Catholic Identity

 Laudato Si Week:

When Archbishop Shane committed our Diocese to the Laudato Si ' Action Platform in 2021 and commissioned Caritas Earthcare parish and school representatives in Nathalia in 2022, his commitment wasn’t symbolic. It marked a decision to embed care for creation into the everyday life of the Church; in the way parishes operate, the way schools educate, and the way communities pray and act.

It’s important to remember that we can still work towards ecological conversion while we develop a concrete plan. Doing little things can make a big difference: a parish switching to reusable cups: a school planting trees; a family walking to Mass; a parish making ethical coffee purchases; students learning about ecology or a species’ habitat…

The Diocese of Sandhurst’s journey shows that these small steps matter. Not because they solve everything, but because they shape who we are becoming. And perhaps that is the deeper question Laudato Si’ Week places before us: Not just what can we do for the earth?  But what kind of people are we called to be? At the end of the day, it’s recognising that creation is not just a resource, but a gift.