SEATTLE — The Archdiocese of Seattle on Monday — Earth Day — announced the launch of a new ministry dedicated to caring for creation.
“The challenge to protect our common home and the whole human family is urgent and an integral part of our Catholic faith,” Seattle Archbishop Paul D. Etienne said in a news release. “It is through creation that we can grow closer to God and to each other — and why it is so imperative that we become even better stewards of God’s creation. This ministry signals our commitment to the earth and the poor and will both educate and inspire people to personal conversion and action to do the same.”
Terri Nelson, the archdiocese’s director of Integral Human Development, will spearhead the Care for Creation ministry. She will be called on to develop and execute a strategic plan to educate and inspire people to act in their homes, communities, workplaces, parishes and more, the archdiocese said.
“Often people don’t equate their love for the environment with their Catholic faith, when indeed it’s core to who we are as Catholics,” Nelson said.
In his 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si’” (“Praise Be to You”), “Pope Francis expands on this by teaching us that caring for our common home is more than the environment — it includes caring for the poorest among us who are most often impacted by today’s dire climate issues,” she said.
Guided by “Laudato Si’,” the Vatican developed the Laudato Si’ action platform, which offers guides, tools and assessments to help individuals and organizations learn about climate issues and develop effective ways to respond.
“We will use the foundation of the Laudato Si’ action platform here in the Archdiocese of Seattle so that our parishes, schools and the people of God can learn more about this urgent crisis and take action,” Nelson explained.
To learn more about the archdiocese’s Care for Creation ministry, click here.