Though Earth Day is a secular celebration, it offered us yet another reminder to care for creation. It also gave us an opportunity to share with the wider world the Catholic teachings on caring for our common home. Did you attend an Earth Day celebration this year? Our Creation Care Ministry was at the South Bay Earth Day celebration and the La Mesa Earth Day Festival, both on April 18. Maybe you saw us there?
Christ the King Parish took advantage of this special day to launch their “Laudato Si” effort with their catechetical program, also on April 18. After a welcome and opening prayer by pastor Father TJ Jennings, Creation Care leader Rey Estrada led a day of learning about this principle of Catholic Social Teaching with Jorge Soto and the CTK Fidelis Scholars.
“Nature is like God’s art,” Estrada began. Then he asked the students if they knew Pope Francis had written them a letter. He then showed them a cartoon on the letter Pope Francis wrote to everyone on caring for our common home — “Laudato Si.”
CTK students interacted with the presenters as they discussed what happens to our waterways when plastics and pollution intrude. Estrada demonstrated this effect by combining the things that often corrupt our waterways in a blender.
The students agreed this polluted water was not what the fish and sea life wanted to experience. Moreover, only humans are responsible for this pollution, and only humans can fix this problem.
Following the classroom experience, the whole group went outside to do a clean-up of the parish grounds. When they finished, they celebrated with a St. Francis of Assisi cake.
Again, this year, students from the Diocese of San Diego traveled during “Earth Day month” to attend the statewide “Laudato Si” Youth Advocacy Summit in Sacramento on April 20.
More than 350 students gathered, attended Mass, ate together, held a public witness and prayer service at the Capitol, and visited their state representatives to advocate for proposed bills that align with Catholic Social Teaching related to the environment and human dignity.
Our contingent came from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish (San Diego), and Mater Dei and Cathedral Catholic high schools. Our prayers went with them. Our group included Bishop Michael Pham, Auxiliary Bishop Felipe Pulido and Jesuit Father Scott Santarosa, of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.
If you are interested in finding creative ways to present Caring for Creation to your parish or school, please reach out to the Creation Care Ministry and Christina Slentz at cslentz@sdcatholic.org. We are excited to work with you.
September is the Season of Creation, focusing on Sister Water this year, and of course, we continue to celebrate the extraordinary Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi. There’s no time like the present to begin responding to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor and vulnerable.
From the Southern Cross
Is Earth Day a holy day of obligation in the San Diego diocese?
Do they bus students to any prolife events?
I’m so glad I don’t live in the godforsaken antidiocese of San Diego.
Pray for us.
So much formal attire, coats, ties Long dresses… They could be mistaken for students at Thomas Aquinas College….Something tells me that they don’t show this kind of reverence at a Mass celebrating with a focus on heaven.Would they come out on a pilgrimage for Heaven Day?
What in the name of God is Earth Day? Would Bishop Michael Pham lead a youth delegatation to an Anti-Euthanasia and Anti-Organ Harvesting in Canada Day? Eh?
Happy-Hands Catholicism.
I don’t believe in celebrating or worshipping earth day. The Diocese of San Diego is not very Catholic if they worship the earth. Worship God.
I was brought up if “we wasted not we would want not” and “cleanliness is next to godliness.” Not to clean up the mess one makes is a form of sloth– a sinful vice — whether individual or corporate. We did not get any of this from newer celebrations but from the Bible and ancient wisdom, especially the Book of Proverbs and Sirach, The Book of Proverbs tells us to work hard and conserve, even the land, as other books of the Bible tell us to let the land rest between crops for fertility and to leave the gleanings for the poor. Hyssop used in the Old Testament was an antiseptic for cleanliness. We also had good secular children’s books like “The Little Red Hen” and Aesop’s Fables” that taught us to be virtuous.. None of this is new.
Good comment– all true. Teaching proper, virtuous, Christian ways of living our earthly lives, should be centered in traditional Biblical teachings, not secular programs.
“Laudato Si” (2015) is a good encyclical of Pope Francis. Mankind is called, according to Biblical principles, to respect and responsibly care for God’s Creation, and not exploit it and cause damages and destruction. The earth belongs to God, and we must do our best in respecting and caring for His Creation.
You can get the same stuff at the Unitarian “church”
or from an Episcopalian priestess.
The first Earth Day was held 56 years ago.
In spite of teetering on the brink of destruction for over half a century, this fragile orb is still here.
The catastrophists are gonna hafta try a lot harder.
One of Earth Day’s teachings is the ‘earth’ is under great strain from over- population and concomitant over- consumption, pollution , etc. I hope these san diego parishioners are given the rest of the story and are not afraid to be fertile and multiply in a faith- directed sacramental commitment
How much carbon dioxide was released
into the atmosphere transporting these kids to Sacramento?
