Laudato Si?
As part of a leadership commitment to caring for our common home, the Australian Province has appointed members of the Committee that will advise the Provincial Council on issues related to ecology, climate change and sustainability.
The Provincial Council opted for the creation of a policy and a "Laudato Sí" committee with the aim of responding to the fifth call of XXII General Chapter and the 2015 Encyclical of Pope Francis on the care of our common home. In this regard, on December 14, 2017, the Provincial Council approved a document that affirms the provincial commitment to education and action for a more just and sustainable world.
The new committee responsible for delivering on this commitment was named in the month of May: Brothers Dennis Cooper, Paul A. Murphy, Mark Needham, Graham Neist, Bill Selden, and Cassie Wilmot.
Speaking of the importance of Laudato Sí for the Province, Br Peter Carroll, Provincial of Australia, said,
“In my first term, the Provincial Council was itself the Laudato Sí Committee, and it was responsible for the development of the Laudato Sí Policy. However, it’s appropriate that a cross-section of Brothers is now involved in this most important area".
The Province policy is based on one of the affirmations and commitments of the 2018 Provincial Chapter:
“We affirm that justice and ecological sustainability are imperatives for the survival of the earth and its people, and for this reason: we commit to engaging Brothers in awareness, action and advocacy, and to forming groups to advise and lead our engagement”.
With the aim of implementing what has been said about its ecological commitment, the Provincial Council in July nominated the following possibilities:
- deepen our awareness of Laudato Si and embrace its call to live responsibly within creation;
- establish a Province committee, with a Provincial Councillor as a member, to advise and lead our initiatives to share best practice within the Province;
- ensure that ecological practices are implemented in our Province centres and Brothers’ communities;
- provide opportunities for Brothers to deepen their spirituality of creation and be inspired to increased responsible action.
Regarding this topic, one of the calls of the XXII General Chapter asks Marists to "createan integral ecological awareness in all our communities and different ministries, and developingpolicies at all levels of the Institute that strengthen our commitment to the care of our ‘common home’”.