystanes)
- Sebastian Salaske-Lentern (MET – Peace, Justice, Ecology; Chair)
- Sue Martin (Jesuits Australia Reconciliation with Creation Program & St Madeleine’s Parish Kenthurst).
You can contact the Laudato Si’ Action Team through our Peace, Justice and Ecology team.