Where are the carbon offsets???
The fate of the earth (ostensibly) hangs in the balance.
How much paper and plastic did they waste when they ate out on their road trip?
When at church a while back, someone I knew made a comment about my Ford F-150 pickup truck. “Could you have gotten a bigger truck?!” (said with a tone) Well, actually, I could have. I realized that my F-150 with its V-6 engine probably had a smaller carbon footprint than the many cats I knew she had. I thought, “Could you have any less cats?” But, I decided it was better to be charitable and exercise my filters (my wife liking both, especially the latter) and not say anything. I simply smiled and enjoyed the rest of the Lord’s Day. It’s always easier to demand that the other person reduce their carbon footprint. Like all the celebrities and liberal politicians flying in private jets.
Loved reading the story of Ruth, when young, and seeing the famous 1960 movie. Very tragic, the helpless poverty suffered by widows in that era, such as the two widows, the young Moabite foreigner, Ruth, and her mother-in-law, Naomi. In that era, poor widows gleaned in the fields at harvest time, to provide for themselves. Ruth ended up very fortunate, gleaning in the field of Boaz, a compassionate landowner, a kinsnan of Naomi’s deceased husband. Boaz protected Ruth– and they fell in love and got married, and Ruth converted to the Jewish faith. Ruth and Boaz became ancestors of Christ. Christ calls us to lovingly protect and care for helpless widows, orphans, the sick, the elderly, the poor, and all vulnerable people. That is an important part of caring for God’s Creation.
Leviticus 25 contains the Biblical information mentioned in Anne TE’s comment. It also includes information on the Jewish concept of the kinsman-redeemer, who rescues impoverished relatives–including poor widows, like Ruth, in the story of Ruth and her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz. Very interesting to read all of this. The Jewish kinsman-redeemer concept is similar to Christ. Another interesting similarity– Boaz was a wealthy and honorable landowner from Bethlehem, where Christ was born. Boaz and Ruth had a son, Obed, and Obed had a son named Jesse. Jesse was the father of the great King David. Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, was a descendant of the royal King David, through his son, Solomon. And many scholars believe that Mary’s lineage can be traced back to King David too, through David’s son, Nathan. All of this fulfills ancient Biblical prophecies of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
Actually, the material in Leviticus 25 is more related to what I described, in the Biblical story of Ruth, Naomi and Boaz. But anyway, the Bible has lots of good teachings for us, for all aspects of our lives, including care of God’s Creation.
My parish put up a “celebrate Earth Day” table in the narthex. It’s about gardening and recycling. Big whoop.
The Earth Day Catholics are just the parish Democrat club, like the pro-life Catholics are the parish Republican club.
She Sells Sea Swells by the Seashore.
The article is by Christina Bagaglio Slentz, San Diego Diocese Associate Director for Creation Care Ministry of the Office of Life, Peace and Justice, a full-time paid position. She warns one and all of sea-level rise while her Coronado parish and home are at sea level.
Teaching Catholics to live as God wants us to live, according to Biblicsl precepts, with respect and care for God’s Creation while we are alive.on this earth, is a responsibility to our Creator– not a secular political endeavor. Catholics should read and follow Biblical teachings– not secular, Godless political fads. The Christian, like the Biblical Jews, has a whole way of life to live, dedicated to Christ, for the Kingdom of God to be built on earth, where all may live and flourish, in peace, love, and justice, according to Christian teachings.
The modern era, and urbanization, and modern scientific developments, drugs to cure illnesses, unnatural contraptions like fast-cooking microwave ovens, wonder fabrics for clothes and everyday items in place of natural fabrics, use of unnatural plastic, unnatural chemicals in foods as well as unhealthy, genetically modified, bioengineered foods, contaminated, dangerous, unhealthy water and air, homes filled with items containing unnatural materials and chemicals that are a danger to healtth — etc. — today’s world is full of unnatural and unhealthy problems. Long ago, in a simpler, agrarian era, for thousands of years, mankind did not have such evils. Life was harder– but much more normal, closer to God and God’s Mother Nature. People marveled at the beauty and Divine Order and natural harmony of God’s Creation. They knew much about their local land, rivers, lakes, sea and environments, plants, crops, flowers, trees, animals, birds, the weather and the seasons.
And yet in the olden days they typically died at age 45 but today they live to be 90 or more.
