What's Happening

in RE Classrooms?

Week 6 was ‘Laudato Si’ week at KCC, a week of hopeful celebration and action in ‘Caring For Our Common Home’. ‘Laudato Si’ is the 2015 encyclical (Papal Letter) from Pope Francis, addressed to “every person living on this planet”. Pope Francis calls the Church and the world to acknowledge the urgency of our environmental challenges and engage in a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. In particular, Pope Francis acknowledges the power of our young people ,who ‘demand change’ as they ‘wonder how anyone can claim to be building a better future without thinking of the environmental crisis and the sufferings of the excluded.’

Students considered the words of Pope Francis that ‘The history of our friendship with God is always linked to particular places which take on an intensely personal meaning’ and reflected on special places that possess a sense of sacramentality:

Students applied their new knowledge of ‘integral ecology’, writing their own personal report cards as ‘an awareness of the gravity of today’s cultural and ecological crisis must be translated into new habits’ (Pope Francis).

Pope Francis’ encyclical reminds us we must use our own rich talents as we are ‘instruments of God for the care of creation.’ Students responded creatively through poems, art and multimedia to convey the deep sense of responsibility and cooperation required to answer the call of the earth.

Laudato Si 

As the situation grows ever dire

The earth continues to burn on fire

Our world, our home burns to the fire of humanity

It really is insanity.

We burn our beautiful world, our unique world, for what?

From the ashes of this burning world what have we got?

Supposed progression I kid you not.

This world is worth an infinite amount of money

But everyday we sell our precious planet, this isn’t funny

Because we can’t disperse

If we don't do something we may as well call the hearse

Once we’re gone, once our home’s gone

Life can't be redrawn

We think of moving to other planets

Then we admit defeat, we lose our enchantment

There is no plan B. There is no other option

We burn our planet with horrible concoctions.

To save our earth we must play our hand

We must take a stand

We must help the earth stand

In order for us to stand

Because if our earth, our planet, our home burns

Then we burn.

Specs of dust in an indifferent universe

And for all this we thank humanity's irresponsible desire

To throw more and more gasoline on the fire.

And on we burn…

By Charles Malone

Steph Garrod | Religious Education Coordinator