Catholic Worship and the Environment

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The Church also promotes environmental justice and stewardship through major national agencies: wife-5

The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change supports and complements USCCB’s Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development (formerly, the Department of Social Development and World Peace) and the bishops’ Environmental Justice Program. The Coalition is a membership organization consisting of twelve national Catholic organizations that offers advice and assistance in implementing its programs. The Coalition's central organizing tool is the Catholic Climate Covenant: The St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor, and it is actively supported and promoted by 25+ national Catholic organizations.
National Catholic Rural Life Conference serves as a catalyst and convener for social justice in food, agriculture and rural environmental issues.
The Catholic Health Association of the United States is dedicated to living Christ's mission of healing and compassion in the world through the ministry of Catholic health care. CHA's Faithfully Healing the Earth initiative is helping its members to integrate environmental stewardship into the Catholic health care ministry, and to better care for both people and the planet.
Campaign for Human Development supports community-controlled self-help organizations of the poor, including grass-roots organizations struggling for environmental justice.
Catholic Relief Services provides international relief assistance that incorporates environmentally sound approaches to economic development.
National Council of Catholic Women mobilizes Catholic women’s organizations to care for the environment through its “Earth in Our Hands” program.

While environmental concerns may be lifted up in worship at any time, some days in the church calendar have taken on special significance:

The Feast Day of St. Francis on October 4. Often called the “patron saint of ecology,” St. Francis’ love for the poor as well as for the whole creation makes him a fitting symbol of Christian commitment to environmental justice. The Catholic Climate Covenant: The St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor, an initiative of the Catholic Coaltion on Climate Change, offers liturgical resources (available in Spanish) and a Planning Guide to help individuals, families, parishes, schools, and other Catholic organizations celebrate the Feast of St. Francis.
Rogation Days (in the spring), a traditional time for blessing fields, gardens, and orchards.
Assumption Day (August 15), when the produce of the land may be blessed.

Read a summary of Catholic teachings on creation and the environment in question-and-answer format.
Find worship resources for Catholic and other congregations.

Last modified on Wednesday, 16 February 2011 11:00

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