Peace & Justice

This is the blog of the Commission on Peace and Justice for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, New York.

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Laudato Si' Conference

The response of American Catholics to the Pope’s encyclical on the environment “has not been commensurate with the urgency and gravity of the climate crisis” according to the Catholic Climate Covenant, which has a leading role coordinating U.S. Catholic enactment of the Vatican Laudato Si’ Action Platform.”

This issue will be addressed next month at Creighton University’s biennial conference “to convene, equip, and inspire Catholics who can more deeply integrate Laudato Si’ and its climate change teaching into the U.S. Church.”

According to a news release about the virtual event:

The 2021 conference will open on July 13 with keynote addresses by His Eminence Blase Cardinal CupichArchbishop of Chicago, and Maureen Day, PhDAssistant Professor of Religion and Society at the Franciscan School of Theology. Together, they will assess why the U.S. Catholic response to Laudato Si’ has not been commensurate with the urgency and gravity of the climate crisis.

On July 14-15, the conference will feature interactive breakout sessions facilitated by teams of ministry leaders working to more faithfully incorporate Laudato Si’ into eight areas of the U.S. Catholic Church: 

  • Advocacy 
  • Colleges/Universities 
  • Communications/Media 
  • Creation Care Teams (especially at parishes and dioceses) 
  • Environmental Justice 
  • Homiletics 
  • Parochial School Education 
  • Youth & Young Adults 

On July 15, the conference will conclude with an address by Sister Ilia Delio, OSF, PhDJosephine C. Connelly Endowed Chair in Theology at Villanova University. Sister Delio will consider Catholic spiritual and theological insights that can enliven a more faithful commitment to care for our common home.

The 2021 virtual gathering will be free and open to the public but registration is required. At the time of registration, attendees are encouraged to make a freewill donation to help offset conference costs that include Spanish language translations.

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