Longevity is not the issue. The issue I wrote about is that since modernization and urbanization, mankind has lost his natural connections to both God and God’s Creation. Our whole environment has become poisoned with chemicals, bioengineering of food, unsafe water and air, chemical drugs prescribed for illnesses, unnatural “wonder fabrics” for clothes and household items, etc. Mankind is sick– and mentally sick!– and starving for God and for God’s natural Creation. Mankind even has “pretend friends” on Social Media– and “pretend time,” in summer Daylight Savings Time. No normalcy!
People in the seven blue zones live to be well into their nineties and a hundred without all the sickness that we have. Things they have in common: each area has its own religion ( mostly one–less to fight about) clean water, natural unprocessed food, work hard which builds strong bodies, but keep a Sabbath and time off for recreation, have less crime and not involved in wars. Once too many outsiders come in and try to change things, the fighting begins. Sardinia is one blue zone. As long as other people live them alone, they seem to do just fine health and spirit wise, less disease spread and less stress. Not all the vehicles with traffic and store selves lined with sugar-coated cereals.
Regarding my last post: we take out all the vitamins from rice and wheat in processing it to make it “white”, then “enrich” it with artificial stuff. It also takes out the flavor. Most of our pizza is nothing but processed “junk”. Most of the cheese is not real.
I am afraid that if Pope Leo continues with his liberal, worldly, modern, “Vatican II”– style approach– side-stepping important moral issues like Christian Marriage and Pro Life–he will find himself so out-of-touch with devout Catholics, especially Catholic laymen eager to serve the Church, but discouraged, and Catholic parents trying to raise their children as good, practicing Catholics– Pope Leo will one day wake up to find that too many of his churches and schools have closed worldwide, he has too few priests to serve his Church– and no one is much interested in what he says or does anymore. World leaders also will not respect or trust him as much. He needs to really get strong and “no nonsense”-style on Catholic teachings– and stop trying to please man– and start trying to please God. He is our Pope. Many prayers for him to wake-up. Be a Lion– find his true voice– and roar.
Well, maybe I went a little too far, in my comment of April 24 at 4pm. Anyway– the Pope’s job is to teach Catholicism.
Pope Leo said the world must come together to fight climate change. Hahahahahahahaha
Earth Day? When we consider the teachers of the Church we begin to see how it enhances God’s creation. We can make a difference. 1) Keep the Sabath Holy. If we took it seriously we wouldn’t travel on Sundays, or go shopping. We would gather as a family and rest. I remember when I was a boy and I lived in Michigan. On Sundays everything slowed down. The stores were closed, cars were stopped. We went to early Mass and afterward we stayed and shared a meal as a family. It was quiet. 52 days a year. Almost a month and a half we would rest. 2) Marrage as a committed institution. When two people stay married and raise a family together. A real marrage, a man and a women, it is one of the most effecient ways to live. Big familes tend to be more effecient. When divorce happens all kinds of energy is used. Two house holds need to be established, two jobs, two cars, two refrigerators …. 3) Natural family planning, helps marrages stay together, no messy birth control pills with their effects on the enviroment, less unwanted pregnancies. Mifilpristone, that awful drug that is currently being manufactured and dumped into our water systems. I keep thinking, those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Those who live by chemical death, will die by chemical death, what a horrific and painful death we have awaiting for us. When we teach about the enviroment, we need to bring out how those fundemental truths of the Church make society healthier and the enviroment healthier. How is it that God restores the world. See Isaih 58
I know you mean well, but your comment is long and rambling.
To “limit words in comments”– Better to have a long and rambling comment to say something meaningful and intelligent– than your short and meaningless, time-wasting, critical comment. You missed the whole point. This commenter had something meaningful to say! Good idea for you to take an interest in what others have to say– and take a class to develop good reading skills. I enjoyed reading Wheels’ comment.
Wheels is simply making up for time lost. She has not been on here for a while. Now give me a down thumb and leave her alone.
Enjoyed your comment, Wheels. Love to read about life experiences written by different people, and their honest and heartfelt reflections. You know, big families staying together, working through things, should be strongly promoted. Even good recipes are more economical, when cooking to feed big families– it is less economical to cook for one or two people. And trying to run two separate households, is very expensive in every single way. Many young married couples with kids, are struggling financially– babysitting is helpful at times. For elderly widows/widowers, independence is important, but it is less costly– and better, safer and healthier– not to live alone. Best to have a good family structure, and make room for all– and help each other out, negotiate things, and contribute, help and share.
If a comment is more than five or six lines long I downvote it without reading it.
Very ignorant and uncharitable. Take a class, learn good reading and comprehension skills. And open your mind and heart to see and appreciate what others have to say. You will also get much further in all areas of life, if you develop good social skills.
Watch out! The standard, hardcover NABRE Bible (official Catholic Bible) used for Mass, typically has between 1400-1600 pages — depending on the publisher and font size, etc. You had better learn how to read it.