Australian parishes, religious communities and schools are joining other groups from around the world in pursuit of achieving total sustainability by signing up for the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform.

An initiative of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Laudato Si’ Action Platform aims to empower the Church to achieve total sustainability in the holistic spirit of integral ecology. It does this by providing practical tools to address the current socio-ecological crisis.

Individuals, families and groups can commit to creating a Laudato Si’ Plan on the platform, which provides access to a range of resources designed to help users determine where you stand on the road to sustainability, reflect on the principles of integral ecology and make a plan to take action. 

A key part of the platform is the seven Laudato Si’ goals, which are:

  • Response to the cry of the earth: A call to protect our common home for the wellbeing of all
  • Response to the cry of the poor: A call to promote eco-justice
  • Ecological economics: A call to re-think our economy and financial decisions
  • Adoption of sustainable lifestyles: Promoting sobriety in the use of resources and energy
  • Ecological education: A call to re-think education to foster ecological awareness
  • Ecological spirituality: A call to discover God in all things
  • Community resilience and empowerment: Journeying together with a community at various levels.

Netta Sheridan from St Joseph and St Anthony Parish in Bracken Ridge, Queensland, said the parish pastoral council has recently committed to enrolling in the platform.LSAP 350px

“It’s a wonderful initiative because it’s coming straight from Pope Francis,” she said. “The message of Laudato Si’ really inspires the average Catholic in the parish to respond to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

Based on the name of Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical on creation, the platform was designed by the Vatican’s Dicastery in conjunction with various organisations around the world, including the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference’s Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace.

Many of those organisations and groups, as well as numerous others from around the world, have shared more than 160 resources via the platform, aimed at helping individuals and communities to achieve the Laudato Si’ goals.

The resources include how-to guides, prayers and reflections, homily materials, school curriculum materials, games, study guides, educational videos and webinars.

Ms Sheridan said there were several elements of the platform that interested her.

“It’s that feeling of being a part of a very large family, that you’re not working in isolation, but that you’re a part of something bigger, as well as the access to resources and support,” she said.

Several other Australian organisations and communities have also enrolled in the platform, including the Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australian and Papua New Guinea, Australian Catholic University, Marist Schools Australia, the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart and the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.

Upon enrolment in the platform, users are asked to complete three tasks to become a member of the platform: a self-assessment, a personal reflection and finally a plan of action.

The self-assessment is used as a baseline evaluation which can be used each year to determine an individual’s or group’s progress. It includes questions about electricity usage, care of the environment and prayer habits.

For the second task, users upload a reflection document or video that examines how their values are connected to the Laudato Si’ goals. Reflections are then shared publicly on the platform for other members to view and be inspired by.

Once these tasks have been completed, users can then create their own Laudato Si’ plan, which is then made available for others to view in a spirit of collaboration and as part of the shared journey towards integral ecology. The plan details how an individual or organisation will implement their response to Laudato Si’ through specific actions.

The process then continues annually, with the individual or organisation reflecting upon their progress each year and updating their plan accordingly.

There is also a community feature of the platform, allowing users to share their contact details and to connect with organisations enrolled in the platform.

Sally Neaves, mission and ministry resource coordinator for the Sisters of Mercy, said the Sisters have high hopes for the platform and are excited about its potential.

“We hope to be part of a global movement implementing Laudato Si’ together as core to our Christian mission, hearing the call of our common home and knowing that things can change,” she said.

“It will be a tremendous time of learning together, praying in a renewed way, seeing with new eyes and changing our individual living practices and communal decisions. Over time, the Sisters hope to be able to link in with other like-minded religious orders to share and learn about ways we can all progress on the journey.”

For communities and individuals wishing to enrol in the platform, head to www.laudatosiactionplatform.org. Enrolments will close on April 22, 2022.

 

More Information:

Laudato Si’ Action Platform Launches with Leadership from ACBC Office for Justice, Ecology and Peace: https://socialjustice>.catholic.org.au/2021/11/14/laudato-si-action-platform-launches/

Pope’s Message: Laudato Si’ Action Platform: https://socialjustice.catholic.org.au/2021/07/14/pope-francis-laudato-si-action-platform-message/

 

Words: Matthew Biddle